Cardinals Prospect Masyn Winn Could Have Been a Pitcher (Or a Two-Way Player)

Masyn Winn has a high ceiling as a position player. Rated the best athlete in the St. Louis system by Baseball America, the 20-year-old shortstop is No. 2 in our Cardinals prospects rankings and No. 55 in our Top 100. Drafted 54th overall in 2020 out of Kingwood (Tex.) High School, Winn is coming off of a season where he slashed .283/.364/.468 with 12 home runs and 43 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. His summer included an appearance in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game.

He could very well be a pitcher… or a two-way player. As our lead prospect evaluator Eric Longenhagen explained back in July, Winn “was a two-way amateur with huge arm strength,” and while no one was projecting him as the next Shohei Ohtani — a unicorn, he’s not — there is no denying his unique skillset. Winn had a throw from shortstop clocked at 100.5 mph during the Futures Game.

Winn discussed his pitching background and the possibility of him one day returning to the mound during his October/November stint in the Arizona Fall League.

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David Laurila: I’m especially interested in your positional background. Why are you an infielder now, and not a pitcher?

Masyn Winn: “I’m not a pitcher because the Cardinals and I decided that’s the easier route to go. Hitting… I mean, it’s a lot easier to pick the glove back up and go back on the mound than it is to pick a bat back up. In our thought process, if I make it as a hitter, that’s fantastic. If not, I’ll just fall back to pitching. I think that’s a good plan because of how hard hitting is. Taking a couple years off and then trying to go back to it would be a little tough.”

Laurila: When was the decision made?

Winn: “I ended up throwing one inning at the end of last year. We were going to do a throwing program the last six weeks or so, but I ended up tweaking my arm a little bit, so during the offseason we decided to shut it down and just focus on hitting.”

Laurila: I understand that a number of teams were more interested in drafting you as a pitcher.

Winn: “Yes. In high school, it was a pretty even split, I would say around 10 teams wanted me at short, 10 wanted me on the mound, and 10 wanted me as a two-way. Personally, I thought I was going to go as a pitcher. The Cardinals drafted me as a two-way, and I’ve since transitioned to more of a shortstop.”

Laurila: Do you feel that your size [5-foot-10, 180 pounds] was a factor in that decision?

Winn: “I think so. Out of high school, my comp was Marcus Stroman, and that was kind of a knock on me. Some people thought I was too short to pitch.”

Laurila: Stroman hasn’t exactly been held back by a lack of height.

Winn: “Exactly. I don’t think it was a problem, but it is what it is. Hopefully shortstop works out for the best.”

Laurila: How hard did you throw in high school?

Winn: “I topped out at 99 [mph], and then I think I hit [98] last year. My best pitches were probably my breaking pitches.”

Laurila: Are you “throwing” at all now?

Winn: “I mean, I’ll mess around with [Cardinals top-rated prospect and Arizona Fall League teammate] Jordan [Walker] while we’re playing catch — I’ll throw in some changeups or some sliders — but I try not to. It’s a whole different arm angle from shortstop, so I try not to affect that too much.”

Laurila: Teams being interested in you as a two-way is obviously intriguing. How serious do you think most of them were about letting you continue to do both?

Winn: “The Cardinals were pretty dead set, although I don’t think they exactly knew what I could do. When I hopped on the mound, I maybe surprised them. But I mean, it’s so hard to be a two-way. As far as what Shohei does… I would probably be a closer if I did it. Throwing from short and then hopping on the mound is a lot. But again, I think they were looking at me seriously as a pitcher. We just ended up transitioning me over to short.”

Laurila: What have your velocities been throwing from short?

Winn: “I think I hit 100 earlier this year, but that was with a little bit extra behind it. On average, I’m around the 90 area whenever I’m most accurate.”

Laurila: I’m guessing that you miss pitching.

Winn: “Oh, man. It’s fantastic. I love it. I love it.”

Laurila: We should at least touch on you as a hitter. I was here to see you go deep yesterday, and while you don’t profile as a power hitter, you do have some pop.

Winn: “A little bit. Yes, sir. My first professional year, I only had five, and I really wanted to hit more than that. I got up to 12 this season, and I think there’s more in the tank. Plus, I’m playing with Jordan and can’t let him be the only one hitting balls out of the park. I’m a hitter now, so I need to step it up.”