St. Louis Cardinals’ Masyn Winn

Masyn Winn, a St. Louis Cardinals top prospect, has been promoted to the big league roster.

According to analysts, given the promotion of outfielder Jordan Walker earlier this season, either Winn or pitcher Tink Hence assumed the Cardinals top prospect role. Both have excellent upside.

Winn, just 21-years-old, replaces injured outfielder Lars Nootbaar on the Cardinals roster.

Winn may become the new Cardinals shortstop.

A middle-infielder, Winn will be promoted from Triple-A Memphis, where he played 76 games at shortstop and 26 games at second base. He also served as a designated hitter in one game.

About Masyn Winn:

A right-handed hitter, Winn is 5-11, 180 pounds.

Winn was a 2nd round selection in the 2020 MLB draft. He was chosen out of Kingwood High School, in Kingwood, Texas.

Winn was the No. 54 player selected in that draft.

Winn received a signing bonus of $2.2 million from the Cardinals.

At the time he was drafted, Winn was a shortstop and right-handed pitcher in high school.

Winn made one professional appearance as a pitcher for the Cardinals. He moved to shortstop in 2022.

Scouting Masyn Winn:

This writer scouted Winn in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.

Playing regularly for Salt River in the Fall League, Winn had 81 plate appearances in 20 games. He hit .294/.407/.353/.760, with one home run and nine RBIs. He stole nine bases in 10 attempts. He walked 13 times, and struck out 15 times.

Winn is an excellent athlete.

Written reports from MLB team scouts usually begin with a review of offensive prowess and potential.

In the case of Masyn Winn, his arm strength and accuracy from the infield stand out as his most advanced current tool.

To this scout, Winn’s pitching background is very obvious in his very strong, accurate arm from either shortstop or second base. He has enough range and agility to play third base as well.

Winn threw a ball from his position at shortstop at 100.5 miles per hour in the MLB 2022 All Star Futures Game. That was the highest velocity ever recorded on an infield throw by MLB’s Statcast system.

After observing Winn in the Fall League, this scout placed a grade of 60 on Winn’s overall defense, with a 70 grade for his arm strength and accuracy.

A 60 grade equates to an occasional All Star quality player-and in this case, an All Star quality defender with a superb arm.

A good hitter, as opposed to hunting home runs, Winn is more likely to hit the gaps for doubles.

However, at Triple-A this year, Winn’s power has arrived. He is hitting home runs and driving in runs.

Winn departed AAA Memphis with a stat line of .288/.359/.474/.834 with 15 doubles, seven triples, 18 home runs, 99 runs scored, and 61 RBIs in 498 plate appearances. Winn had stolen 17 bases in 19 attempts, showing the speed this observer saw in the Fall League.

Basically a line-drive hitter, Winn is getting more consistent loft on the ball. But he can drive the ball on a line right out of the park.

Winn has plus speed that he can use to stretch a normal single to a double. And in the current MLB environment, the new rules will result in Winn stealing plenty of bases at the big league level.

When this scout observed Winn in the Fall League, he had some trouble catching up with high velocity fastballs. In fact, the better pitchers were getting him out with good velocity fastballs up in the zone.

Winn will rely on his excellent bat speed to get backspin on the ball. He has very quick hands and wrists. His quick hands may have been the source of him missing pitches in his past. He was simply too quick to the ball.

That situation has improved with time and experience.

Recent improvements in his hitting approach have transformed Winn from poor contact at the plate, to much more consistent, hard contact. He still strikes out, but his overall approach and improved awareness of the strike zone are encouraging.

Winn struck out 83 times at Memphis. He walked 44 times, which is an indication of his good patience and pitch recognition.

Winn is chasing fewer pitches, and he is getting more loft on the ball.

Winn may struggle with breaking balls at the big league level. He feasts on fastballs. At the big league level, he will see a much more steady diet of sliders, curves, and sweepers. Changeups may fool him, as well. He will be challenged to consistently put the ball in play.

For this scout, Winn is a grade 55 hitter. That translates to better than league average.

Conclusions:

Outfielder Jordan Walker, infielder Masyn Winn, and pitcher Tink Hence have provided the St. Louis Cardinals with three highly regarded prospects in MLB.

Walker made his big league debut earlier this year. Hence awaits his first call.

Masyn Winn, a tremendous defensive shortstop with one of, if not the best arms in minor league baseball, has been promoted to the parent Cardinals.

An improved hitter with much more consistency and power at the plate, Winn will have an opportunity to perform at the highest professional baseball level.

While he may struggle initially, the long-term outlook for the middle-infielder is very positive.

His defense, his emerging bat, and his better than average speed project for him to be worthy of attention as a member of the Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals are about to welcome a new shortstop to their roster.