Masyn Winn can add a jolt of excitement to a disappointing Cardinals season

2023 can't be rescued with playoffs, but a youth outburst could ease the pain.

Like any newly arrived (and highly touted) prospect-ranked 32nd in all of baseball-Masyn Winn should come with a “handle with care” sign. The St. Louis Cardinals’ top prospect was called up late Thursday night after a disappointing 4-2 loss to the New York Mets, another concoction of underperforming goods. He’ll bat ninth and start at shortstop tonight

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Disappointing is a nice way to describe a pure downtrodden 2023 season for St. Louis, who stepped into the season with playoff aspirations. Those were largely silenced by the beginning of June, finding complete hush mode by the start of All Star Break. John Mozeliak sounded like a wounded puppy talking to the media about a completely different approach heading into the trade deadline, where the team unloaded talent for the promise of future returns.

A 54-68 record spells an offseason of heavy lifting for Mozeliak and the front office, pending a decision from Bill DeWitt Jr. on just how serious he is about recovering a lost ship. In the meantime, a young stud like Winn can help ease the dull sound of the first playoff-less season in St. Louis since 2018. Short-lived or enjoyed for weeks, the postseason became a common thing again--even if the results weren’t great.

Either a big teardown will begin or the team will make small yet vital adjustments on the fly with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt swinging out the last years of their prime. None of that should matter to Winn, who brings a potent blend of offensive pop at the plate and a cannon of an arm at shortstop. The minute Paul DeJong was sent packing to Toronto, the Winn clock started ticking… even if it was unofficial for over two weeks.

There’s no better time to feature three of your set-in-place (but not stone) trio of future talent. Jordan Walker is already an everyday player, as is the currently-sidelined Nolan Gorman. Winn is the third position player power head in this uprising, one that St. Louis needs to check out with at least one superstar among the trio.

Winn was drafted 54th overall in the 2020 draft, but wasted no time in ascending to the top of the organization’s prospect rankings. He swiped 32 bags in 2021, but a .680 OPS gave the idea that the defense could be the shining star in this man’s arsenal. But every season has shown an offensive improvement from Winn. He doubled his output in home runs and doubles from 2021 to 2022, all while going from Palm Beach to being a starting shortstop at Memphis this summer.

In 105 games, Winn has smacked 18 home runs, more than his first two minor league seasons combined (17 in 217 games). The .833 OPS holds firm with last year’s .832 finish, and the 2:1 strikeout to walk rate holding over the past year as well. If anything, his bat is becoming a model of consistency, with the small raises (slugging percentage this year) pushing his ceiling higher each month.

Forget all of that for now. Oliver Marmol should write him in for every game the rest of the way. That’s 40 games to test out the Winn effect. See what the kid can do for a big stretch of games against outer and inner divisional foes. The web gems will be frequent, but I do think the power (especially how he fared at Springfield and Memphis equally) will start popping up.

The pressure should be less, and the online comments need to be tame. Let him settle in before we blame him for the last six high profile targets that the Cardinals didn’t get. See what the unique combination of prospect clout and improvement at the plate can do for a walking dead team.

Splash some excitement on the Cardinals. Don’t think about a comeback. Winn can’t pitch… at least not yet. 2023 will be seen as a disappointment in most factions, but the outburst of youth and teasing of the future should leave some amount of satisfaction for the fans.