Inside The Cardinals

MLB Writer Shares High Praise For Cardinals' Young Star

The Cardinals have an exciting young core of players.
Zach Pressnell|
May 17, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) reacts after a play during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
May 17, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) reacts after a play during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the best young cores in baseball and a lot of this talent revolves around shortstop Masyn Winn. As he goes, the offense goes. As he goes, the defense goes. He's a crucial piece of the puzzle for the Cardinals.

Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently called Winn the second most valuable young player on the Cardinals and shared some serious praise for the star shortstop.

"Winn is just 23 years old and already someone who can win a Gold Glove and be a well-above-average hitter at the plate," Jacobs wrote. "I expect him to cool off a bit at the plate all fall from his current production, but if he settles into 10% above-league average or better at the plate for the rest of this season, that'll help establish him as one of the premier shortstops in today's game.

"His all-around skillset, positional value, age, and loads of team control all help to pump up his value on this club. I do think there are some parts of his offensive profile that need tuned up over time if he wants to be an impact bat, but for now, Winn knows how to be an asset at the plate even with some of his limitations."

Winn has been excellent this season. He's near the top of the league in fielding run value and outs above average, indicating he's an elite defender at shortstop.

The young star also has an OPS+ of 116. He's coming off a season in which he posted a WAR near 5.0, but if he continues to produce like he is right now, he could post a WAR better than last season's.

It's hard to find a 23-year-old shortstop with the talent, potential, and production that Winn has.

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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