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MIAMI — When the Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn and the rest of his teammates take the field Thursday night wearing St. Louis Stars throwback uniforms, it won’t be the first time Winn has worn a uniform that paid homage to the legacy of the Negro Leagues.

Winn, a Texas native and former second-round draft pick (54th overall in 2020), began play Wednesday leading all MLB rookies in batting average (.295) and ranked among the rookie leaders in on-base percentage (.339, second), hits (66, second), doubles (12, tied for third), and triples (three, tied for second). He also leads all major league shortstops in defensive runs saved (seven).

Long before Cardinals fans knew about the 5-foot-10, right-handed-hitting shortstop with such a flamethrower arm that he was a two-way draft prospect and a highly regarded prep pitcher, he played on a the Houston-based Negro League Legends amateur team.

On Thursday night, the Cardinals and San Francisco Giants face off in Birmingham, Alabama, in Major League Baseball’s showcase event “MLB at Rickwood Field.� The oldest professional ballpark in the United States, Rickwood Field will host the event in celebration and recognition of the history of Black baseball on the day after the Juneteenth national holiday.

“Me and my stepdad have been talking about it since spring training,� Winn said over the weekend.

Rickwood Field served as the home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Originally established as the Birmingham Stars in 1920 as one of the first eight teams of the Negro Southern League, they changed their name to the Black Barons. The club joined the Negro National League as an associate member in 1923 and a full member in 1925.

Alabama native and Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays began his professional career as a teenager with the Black Barons in 1948. Mays, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, died Tuesday afternoon at the age of 93.

Some of the other prominent players to wear Black Barons uniforms include Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige and Hall of Fame slugger Mules Suttles.

Winn was 8 years old when his stepfather, Earl Luckett, entered his life. Luckett, who had stint in minor league baseball in the Houston Astros organization in the 1980s, coached and ran amateur baseball teams.

“We’d wear a different last name on our back every weekend of somebody that played in the Negro League,� Winn said. “So for him, it’s going to be super-special. For me, it’s going to be super-special. Just getting to represent the Black community is going to be pretty cool.�

Luckett made his players learn about each of the players whose names were on the back of their jerseys. Players were required to research that player, put together a report and then present that report to the team.

“Let’s say I was wearing Cool Papa Bell that weekend,� Winn explained, “Saturday we’d play, and Saturday night, we’d have to write up a little report. Sunday, we’d have to come and present to the whole team, giving some notes on them and some fun facts about the guys.�

The part of the experience that stuck with Winn the most wasn’t researching former players. It’s the way Luckett made it a point to make baseball available to young Black players who might not have been able to play on travel teams or select squads.

“A lot of the kids on that team couldn’t afford to do some stuff, so my stepdad would sponsor and bring them out,� Winn said. “I think just as a collective group, it was pretty good for a lot of those kids, just being able to play baseball with a lot of brothers. For the most part, you don’t really see a lot of teams with Black players. To have a full team of Black players and just being able to be around the guys, I think that sticks with me the most. Just the kind of the impact that he had on us.�

Willie McGee on Willie Mays

Cardinals Hall of Famer and coach Willie McGee was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area when Mays was in the middle of a legendary career with the Giants following their move from New York to San Francisco.

Mays earned two National League MVP awards, 12 Gold Gloves, 24 All-Star selections, a batting title and the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951. Mays hit 660 home runs, stole 339 bases and posted a career batting average of .301.

McGee, a speedy outfielder who won an NL MVP, earned four All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and a World Series championship, spoke about Mays with great reverence prior to Wednesday’s game.

“He was the greatest player that I ever saw,� McGee said. “I always say that he had a sixth tool, the hustle, the aggressiveness and the instincts, especially the way he ran the bases and played defense. There’s not many guys who played like that.�

McGee, 65, played for the Giants from 1991 to 94. Being a member of the Giants and a native of the Bay area gave McGee the chance to meet and interact with Mays in the middle of his own major league career.

McGee described Mays as “fun-loving� as well as “humble� and “down to earth.�

“It was humbling to see that this great player, great guy, one of the greatest players in the world in my book, for him to be the type of person that he was,� McGee said. “Most people are better people than they are players, but I can’t say that about him. He was so good of a player and a great person. I was thinking about that last night.�

McGee was 10 years into his 18-year major league career when he got to San Francisco, but he said he wished he’d been around Mays earlier in his career and been able to pick up even more from Mays.

McGee still recalls Mays telling and showing him how he didn’t stuff his entire hand all the way in his glove. He simply used the pinky finger and thumb to close the glove around the baseball.