If Superman was playing shortstop, he surely would’ve dived for this grounder like, well, Superman. But if he had, he likely wouldn’t have made the throw in time.
Luckily, Superman wasn’t playing shortstop. It was Masyn Blaze Winn (actual middle name).
On this ball up the middle last Wednesday — eighth inning, game tied with the Padres — Winn scurried to his left ... but rounded the grounder. He then slid toward the ball on only his right knee. This allowed him to sweep his left leg in front, push off it and pop up.
Winn fired it to first for the out.
“He continues to do things that other shortstops can’t do,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said after the game to the media. “The play up the middle, how quickly he bounces to his feet — and then the arm behind it to finish that play? And he made it look easy. It’s a pretty-near-impossible play. And he makes those routine. So we have a really good player on our hands who is going to help us win for a long time.â€
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To me, Masyn Winn, still just 22, looks like a Gold Glove shortstop. And you don’t just say that sort of thing in St. Louis, where the definition of a Gold Glove shortstop reigned with range. But going by the eye test (from this Clark Kent) says Winn should win the award — and the metrics also say Winn should win.
No shortstop in Major League Baseball entered Monday with more defensive runs saved (14) than the Cardinals rookie. In fact, only three MLB players at any position had more.
He leads all National League shortstops in a stat called range runs above average, per Fangraphs. His ultimate zone rating is third-best among NL shortstops. And Winn averages 92.9 mph on throws, second only to Oneil Cruz among MLB shortstops.
Now, in the NL, there are other shortstops who flash similar leather but have flashier names, be it Francisco Lindor, Dansby Swanson or Elly De La Cruz. And the exquisite Ezequiel Tovar is a Colorado Rockie with range like the Rockies.
But defensive runs saved has ascended to become the OPS of defensive stats. And Winn is No. 1 in that category. Give the kid the Gold Glove.
“He’s fun to watch, he’s fun to play with, he’s fun to be around,†Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray said to the media last week at Busch Stadium. “He’s turning into a really fun, exciting player to watch. I mean, you know you’ve got someone special when there’s one player who is all the kids’ favorite player. You know that’s something. My kids love him.â€
Winn plays with an unswerving swagger. He approaches defense with an offensive mindset. And like Sonny said, he’s just fun to watch. No, Masyn Winn is not Ozzie Smith. No. 1 was a 1 of 1, as he pioneered playing shortstop like an acrobat or, I don’t know, let’s say, a wizard. But Winn is a modern marvel. A fitting heir to Ozzie’s Astroturf-covered throne.
Sure, Edgar Renteria won two Gold Gloves as a St. Louis shortstop. But Winn is just ... different. The speed, the arm, the wherewithal, the panache. Ozzie should be proud.
“I absolutely love Masyn Winn,†said Marmol, an infielder himself during his minor league days. “He is an athlete, he’s a dog — he just cares about winning. And he shows up every day to do exactly that. He is a highly competitive, emotional player.â€
I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about offense in this column as I wanted to give proper props to his defense. But consider that Winn is fifth in the NL in WAR among position players on Baseball Reference. Shohei Ohtani, Matt Chapman, Ketel Marte and Lindor — that’s it. Winn is at 4.7, just ahead of De La Cruz, Mookie Betts, Brice Turang and former Cardinal Marcell Ozuna, who leads the NL in RBIs and is second in both batting average and homers.
Some of Winn’s WAR is due to his offense — he entered Monday hitting .283 with a .754 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). But 2.2 of his 4.7 WAR is from his defense (only Turang has a higher defensive WAR).
OK, two more quick offensive things to sneak in:
- Since Aug. 14, Winn is hitting .338 with a .881 OPS.
- And Winn leads all National Leaguers with 71 hits with two strikes (ahead of 67 for Luis Arraez, who has struck out just 26 times all year — heck, I think Nolan Gorman did that in a game).
OK, back to Winn’s defense. It really is just a spectacle. The 6-3s, the 6-4-3s, the 4-6-3s — each has as splash of his flair. And each week at Busch Stadium, even though there are fewer and fewer fans, there seems to be more and more WINN 0 jerseys.
On Monday, MLB Network posted video on X, formerly Twitter, of a TV segment. It was with sportscaster Greg Amsinger (a St. Louis native) and longtime MLB manager Buck Showalter. The duo discussed the five top rookies in the NL — Winn, Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga, Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill and Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio. The question posed: If you were starting a franchise in 2025, who’s the first player you’d take of the five?
“I’m taking the shortstop,†Showalter said, stunning Amsinger, who chose Skenes. “I’m taking the premium position, I’m taking Masyn Winn.
“Now, this is not clear-cut. I’d love to have any of them. I just think the premium position, shortstop ... he’s going to be a single-digit-error guy, a plus-runner. I remember the first time I saw this guy, my eyes were drawn to him. I tell scouts all the time, when they were scouting somebody, your eyes are drawn to the player you were supposed to be looking at. This kid’s special.
“They’re all great. Skenes, I think because of the physical dependency that you have — (throwing that hard) is just not a normal thing to do to your arm. I hope (a major arm injury) never happens. I hope he stays healthy. But one of the guys you choose, you’re going to have to give a five-, 10-year contract down the road — and you’re betting. Long-term, I’m taking the shortstop.â€
Well, St. Louis has the shortstop at least until he’s eligible for free agency — in 2030.