This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
JUPITER, Fla. -- As young adults his age so elegantly often put it, Masyn Winn wants all the smoke.
Winn, the Cardinals' electrifying 22-year-old shortstop, wants all the pressures of expectations and demands of being great on a daily basis. He also wants the ball hit to him in the bottom of the ninth and the game on the line, he wants to be the one at the plate and his team needing a run-producing clutch hit and he wants to be at shortstop for all 162 games that the Cards play in 2025.
Most importantly, Winn wants to be the face of the St. Louis Cardinals. And he even wants everything -- the good and the bad -- that goes with such a lofty designation.
“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 on Tuesday. “I want to be the shortstop in this organization, an All-Star, multiple Gold Gloves and I want to win a Silver Slugger at some point.
“I want to do so many things here. For me, it’s just about putting in the work, getting with the right coaches and trusting the process. ... But yeah, 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.”
At this point, you should be reminded that Winn is still more than a month away from his 23rd birthday, even though he already possesses the poise and maturity of someone a decade older. Sure, he has just one full season of big league baseball under his belt, but his proclamations aren’t coming from someone simply blowing smoke.
As Winn showed time and again in an otherwise brilliant rookie season, he’s got the talent, maturity and charisma to someday become an all-time great player in Cardinals history.
Just take it from another all-time great player in Cards history.
“He’s the type of player that you’re always looking for to build around, and hopefully you can find nine or 10 of them, and when they think the way [Winn] does, you can build good chemistry and you can win,” gushed Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, who has been in Jupiter all week doling out advice.
“Masyn’s just so fun to watch. His development is continuing and I’m seeing more of it already. That’s always the goal – to get better – and he’s done that, and I think he can have a long and prosperous career.”
Winn built an impressive foundation in 2024 for what should be a long and prosperous career. Among position players, he was tied with Jackson Merrill with the highest Baseball-Reference wins against replacement (WAR) total as a rookie, he led MLB rookies in defensive WAR and he was a finalist for a Gold Glove. Even more impressively, Winn finished sixth among all National League position players -- along with stars Shohei Ohtani, Matt Chapman, Francisco Lindor, Ketel Marte and Elly De La Cruz -- in bWAR. Also, he led all MLB shortstops in defensive runs saved.
“I consider Masyn one of the most exciting players in the game now,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “If you’re a fan and you’re watching the game, he impacts it in so many ways, right? ... As he continues to develop and give himself more years, this is one of the most exciting players out there.”
Winn, of course, wants more and wants it all. He worked during the offseason with a track coach who might help him hit his goal of “30 bags” stolen in 2025. And Winn is working daily to get better jumps defensively, something that should make him more Ozzie-like at shortstop.
Comparisons to arguably the greatest shortstop to ever put on a glove would be downright outlandish in most instances, but not with the precocious Winn, who is proving that no stage is too grandiose for him and no goal -- including becoming the face of the franchise -- is out of reach.
“I don’t really feel pressure because it’s the same game I’m playing since I was three years old,” Winn said. “I don’t care who is on the mound -- I want to face Aroldis Chapman in his prime. I would just say growing up in Texas with a tough mom and stepdad, that’s where my confidence comes from and why I am so comfortable in those settings.”