The Smartest Pick Cardinals Made in 2020 Draft
The MLB Draft is unique in that high school players can be selected and be immediately forced to make a decision between signing right away or heading to college. Unlike in the NBA, nothing has already been decide. LeBron can't choose midsummer to give Notre Dame a try. Such a decision is never easy when big money is involved.
The St. Louis Cardinals somehow had seven picks in the shortened 2020 MLB Draft, and took high school players with each of their top three picks. Yet only one is a two-way player who could end up being one of the steals of the entire draft.
With their 2nd-round pick (No. 54 overall) of the 2020 #MLBDraft, the #STLCards select Kingwood HS RHP/SS Masyn Winn, No. 54 on the Top 200 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/mPy4EbncwH
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 11, 2020
Watch live: https://t.co/cmm19LFrdg pic.twitter.com/e4DLClhaMo
Masyn Winn is only 18 years old, and could have been drafted as either a pitcher or a shortstop. Instead, he was drafted as both, and is someone who reaches the high-90s on his fastball while also flashing great defense and also power at the plate.
So new #Cardinals draft pick Masyn Winn turned in a showcase performance people will talk about for YEARS back in October at WWBA.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 11, 2020
He was lights out on the mound, hitting 98 mph and striking out 5.
He also went 3-for-4 with a homer ?
Details:https://t.co/aKlYeDRPMI
The goal with Winn is for him to stay healthy. Fans saw Shohei Ohtani's rise be limited by an arm injury that also held him out of the lineup for some time. Yet right now Winn has similar potential, and can rise up the Cardinals system at either pitcher or shortstop. Coming up as both would be a bonus.
The only potential holdup to Winn's MLB career is if he chooses to fulfill his commitment to play college baseball at Arkansas. His draft slot is worth right around $1.4 million, so St. Louis going over that could help make the decision easier. Winn joining the MiLB right away could help him make history as another rare two-way player in the game of baseball.