Masyn Winn

The youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A last season, Winn went on a summer-long heater that earned him a call to the majors late enough in the calendar to preserve his rookie status. He had a .553 OPS in his first 21 games at Triple-A and slashed .309/.383/.520 with 17 home runs and nine steals on 11 attempts over his final 83 games before getting the call. Over that stretch, his 14.7 percent strikeout rate and 9.5 percent walk rate were particularly impressive, even considering the automated balls and strikes system at Triple-A. Winn, a former two-way prospect, is probably known best known for his 80-grade arm at shortstop, however he's a great all-around athlete with plus speed and plus bat speed. He will turn 22 during spring training and is a shoo-in to enter the year as the everyday shortstop. Winn won't wow anyone with his exit velocities at this stage of his development, but his 81.7 percent contact rate, steady playing time and speed on the bases portends a fairly high floor. It should have surprised no one that he struggled initially in the majors, given his age, and a .196 BABIP played a role in that as well.

Winn has a couple really loud tools in his plus speed and 80-grade arm, and he comfortably projects as the Cardinals' shortstop of the future, assuming they don't sign one of the big free agents at the position this offseason. He played at multiple levels as a 20-year-old, riding a .431 BABIP to dominance in 33 games at High-A before putting up middling numbers at Double-A (.258/.349/.432) and the Arizona Fall League (.294/.407/.353). He was very young for Double-A and the AFL, but it's pretty clear his BABIP-fueled run at High-A is the outlier. He just needs to hit for double-digit homer power with an OBP in the .330-.350 range to be a roto monster who hits high in the lineup and helps across the board while threatening for 30-steal seasons. However, his 19.8 Hard% suggests there's still some work to do to be that impactful against upper-level pitching. His median outcome might be closer to a bottom-third of the order hitter who is targeted for his stolen-base contributions.

For fantasy, we want Winn, the No. 54 overall pick in last year's draft, to eventually focus full time on being a shortstop. Despite standing just 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Winn's upper-90s fastball and breaking ball are each plus pitches, and his changeup has a chance to be a 60-grade pitch as well. He is also an elite athlete, which should help him harness his electric arsenal. For these reasons, St. Louis is developing him as a two-way player for now. However, if he were to be developed as a shortstop, his fantasy ceiling would rival that of any high school hitter in his draft class. He has plus raw power and is at least a plus runner, and while he currently chases too many pitches out of the zone, the expectation is that his hit tool would improve if he were focused solely on hitting. Winn continued to develop as a hitter and a pitcher at the alternate site after getting drafted.