Who is Masyn Winn? Scouting report, stats and more to know as Cardinals promote top shortstop prospect

Another dynamic young shortstop is arriving in the NL Central.

The Cardinals announced Thursday night that they were promoting top prospect Masyn Winn to the big leagues, with his debut set to come on Friday. Winn's promotion coincides with the placement of breakout outfielder Lars Nootbaar on the injured list, likely indicating a shift for Tommy Edman from shortstop to the outfield.

Winn's debut has been much anticipated since St. Louis sent Paul DeJong to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. The 21-year-old is considered by many to be among the top shortstops in the minors, and his ascension to the majors should give fans some reasons to tune in to the Cardinals as the team wraps up a disappointing 2023 campaign.

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The timing of Winn's promotion is also notable given how many days are left in the 2023 season. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold points out, St. Louis has 45 days remaining on the calendar. If Winn were to spend more than 45 days in the majors or exceed 130 at-bats, he would no longer qualify as a rookie in 2024. The at-bats can be managed by days off. 

Should Winn remain a rookie in 2024 and win NL Rookie of the Year after starting the year on the big-league roster, the Cardinals receive an early draft pick — as the Mariners did with Julio Rodriguez — and Winn will be qualified for a full year of service time, helping him get closer to arbitration and free agency.

Winn said fellow rookie Jordan Walker was extremely welcoming of him to the St. Louis clubhouse. "He was one of the first people I called," Winn told reporters, per The Sporting News' Ryan Fagan. "I let him know and he immediately just started screaming — wasn't really saying words — just kind of a high-pitched scream for a little bit but... Nah super exciting. We talked for a little bit he just wanted to congratulate me and let me know that I was gonna be just fine up here."

Here's everything you need to know about Winn.

Masyn Winn scouting report

The NL Central has seen some hard throws from shortstop recently. Oneil Cruz has a cannon for an arm. Elly De La Cruz has thrown some missiles since his 2023 promotion.

But Winn's arm will now officially be the best in the division. Winn has a howitzer at the position, with his throws having reached triple digits at times. That arm combined with his slick defense at the position and above-average speed give him Gold Glove upside at shortstop, and give St. Louis perhaps the best defensive left side of the infield in baseball between him and Nolan Arenado.

What has helped Winn pop up more on the map this season has been his bat. Winn has spent the entirety of the campaign at Triple-A, where he has slashed .288/.359/.474 with 18 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 105 games. He also walked 8.8 percent of the time and struck out at a 16.7 percent clip.

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The speed for Winn has always been evident, as has his ability to make contact with his right-handed swing, but the power has been somewhat new. He hit 11 home runs in 86 games at Double-A in 2022 after totaling five between Class-A and High-A in 98 games in 2021.

The tool package is not as electric as Cruz or De La Cruz, but scouts see plenty of upside in Winn and view him as a potential five-tool shortstop. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as the No. 10 shortstop and the No. 32 overall player, while Baseball America has him as the No. 9 shortstop and No. 30 overall.

How hard does Masyn Winn throw?

This is going to be the tool that puts Winn on "SportsCenter" more often than not. Back in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game, Winn was clocked as having thrown 100.5 mph, setting the new Statcast record for the hardest throw recorded by a shortstop.

Move over, Oneil Cruz!@Cardinals prospect Masyn Winn with a 100.5 mph throw from short! pic.twitter.com/5Tr0P0gTEG

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 16, 2022

And that wasn't just a one-trick throw under the bright lights of the Futures Game. He also uncorked one at 99.9 mph during spring training this year, continuing to show off that hose.

Masyn Winn has a HOSE! This throw was clocked at 99.9 MPH and that's completely insane!pic.twitter.com/MJKMm81jDs

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 3, 2023

According to Baseball Savant's arm strength leaderboard, which measures the average top 5 percent of infield throws (minimum 75 throws to qualify), De La Cruz has the strongest average arm at both third base and shortstop, with his arm averaging 97.2 mph at third and 96.3 mph at short. Next up is Gunnar Henderson (92 mph) at third and Casey Schmitt (91.2 mph) at short.

As high as De La Cruz is on that throw leaderboard, Winn certainly appears likely to unseat him as the hardest-thrower at shortstop.

Is Masyn Winn related to Randy Winn?

These days, it feels like every other player is the son of a former big leaguer. And with Winn getting promoted, there will be plenty of speculation as to whether he is related to longtime MLB outfielder Randy Winn.

Though Masyn and Randy share a last name, the Guerreros, Biggios, Bichettes, Witts and Tatis won't have another father-son duo joining the majors. Masyn and Randy Winn are not related.

Masyn Winn draft

If the Cardinals' reload features a quick turnaround back to competitiveness, there will be a lot of people referring back to the 2020 MLB Draft as having played a major part.

St. Louis selected Jordan Walker 21st overall. He's reached the big leagues. It took Winn 54th overall. He's going to be in the big leagues. It took Tink Hence 63rd overall. He's the team's top pitching prospect and could arrive next year. It took Alec Burleson 70th overall. He's in the big leagues. That's a serious haul for a five-round draft, even before you get to Levi Prater, Ian Bedell and L.J. Jones.

It might be unsurprising to know that Winn, a prep player from Kingwood High in Texas, was a two-way prospect. Winn hit the mid-90s on the mound with his fastball and boasted a standout curveball. But St. Louis evidently preferred him as a hitter, where he stood out for some raw power, plus speed and his outstanding glove and arm at shortstop.

The 2020 MLB Draft will for many organizations be a question of "What if?" The draft was abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and came after the college and high school baseball seasons were lost, meaning teams had to rely on year-old scouting information to make picks. That the Cardinals came away with already three players in the majors and all but certainly one more on the way is about as big of a draft as it gets.

Masyn Winn stats