The best things I heard at MLB Winter Meetings from Cardinals, Yankees and Braves

St. Louis Cardinals: Big things expected this season for Masyn Winn?

Winn got in just 122 at-bats last season in his rookie campaign, but it's clear from some of the things said by Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol on Tuesday that those few at-bats made a big impact.

The 21-year-old shortstop, who was ranked at the top of the St. Louis prospect list at the time of his promotion, slashed just .172/.230/.238 in those at-bats with an OPS+ of 29. However, Marmol's tone was decidedly upbeat about what Winn could mean for the team in 2024 and beyond.

"I love Masyn Winn. His mentality, his skill set, the way he approaches the game, he's constantly wanting to learn, he's open, he's coachable, but his competitive nature is incredible," Marmol said. "He doesn't scare. And he came in, he knew that, I mean, the league was tough. And he experienced that, but he never backed down. That's an awesome quality, especially at his age.

"I was able to have a good conversation with him two days ago, and he's working hard to make sure that he comes in and offensively he's able to compete. Defensively, we know what he's capable of doing. He had a really good spring with us offensively. He showed that he has the ability to use the whole field and kind of go gap to gap.

"So it's in there. I'm not concerned at all with Masyn's offense. I think he's going to come around and be just fine."

Note: If you're interested in some thoughts from the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, check out some of the quotes from their managers in my article from Monday.