Monday, November 10

ST. LOUIS -- When Major League Baseball released the 15 shortstop nominees for the All-MLB team last month, Cardinals standout Masyn Winn -- fresh off a historic season where he committed just three errors and ultimately won the National League’s Gold Glove Award -- was nowhere to be found.

Similarly, when the weekly voting totals were released for the MLB All-Star Game played in Atlanta back in July, Winn never broke into the top 10 among NL shortstops even though he was seemingly making stellar defensive plays nightly. 

Those odd results underlined two things to the 23-year-old blossoming star: Offensive numbers will always attract more eyeballs and headlines than defensive gems, and the fact that he needs to become a much more well-rounded player to get the acclaim he wants as an elite shortstop. 

Winn, who often displays the maturity of someone well beyond his years, was downright blunt with his need for improvement when he hits the field in 2026 if he wants to move into the upper echelon of MLB shortstops. 

“The biggest thing is I’ve got to improve offensively,” Winn said after winning the first of what he thinks will be many Gold Gloves. “Defensively, I hope I can stay where I’m at because you can’t really get too much better. But hitting-wise, there’s a lot to improve on. 

“Pretty much every offensive aspect I regressed. So going forward, hopefully I’ve got a full, healthy season and I can put a good year under my belt.”   

Winn, who equaled the MLB-record shortstop error low of three set previously by Cal Ripken Jr. (1990) and Omar Vizquel (2000), per MLB.com research, was passed over on those awards lists by Elly De La Cruz (26 errors), CJ Abrams (22), Willy Adames (16) and Francisco Lindor (13). Even stars Dansby Swanson (11), Trea Turner (eight), Mookie Betts (seven) and AL Gold Glove winner Bobby Witt Jr. (10) could not match the excellence of Winn, who had MLB’s top fielding percentage (.994). 

However, Winn came up well short at the plate. Unlike his promising first full MLB season in 2024 -- when he led the NL in two-strike hits (80) and led off for the Cardinals -- Winn struggled for long stretches at the plate in '25. He uncharacteristically floundered in Spring Training and didn’t record his first hit until the sixth game of the season. For the year, he slashed .253/.310/.363 with nine home runs and 51 RBIs. While his whiff rate (19.6%) was in MLB’s top 79th percentile, his average exit velocity (88.3 mph, 24th percentile) and hard-hit rate (34.6%, 16th percentile) lagged badly. 

Winn could be given a pass for those struggles considering that he was playing on one leg for much of the season. Bothered by a meniscus tear and a botched surgery on his right knee from when he was in high school, Winn needed a pain-killing injection during the MLB All-Star break and daily physical therapy to play 129 games. A late September surgery alleviated the pain almost immediately, and he started jogging again this week. Next week, he hopes to be cleared to swing a bat, take ground balls and strengthen himself for the season ahead. 

In a twisted way, Winn said the severity of the pain in his knee made winning his first Gold Glove Award even more satisfying. 

“When they told me I had won the [Gold Glove], I was super relieved to know that I played through something for a reason,” he said.   

If Winn needs inspiration for pairing improved offense with a Gold Glove as a shortstop, he needs to look no further than Cards legend and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith -- someone who has been an acquaintance of the Cards' youngster the past three years. Smith, a 13-time Gold Glove winner, hit .222 in 1981 with the Padres, but boosted his average to .248 with the Cardinals in 1982 to help them win a World Series. After hitting just .231 in four seasons with San Diego, Smith hit .272 with a .694 OPS in 15 seasons while wearing the birds on a bat across his chest.  

“That dude has taught me a lot off the field, and whenever he’s around, he always gives me [baseball] advice,” Winn said. “Watching what he does around the city and with the fans has been a lot of help to me as far as who I want to be going forward.” 

The All-MLB team will be announced on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas, and Winn won’t be in attendance. Instead, he’ll be in South Florida working to rehab his knee and his bat. If he can make the improvements he’s seeking, he just might find himself on those All-Star and All-MLB ballots for years to come.   

The Cardinals’ 29th Spring Training in Jupiter, Fla. -- one that undoubtedly will present a few challenges with the Roger Dean Stadium complex undergoing massive renovations -- begins on Feb. 21 when they host the Nationals in their Grapefruit League opener. Among the 29 scheduled Spring games, the Cardinals will play at Roger Dean Stadium 18 times -- 15 times as the host team and three times as the visitor against the Marlins. 

The Cards will host the Mets, Astros, Nationals and Marlins three times each, and they will also play solo home games against the Pirates (March 1) and Orioles (March 9). The Cards play the Pirates in Bradenton and the Orioles in Sarasota on March 5 and 6, respectively. 

Additionally, St. Louis will host an exhibition game against Nicaragua on March 4 in preparation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which runs from March 4-17. As part of MLB’s Spring Breakout showcase, the Cardinals’ top prospects will host a game against the Nats’ top prospects on March 21. 

St. Louis will announce 2026 Spring Training game times, ticket availability, broadcast schedule and player report dates later. The complete 2026 Cardinals Spring Training schedule can be viewed at cardinals.com. 

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