Cannon-like arm leads Winn to MLB record

This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MILWAUKEE -- Already in possession of one of the most electrifying infield arms, Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn recently got a chance to show just how hard he can fire a baseball from an even further distance on a relay throw to the plate.

After Mets slugger DJ Stewart laced a 108.6 mph scorcher to the wall in the first inning on Monday, Winn positioned himself in shallow left-center, where he hoped to have a shot at throwing out Francisco Lindor, who was attempting to score from first base. As it turns out, Lindor was able to do just that -- largely because center fielder Dylan Carlson had been playing Stewart to pull the ball and was offset toward right-center.

Still, Winn made the play much closer than most anyone at Busch Stadium thought it would be with his cannon-like throwing arm. Positioned at a distance 224 feet from home plate for the relay, Winn unleashed a 101.2 mph throw, per Statcast that sailed past Cardinals second baseman José Fermín and got to catcher Willson Contreras on one hop.

As it turns out, that Winn rocket proved to be the fastest recorded throw by an MLB infielder in the Statcast era (since 2015). Winn, who ranks second among shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved behind only Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr., said it’s been a learning process for him to know when to break out the dynamic throwing arm that once made him a big-time MLB prospect as both a pitcher and a shortstop.

“I made a lot of throwing errors my first year while trying to show off the arm, but I try to keep it in the back pocket as much as I can,” said Winn, who committed just three errors during his first MLB callup last season. “Everybody knows that I have the big throwing arm, so I don’t need to always show it off. I used it on that throw from the outfield and didn’t get the out, but it is always good to have that in the back pocket for whenever I might need it.”

As further proof of just how special of an arm that the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Winn has, this gives the Cardinals rookie three of the five fastest throws recorded by an infielder, and he’s done so in just 70 career MLB games (37 in 2023 and 33 in '24). He also had a 98.5 mph throw on April 7 and a 98.4 mph throw on Aug. 20 of last season.

Winn even flashed his electrifying arm before reaching the big leagues. He made national news when his throw from shortstop to first in the 2022 MLB Futures Game was clocked at 100.5 mph.

“It’s definitely a nice fallback, having a strong arm, but I don’t want to always have to use it,” Winn said. “Anything that helps us out on defense, I’m all for that.”

The other two fastest throws in the Statcast era: Cincinnati Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz had throws of 99.8 and 99.7 mph from shortstop during the 2023 season. Cruz, one of the game’s best power hitters, generates incredible arm strength from a physique that is 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds.

“I love his athleticism at that size,” Winn said. “I mean, he’s almost [Cardinals prospect] Jordan Walker’s height with my athleticism. The power he creates with the bat translates to defense with his throwing arm.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol loves the maturity that Winn has shown in knowing when the unleash the true power of his throwing arm and when to just rely on the simple throw to first base.

“We’ve already seen it often where his arm makes a difference,” Marmol raved. “Whether it’s diving plays or plays in the hole that most can’t make, he can still get the ball over there because of his arm.”

A Cardinals club committed to playing much better defense in 2024 is tied for second in MLB in double plays with 34 largely because of Winn’s quick release and dart-like throws. Already Winn has been involved in 24 double plays. Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who said recently that he will be shocked if Winn doesn’t win multiple Gold Gloves in the coming years, has marveled at how the rookie has been able to turn double plays in instances where it looked like the runner would surely be safe.

“The biggest thing for me is on the second half of the double plays,” Winn said of his arm strength. “Maybe those plays that would usually be bang-bang for other shortstops, I’m able to make those plays pretty easy. It’s definitely a bonus for our pitchers and the double plays get us off the field sooner.”