St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn’s .301 batting average on June 20 placed him among just 13 Major League Baseball players with the minimum required of at-bats to be at or above the .300 mark.
The batting average dipped to .299 at the close of the Cardinals’ three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants, but Winn has been instrumental in the team resurgence
The Cardinals climbed to two games over .500 and held a wild-card playoff slot as of Monday, June 24. His stellar hitting and on-base/slugging percentage (.778) includes four home runs, 28 RBI, eight stolen bases and 31 runs scored.
Winn could be named a 2024 National League All-Star and play in the All-Star Game on July 16 in Arlington, Texas. It will take some work, but it would be quite a homecoming for the Katy, Texas native.
L.A. Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts will likely gather the highest number of All-Star votes and be the ceremonial starter. However, he is sidelined after being struck by a pitch which broke his hand two weeks ago.Â
There is tough competition for a shortstop slot on the NL All-Star team.
Elly de la Cruz’ 37 stolen bases and flashy brilliance will garner many votes on All-Star ballots. He has 13 home runs and 37 RBI but has struck out an embarrassingly high 103 times. Winn has whiffed just 53 times.
Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies shortstop, carries a .285 average with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. He strikes out too much, fanning 92 times.
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (13 R, 54 RBIs, .246), who has been a clutch hitter for the NL Central leaders, would get my vote ahead of Winn.
CJ Abrams (12 HR, 39 RBIS, .270) of the Washington Nationals could be that team’s lone All-Star, which works in his favor.
All teams must have an All-Star Game representative, so Tovar also has that advantage over Winn. Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley has 26 saves and a 2.38 ERA, which should garner him a spot on the team.
Unfortunately, Winn’s defense weighs heavily against Winn’s All-Star Game participation.
Tovar and Adames rank second and third, respectively, in fielding in the National League. Each of them has four errors compared to Winn’s 10. The Cardinals shortstop ranks ninth, just ahead of Betts at No. 8.
Abrams has five errors and ranks fifth, while de la Cruz is 11tth with a stunningly high 15 errors.
Along with an outstanding rookie season, Winn also shined as the Cardinals lone Black player participating in the tribute to the late Willie Mays and Negro Leagues players during a game against the San Francisco Giants last Thursday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.
In an interview with mlb.com’ s John Denton, Winn shared the game’s importance to his family and the African American communities throughout America.
““It means the world to me and to my stepdad, who came into my life early on and taught me about the history of Black baseball players and their significance in our community,” Winn said.
The 22-year-old shortstop added on social media that he admired several Black players with the Cardinals.
“Growing up, looking up to players like Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and Willie Mays, it’s going to be a true honor to be there,” Winn wrote.
“The guys that have paved the way before us have made it easier for us. We’re so thankful. It’s truly a blessing to have Black players to look up to, and we want to follow their footsteps.”
The Reid Roundup
I’m weary of the manufactured Angel Reese v. Caitlin Clarke melodrama…Sha’Carri Richardson stumbled at the start of the U.S. Trials women’s 100 meters dash but still posted a 10.88 time to qualify for the Paris Summer Olympics. She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 at the Olympics trials, but tested positive for THC and was suspended…Noah Lyles won the men’s 100 meters to qualify for the Olympics, as well…
