Cardinals’ Shortstop Winn’s Strong Start Proves he’s Ready

The St. Louis Cardinals’ shortstop Masyn Winn is showing so far that he’s fully capable of being the team’s every day starter at the position. Contact hitting and defense has been his focus, and it’s paying dividends for the strong armed, slick fielding rookie.

So far this season, the Cardinals shortstop Winn has put up a .349/.356/.465 slash line with two stolen bases, five runs scored, and five batted in. That’s more than enough production when he provides excellent run saving capabilities at a premiere defensive position.

Simplifying Approach at the Plate

When asked by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Winn said this about his approach at the plate. “I want to get on base, first and foremost. That’s my first priority, would love to drive some balls, hit some home runs, but that’s not necessarily my job. I think those will come by accident. If I just stick to the approach they want me with, just line drives through the middle, I think it will be better for me in the long run.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has said that he’s not concerned with Winn’s offense. While this may be true, the club obviously is steering Winn towards a defense first, contact hitting mindset. Marmol acknowledged Winn has made some changes in the batter’s box this season.

Marmol had this to say about Winn’s hitting goals during spring training. “Not as much movement, seeing the field before getting in the box, using the bunt from time to time. Being under control as far as when to take his shots. It’s been fine. I think we’re going to continue to see him make strides in the right direction. We want to make sure that his main focus at the moment is just playing good defense, and he’s done a good job of that.”