Masyn Winn Hype Is Finally Building for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals shortstop is starting to turn a corner offensively.

Jul 24, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) fields a ground ball against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Are we starting to see St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn turn a corner offensively?

Arguably, the answer is yes.

When it comes to Winn, there's no denying the fact that he has massive upside. In 2025, he won what should be his first of many Gold Glove Awards at shortstop. Winn finished in the 100th percentile with 21 outs above average. This season, he's in the 98th percentile with 11 outs above average so far with over one month left in the campaign. The only National League shortstop ahead of Winn right now in outs above average is Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs with 15.

Winn is among the best overall defensive players in baseball and him and JJ Wetherholt have formed the best defensive middle infield in the sport. Plus, Winn is just 24 years old. He's the type of shortstop any team would love to have, but there have been some questions around him offensively. When he broke onto the scene as a rookie in 2024, he slashed .267/.314/.416 with a .730 OPS, 15 home runs and 57 RBIs.

In 2025, he took a step backwards, though. He dealt with a knee issue and slashed .253/.310/.363 with a .673 OPS, nine home runs and 51 RBIs.

Masyn Winn Is Starting To Turn Things Around

Aug 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) slides in head first as he steals second base during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He entered the 2026 season with a healthier knee, but his overall numbers haven't returned to his 2024 pace. Right now, he's slashing .243/.318/.324 with a .642 OPS, four home runs and 49 RBIs.

While this is the case, he has started to show signs of a breakout over the last few weeks. Since July 25, Winn has slashed .286/.352/.365 with a .717 OPS in 18 games, to go along with five doubles, seven RBIs and six runs scored.

This is a different version of Winn than we saw earlier in the campaign and if this production is here to stay, the buzz around Winn is certainly going to come back. Over the course of the 2026 season, Wetherholt and Jordan Walker have been talked about left and right, while Winn has gone under the radar. But when he is at his best, he should be viewed as a franchise cornerstone piece, right up there with Walker and Wetherholt.

These last few weeks have been optimistic. Now, it's a matter of maintaining the momentum over the course of the rest of the season.