Masyn Winn’s glove has never been the problem. The Cardinals shortstop still gives St.
Louis the kind of highlight-reel defense that makes him look like a finished product at one of the sport’s toughest positions. The concern this season has come with the bat, where the weak contact has piled up around those dazzling throws from deep shortstop.
A recent Dylan Robertson X post put the issue in sharper focus, especially Winn’s work against four-seam fastballs.
“Masyn Winns wizardry at SS set a high floor. A jump with the bat ensures he's the Cards SS of the future
Winn has the worst RV (-14 on 4S) of any hitter against one pitch type in the MLB (34% Oppo Air!)
His offseason goal should be to steepen his path and hammer high Velo work https://t.co/YIk9lxTfZe pic.twitter.com/Tva7Jy3QQ2
- Dylan Robertson (@DylRobertson13) August 31, 2026”
That minus-14 run value against four-seamers is ugly, and it points to a bigger problem than just one pitch. In today’s game, everything starts with the fastball.
If a hitter can’t handle velocity, there isn’t much of a base to build on after that. Winn’s swing has been getting under the ball, which has led to sliced pull-side contact and too many weak popups.
Robertson’s answer is simple: “steepen his path and hammer high-velo work.” In other words, Winn needs to get back to the version of himself that stayed on top of the baseball and showed elite barrel control.
That version of Winn has shown up before. He’s got enough pop to hint at 20-homer power as he matures, but that has never been his main lane.
His value comes first from the glove, then from what he adds on the bases, with anything he gives St. Louis at the plate functioning as a bonus.
That profile is what has made him the kind of shortstop who can help drive two-WAR seasons.
When Winn is barreling the ball consistently, the offensive line looks a lot cleaner. His batting average can live in the upper .270s, and he can be a threat for 30 steals. That was the shape of his game earlier in his career, when he hit near the top of the Cardinals order and focused on getting on base.
Back then, he was a workable leadoff hitter. He wasn’t Wetherholt, but he did enough to help set the table.
The problem now is that a change in his lineup spot appears to have changed the way he’s approaching the box. Winn has drifted toward a pull-heavy, launch-angle-chasing version of himself, and the player who earned his big league opportunity has been harder to find.
The encouraging part for St. Louis is that this kind of adjustment doesn’t have to be a drawn-out ordeal. It’s easier to bring a hitter back down to the ground than to keep him living in the air, and this isn’t expected to turn into another Jordan Walker-style saga.
For Winn, the prescription is straightforward: keep the hands above the baseball, drive through the inside seam, and let the contact live in right-center field. That’s the version of him that fits the Cardinals best.
And with so many new power bats on the way, St. Louis doesn’t need Winn to become something else. It just needs him to get back to being himself.
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