Central STL News

Masyn Winn continues to draw attention for his performance with the St. Louis Cardinals since the All-Star break. The 23-year-old shortstop has made significant contributions both defensively and offensively, offering hope to a franchise focused on rebuilding.

During Saturday’s win over the San Diego Padres, Winn made a notable backhanded play at shortstop and hit a go-ahead two-run double. These moments highlight why the Cardinals see him as a potential cornerstone for their future.

“Offensively I’m still working on some things, but defensively I feel like I’m that guy and I love that my teammates and staff think that about me,” Winn said regarding his role with the team. “I want to be here for a long time, and making a play like that [on Saturday] is going to allow that to happen.”

On Sunday, however, the Cardinals struggled against Padres pitcher Dylan Cease, who allowed just one hit over five innings while striking out nine batters. Iván Herrera’s single in the first inning was the only hit for St. Louis through eight innings. Despite this, the Cardinals managed five hits and three runs in the ninth inning before falling 7-3.

Manager Oliver Marmol noted his team's effort late in Sunday’s game: “The end of the game, that’s a learned skill to be able to never give in and figure out a way,” Marmol said. “You come in the dugout and you’re down a ton, and they wanted to get Suarez in the game. The fact we did that, it was impressive.”

Marmol also praised Winn’s defensive skills shown during Saturday's victory: “He’s an electric player, and he can beat you in a lot of different ways,” Marmol said. “This is a guy who can hit for power and beat you, use the whole field and beat you and beat you on the bases. And he can definitely beat you defensively. That’s the style of player you can build around and he’s continuing to grow. His overall mindset is that he’s going to give you everything he’s got.”

Pitcher Michael McGreevy commented on Winn's impact: “The caliber of player he is, the type of ceiling he has -- even the floor -- it’s a really special player. He’s the type of player who comes along once in a generation.”

Winn currently leads Major League Baseball in outs above average (18) among all players this season—a statistic used by MLB.com analysts—and leads all shortstops with just two errors for an MLB-best .995 fielding percentage.

Since mid-July's All-Star break, Winn has been more productive at bat; his 20 hits are tied for fourth most among National League players during this span while excelling with runners in scoring position (8-for-17 with four doubles and nine RBIs).

Winn acknowledged areas where he hopes to improve but expressed confidence about taking on more responsibility within St. Louis’ young roster: “We’ve got a good young group, but personally I’d love to be that guy for this city,” Winn said. “I’ve got to pick it up offensively, but moving forward I can be a leader for this team and somebody they can rely on every year.”