Cardinals Phenom Could Join Prestigious Company After Impressive Season

The Cardinals phenom certainly has had an impressive rookie season

Aug 28, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) fields a ground ball against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / jeff curry-usa today sports

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly should like what they are seeing from young shortstop Masyn Winn right now.

Winn had a cup of coffee at the big league level in 2023 and appeared in just 37 games. Over that stretch, he showed some flashes defensively and struggled from the plate.

That led some to question him in Spring Training ahead of the 2024 campaign. Winn earned the starting shortstop in the spring and certainly has been impressive in his rookie year. He may not end up winning the National League Rookie of the Year award, but there is a lot to love about his game.

Winn has appeared in 129 games this season and is slashing .281/.329/.420 with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs, 25 doubles, and four triples. While he has been impressive offensively, he has been even better defensively. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Benjamin Hochman even mentioned him as an option to win the National League shortstop Gold Glove Award as he currently is leading the league in defensive runs saved with 14.

"To me, Masyn Winn, still just 22, looks like a Gold Glove shortstop," Hochman said. "And you don’t just say that sort of thing in St. Louis, where the definition of a Gold Glove shortstop reigned with range. But going by the eye test (from this Clark Kent) says Winn should win the award — and the metrics also say Winn should win.

"No shortstop in Major League Baseball entered Monday with more defensive runs saved (14) than the Cardinals rookie. In fact, only three MLB players at any position had more. He leads all National League shortstops in a stat called range runs above average, per Fangraphs. His ultimate zone rating is third-best among (National League) shortstops. And Winn averages 92.9 mph on throws, second only to Oneil Cruz among (Major League Baseball) shortstops."

If Winn wins the Gold Glove Award this season, he will join Dal Maxvill, Ozzie Smith, and Edgar Renteria as the only shortstops in team history to win the prestigious award.

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