The St. Louis Cardinals have entrusted Masyn Winn with the reins at the shortstop position.
The 21-year-old made his Major League debut late last season and took over the shortstop position with the Cardinals already out of contention, but the team is understandably high on him and hopes that he is up to the challenge.
On Monday, the Cardinals inked veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford to a one-year, $2 million deal to serve as Winn's backup, and as it turns out, Winn is already benefitting heavily from Crawford's presence.
According to Cardinals insider Jeff Jones, the young shortstop already knew that the signing was imminent heading into Sunday's Grapefruit League exhibition game against the Houston Astros.
However, that news lit a fire under Winn, as he produced a three-hit game.
"Kinda lit a fire under my ass," said Winn.
Masyn Winn said he got the heads up on Sunday morning that the Crawford deal was coming and he immediately went to look him up, learn more about him. Then he went out and tallied three hits and a steal in his first spring game.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) February 27, 2024
“Kinda lit a fire under my ass,” he said.
Winn eager to learn from Crawford
Clearly, the news of Crawford's impending arrival spurred Winn into action.
The young shortstop was clearly eager to learn more about Crawford, and now he has the opportunity to learn from him as well, which he is also eager to do.
Winn said over and over how excited he is to learn from Crawford, draw from his experience, work to improve his glove hand. Was very complimentary about how supportive and clear and direct the team was throughout the process.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) February 27, 2024
Crawford was picked up as an insurance policy in case Winn struggles at the plate. The Cardinals do have Tommy Edman as their starting center fielder and a backup option at the shortstop position, but with him recovering from offseason wrist surgery, his status is uncertain.
But Crawford is also somebody who can help Winn progress as a young player and teach him the ropes of Major League life. The 37-year-old has been around since 2011 and won two World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants in 2012 and 2014.
The Cardinals will hope that Winn benefits from having a veteran presence around to guide him as he prepares to take the next step in his career.
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