Why resting Masyn Winn's hot bat is a dull plan for offense-deprived Cardinals
The kid is young and needs a day here and there, but Cardinals need his bat right more than ever.
I like to rest. It’s essential to the human body. We’ve all burnt the candle at both ends, and challenged ourselves to outrun the flame. It’s a slow shutdown method. The eyes begin to blink more often, the mind wanders into dream-type ideas, and everything merges into a WTF Twilight Zone purge that you can’t escape. We all need rest.
Masyn Winn needs his rest. As a 22-year-old born right as Albert Pujols became a thing, he’s only played 119 games in a professional season. Brandon Crawford was signed to be his safety net and occasional starter tandem. There’s no need to roast the kid’s arm, legs, and bat inside a couple months. Still, when has rest become too much rest?
In the 16 games played by the St. Louis Cardinals this season, Winn has completed a game in just 11 of those contests. That’s not enough. He’s come in as a defensive replacement in a few games, but that’s a tipped scale with no offense to the ancient yet still somewhat-kinda-sorta willing Crawford. Winn should be in there for the whole thing at least 75% of the games. In 2024, he’s only played an entire game 69% of the time. That’s not very nice, Cardinals.
The biggest problem here is that Winn’s bat is keeping the Cardinals in games. While his glove will go down as a sweet symphony of chaos for the opposition, the swing is triggering runs for the team. That was the only question when he arrived last year for a taste of the show: Could he hit enough? Less than a year later, Winn is hitting enough to be missed when his rest schedule resembles Floyd’s from True Romance.
Example: Winn tore up the Arizona Diamondbacks in two games to the tune of four hits, a triple, two RBI, and a stolen base. Add that into a well-mixed skillet of stellar defense--and we’re talking about a potential top of the order table-setter. Advice to the Birds: Switch Winn up to Paul Goldschmidt’s second spot in the order. Let the veteran first baseman-who has been in a slump for a year now-sort his stuff out in the six-hole or lower. Let him scoop up some easy RBI and confidence, to go with the occasional “oh shit, we forgot about you” juicy fastball down the middle.
The only problem is Goldschmidt isn’t hitting the fastball at all right, but that’s a whole other article (possibly happening tonight). Winn, on the other hand, is pulverizing fast and slower baseballs thrown towards his bat. He’s working batters over, even if the walk total doesn’t shine.
Like Victor Scott II with more offensive firepower, he’s a threat on the bases. At times, it does get him in trouble, but the aggression is being tamed by the play. Winn knows how to use his speed, and will learn the angles and limits. I like a guy who challenges those perimeters.
I get the points being made by the esteemed Brenden Schaeffer of KMOV about not overreacting to the Winn rest stops. I understand slowly integrating a very young (22!!) player into an everyday role. There just has to be a more aggressive approach, like the man on the basepaths and at the plate. Heck, he’s the most aggressive shortstop in the field at the moment, saving runs with his range and arm.
But fuck it, let’s start Crawford. I liked that lowkey signing, but the premium of a mostly standby kind of role. Winn should get 130-135 games, and Crawford/Donovan scoop up the rest. Slice it up however you want, but at the moment the team needs the starter.
The Cardinals are a team that can’t finish games or series. They have lost the rubber game in every one thus far, a trend that could be improved by sticking with the youth while the spring is settling in. After a still-too-long spring training and a two week jumpstart, the bats and gloves are either coming alive or hibernating in a middle ground that suits no one; Winn is a part of the former group.
He adds to a pitcher’s set of pitches on a particular evening, which can only help a staff that needs to work on keeping the ball down. That way, guys like Winn can scoop up anything hit in their vicinity. In the end, the team has a better chance of winning, especially with an offense that think’s spring training is only two weeks old.
Winn is in tune, at the plate and in the field. Why over-rest that kind of commodity? It’s a long season, but it won’t be a long one for St. Louis if they keep floating along in their expensive rowboat on a crowded river of sharks. They can’t afford to iron out the kinks and hope the rest of the division falls asleep in August. Like last year, this team could be put down before the trade deadline even approaches if they can’t muster more runs.
Imagine that. The starters haven’t been a beauty and the bullpen is struggling not to clip a wing, but the bats are cold. Goldschmidt is in a nasty slump, and only four hitters enter tonight’s game against Oakland with an on-base-percentage that is greater than .300. Thank you, Brandon Kiley of 101.1 ESPN. That’s a nerve-racking statistic to wrap your head around, even so early in a season.
The big dogs will slump, but the team needs all the energy and hot bats they can handle. Start Winn more often. Rest him weekly, but every third game is a weak plan.
Fun fact: Winn’s age is also the amount of years that I have been with my wife. While they build Rachel’s statue, enjoy this daily dose. Every day is the goal, even if it’s not always achieved.
That’s all for now. Have a nice evening, and stay cool as St. Louis shows its summer fans in mid-April all of a sudden.