While his consistent play in the first half of his first full season kept him name near the National League’s best in batting average and at or near the top of NL rookie rankings, Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn felt he had a strong case to earn his first-career All-Star Game selection.
That was until he saw what Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz was up to.
“I thought at first I did and then, I mean, Elly started taking off,†Winn said.
There also was the bid Washington’s CJ Abrams made to earn a spot in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, that played a factor in Winn’s absence from the NL All-Star roster.
“I think if it was between me and (Elly) or me and Abrams — both of those guys are having a hell of a year — I think it’d be hard to argue that I should be in there over them. … They’re great players. Elly went on a crazy run towards the end of this first half. Those guys are much more than deserving and it’s fun watching them play.â€
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Winn, 22, was left off the NL’s roster for the Midsummer Classic in his home state after he was batting .294 with a .761 on-base plus slugging percentage in 80 games entering July 7, the day the All-Star reserves were named. De La Cruz, 22, and Abrams, 23, received slots then to make their first All-Star roster appearances. They’ll provide the NL with shortstop options behind starter Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies.
De La Cruz enters the break with a .256 average, 17 home runs, 43 RBIs and a league-leading 46 stolen bases in 96 games. Abrams, who is hitting .268, has clubbed 15 home runs, driven in 48 runs and posted an .832 OPS in 89 games for the Nationals.
“It’s like, I love watching that guy play,†Winn said referencing De La Cruz. “I’m sure he loves watching me play. … It’s fun playing against him. We played CJ last week. It’s fun watching him play. I think just young guys going out there and having fun and I think just being consistent and competing every day, it’s a good time. It’s hard to be upset up here.â€
The strong season to date from the Cardinals rookie comes after he claimed the opening-day starting shortstop job following a spring in which he .227 and struck out 17 times in 44 at-bats across 17 Grapefruit League games.
After going hitless on opening day against the Dodgers, Winn’s average has not dropped below .264 as he’s notched 25 multi-hit efforts and hit five home runs. He’s ascended to a regular leadoff role for the Cardinals and he’s provided a .254 average and scored 27 runs in 39 games started from that spot. In 88 games overall, he is hitting .284 with 33 RBIs and has scored 42 runs.
“I mean, I (stunk) in spring, so I didn’t know if I was even going to be here,†Winn said. “But it’s pretty cool that I can come out here and put in the work and just show results for the guys (with) helping this team get some dubs. It’s been a lot of fun.â€
After Sunday’s series finale between the Cardinals and Cubs, Winn ranked 13th in the NL in batting average and first among qualified NL rookies in average. His 92 hits and 18 doubles were both second-best among his league’s rookies while the 33 RBIs he produced were fourth-most among that group.
He heads into the break coming off a stretch that includes 17 hits in his last 13 games. He produced a .373 on-base percentage and hit his first-career leadoff home run in that span, the latter of which provided the latest example of how he’s flipped his spring script.
“You look at what he was trying to do in spring and then what he’s done for the first half, there’s just a completely different approach,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Winn, who hit a solo home run in the first inning of the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cubs. “And unless you are committed to that approach and disciplined with it, then you’re going to veer from it. And he has been as consistent, especially for his age, as you can possibly be in, ‘This is what’s going to work for me.’â€
“It’s fun to see him run into one (Saturday) a couple of pitches into a game. But for the most part, he’s stuck with the middle-of-the-field approach and not trying to do too much.â€
Extra bases
Tommy Edman had a built-in off-day on Saturday as part of his rehab assignment that began on Tuesday with Class AA Springfield, then responded Sunday by going two for five and driving in three runs in the Redbirds’ 16-9 victory over Wichita. Edman, who is recovering from right wrist surgery he had over the offseason, has played in four games with Springfield and DH’d in each of his appearances across the first week of his assignment.
Before Sunday’s game, Marmol did not have finalized plans to share on how Edman would continue to rehab over the All-Star break while all four of the Cardinals’ full-season minor-league affiliates are off.
Riley O’Brien threw batting practice session to hitters in Springfield, Missouri on Saturday. O’Brien, who was back in the Cardinals’ clubhouse on Sunday, reportedly came out of the session well. The live batting practice session was his third overall, his second at a full intensity.
The right-hander, who hasn’t pitched since opening day because of a right forearm flexor strain, reached 96 mph with his fastball and threw all of his pitches, per Marmol.