The emerging infielder has the opportunity to take a big step forward and prove he’s already one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball in just his fourth season
By Ryan K Boman | March 13, 2026
Shortstop Masyn Winn has long been mentioned by Cardinals fans and St. Louis media as one of the recent success stories of the team’s farm system. With his slick fielding and potential power at the plate, he’s slowly been developing his game, albeit at a little slower pace than the team may have originally envisioned.
Winn has won a Gold Glove Award and has shown flashes of batting brilliance, but most observers will attest that he’s yet to put up a ‘complete’ season in The Show. Now, the emerging infielder has the opportunity to take a big step forward and prove he’s already one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball in just his fourth season.
Improving on a disappointing 2025
A season ago, Winn had 491 at-bats, hitting .253, with nine home runs, 51 RBI, and nine stolen bases — production that reflected an early-season injury, some growing pains, and heightened expectations. He secured his first Gold Glove win, and now he aims for a 15-25 homer season and 20+ stolen bases in 2026. It’s something that Cardinals’ management views as a reasonable set of goals for the 23-year-old.
“He’s still a very young player learning how to navigate a full major league season,” St. Louis skipper Oliver Marmol said. “The defensive foundation is elite, and we believe the offensive consistency will come as he continues to mature.”
“We’re asking him to take on more responsibility this year — not just with his play, but with his presence.”
Winn is a huge part of the Redbirds’ Rebuild
Winn was selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Kingwood (TX) High School, where he hit .417 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs, earning the title of District 22-6A MVP in his junior year.
Despite only playing one game in his senior season due to the COVID outbreak, Winn was still considered highly regarded at his position and had first-round talent. The Cards landed him in the second, instead, after drafting his close friend, outfielder Jordan Walker, 21st overall.
The St. Louis Cardinals are no longer asking Masyn Winn to simply arrive anymore; they are asking him to become an anchor. In a clubhouse reshaped by departures and uncertainty, the young shortstop stands as something more solid now – a presence who can be an established infield All-Star and someone that the franchise can build around.
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The organization’s outlook for 2026 is less about potential and more about transition. That’s why Winn must evolve from a promising defender to a foundational veteran. He represents the bridge between what the Redbirds have been recently and what they hope to become.
If he can rebound from his tough 2025 and show some improvements, Masyn Winn won’t just be part of that next chapter in Cardinals’ history… he will help write it.
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Ryan K Boman is the Publisher for the Savannah Bananas at Sports Illustrated and the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays Looking at Life with Laughter & Love.
Boman is a longtime sports writer & editor whose previous work has appeared at The Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo! Sports, the Miami Herald, and Yardbarker.
Follow him on X @RyanKBoman
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