JUPITER, Fla. -- By most accounts, Masyn Winn had a stellar, if not spectacular, rookie season by evolving into one of MLB¡¯s best two-strike hitters while also showing himself to be arguably the most defensively dynamic shortstop in the game.
Again, by most accounts.
¡°I think it was a good year; a lot of people think it was a great year,¡± Winn said while recounting a 2024 season where he hit .267 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs and led all MLB shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved with 14, per Fielding Bible. ¡°But there are a lot of things to improve on, which is exciting. That could hopefully be one of my worst years, especially defensively.¡±
In case there is any doubt, there is zero satisfaction from the 2024 season for Winn, who turned 23 years old on Friday as the Astros beat the Cardinals, 5-3. Despite his discontent, Winn not only cleared up many of the questions surrounding his abilities on both sides of the ball, but he also showed off his potential as a hopeful face of the franchise for years to come.
Those are roles and responsibilities Winn says he wants on his shoulders as the Cardinals hope to use 2025 as a season where they return to the playoffs following a two-year absence. Winn might have just one full MLB season under his belt, but he is brimming with confidence that he can be one of the game¡¯s best all-around shortstops.
¡°Everybody wants to be the best version of themselves, and I want to be the guy around here for a long time,¡± Winn told MLB.com recently. ¡°I want to be the shortstop in this organization, an All-Star, [win] multiple Gold Gloves and I want to win a Silver Slugger at some point.
¡°I want to do so many things here. ¡ There¡¯s going to be a time when I am one of the faces of the league, and hopefully, I¡¯ll be making this organization proud.¡±
The Cardinals would be super proud if Winn can improve upon a season where he starred as their leadoff hitter and became their anchor defensively. His 80 two-strike hits were two more than Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and second in MLB only to Guardians star Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez. His whiff rate ranked in baseball¡¯s 82nd percentile and his strikeout rate was in the 76th percentile, per Baseball Savant.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, who fully embraces Winn¡¯s hopes to play 162 games at shortstop in 2025, likes that he is hard on himself and keeps pushing for more.
¡°He is [hard on himself], and that¡¯s OK because that¡¯s what gives him that edge and success,¡± Marmol said of Winn, who has struggled at the plate most of this spring. ¡°Gosh, I just love Masyn, his overall demeanor, the way he approaches the game and his competitiveness. He¡¯s just relentless in how he approaches everything, and I love the fact that stuff doesn¡¯t faze him, and he¡¯s going to continue to plow forward. That¡¯s just part of who he is.¡±
Winn hopes a bigger part of who he is in 2025 will be that of an elite basestealer. He stole just 11 bases in 16 tries in 2024, and he was most disappointed in the fact that he stopped running largely because he despises being thrown out on the basepaths. This offseason, Winn worked with his former high school track coach from Katy, Texas, in hopes of getting improved jumps and becoming a better baserunner.
¡°I think it's more of a confidence thing on the bases,¡± said Winn, who stole 92 bases in two-and-a-half seasons in the Minor Leagues. ¡°I need to be confident in my running and not be scared to get thrown out. That's why you see Elly De La Cruz, who went 67 for 83 [in stolen-base attempts] last year, and he wasn't scared to run at all. People knew he was running, and he was going anyway. So that's kind of the player I want to be on the bases.¡±
Winn is also going to be a player who is never satisfied, regardless of all he accomplishes in the season ahead.
¡°My mom, she raised me to be a perfectionist, so I could be hitting .400, but I want to be hitting .500,¡± said Winn, who has hit just .089 (4-for-45) this spring. ¡°Obviously, that could turn into a bad thing, but I just use it to fuel me. If I strike out at the plate, my mindset is to go out and make a play and take a hit away from somebody else. I'm hard on myself, but I think it's a good thing and it will make me better.¡±