Winn used Players' Weekend as tribute to his family

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ST. LOUIS -- The first time Tiffany Rawson noticed her son may be more advanced than most kids his age was when he uttered “momma” at 5 1/2 months old. Rawson understood he might go on to do special things someday when he was already having full conversations with his four older siblings at 1 year old.

Little did Rawson know it at the time, but Masyn Winn’s advanced maturity, his abilities to handle adversity and thrive under pressure would ultimately help him become one of the youngest starting shortstops in the rich history of the Cardinals -- and arguably already the face of the franchise. Just 22 years old, Winn led all big league shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved (14).

Then again, Winn has been doing things in his life much sooner than most expected.

“I remember that Masyn’s kindergarten teacher called me and told me that he had told the class this really hilarious story, and he mixed in a lot of sarcasm. The other little kids didn’t get it and she was afraid that Masyn’s feelings would be hurt because they didn’t laugh,” Rawson said. “I told her, ‘Don’t worry. Masyn knows it’s funny and he’ll be just fine.’ He already had sarcasm and all the teenaged stuff down by the age of 5.

“I used to travel a lot for work, where I would have to go to India for a week or two, and I would joke with the lady who helped me babysit, 'Masyn is in charge! If you have any questions, just ask Masyn, because he can answer any of the questions.'”

Winn, who was raised in Kingwood, Texas, never had questions about the support that he got while being one of five children in his family. Rawson, a technology director for a mutual fund company, raised Brandyn (now 37 years old), Dustyn (35), Jazmyn (31), Kevyn (29) and Masyn (22) mostly on her own. One spring in particular, Rawson’s family had four kids playing baseball on four teams. By her count, they played more than 100 games combined.

In recognition of all the sacrifice and commitment that Rawson, stepfather Earl “Lucky” Luckett and his four siblings made in helping him get to the big leagues, Winn is used MLB’s Players' Weekend as a family tribute.

Winn used a “family” bat and a “Houston” bat during the special weekend, and both were adorned with names of the people most important to him. Central in his life, of course, was Rawson.

“She was a single mother, for the most part, for all five kids, and what she’s done for all of us is unbelievable,” Winn said. “My mom always worked so that we had gifts at Christmas and good birthdays -- even when she didn’t have much. Nothing I could ever do could match what she’s done for us. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”

Rawson thinks one reason why Winn has always seemed mature for his age and comfortable in his own skin -- even when around older adults -- is because he has older brothers and an older sister. Winn’s siblings often referred to him as their “favorite play toy.” They would take him to parties, volleyball practice and to hangouts with their friends because of his innocent smile and his boyish charm.

While admitting that “it takes a village” to raise children, Rawson said a major moment in Winn’s development as a young man and a baseball player came when the two-way phenom was 8 years old. That’s when Rawson married Luckett, a former college baseball player who runs the Team Houston Baseball program.

It was Luckett who got Winn involved with USA Baseball, where he starred on their U-12 and U-15 teams and started being noticed by MLB scouts. Luckett even moved Winn -- a star shortstop and pitcher at the time -- to the outfield one day for drills so that he could show off his dynamic throwing arm to MLB scouts in attendance.

“We had a lot of good baseball players, and of course Masyn stood out as the best of the best,” said Luckett, whose son, Nick, is the same age as Winn and pitches at Southern University.

“Masyn always had that great arm, and I put him in the outfield so that he could show off that arm,” Earl Luckett said. “I told him, ‘If I call your last name, I want you to throw the ball over third base.’ He made several good throws and I said, ‘C’mon, Winn,’ and he threw the next ball off the dugout. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see all the scouts writing on their clipboards.”

As much as she worked to shuttle Winn to practices, games and hitting lessons, Rawson knows how much her son’s baseball career was aided by having Luckett -- someone he would call “coach” at the ballfields and “Pops” around the house -- to mentor him.

“I don’t think Masyn would have made it without Lucky in his life,” Rawson said. “Sports and baseball are male-dominated sports, and Lucky helped to make the right decisions for Masyn and he pushed him in ways he needed. A lot of times the best players just kind of skate by, but he pushed Masyn to be better. I just don’t know if Masyn would have made it if [Luckett] hadn’t been in our lives.”

Rawson and Luckett attended the Cardinals' series against the Dodgers on Players' Weekend.

Said Winn of Luckett: “He’s everything to me. I loved baseball growing up, but he made it special for me. To this day, he’s the best coach I’ve ever had.”