Remember when the craze was all about pitchers who could touch 100 miles per hour on the radar gun? Well what about now, when players who don’t even pitch for a living start throwing serious heat, like St. Louis Cardinals shortstop prospect Masyn Winn?
Cards’ Masyn Winn has a cannon arm
Playing in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, Masyn Winn made a routine play look not-so-routine, but in a good way.
In the second inning, Winn scooped a ground ball hit to short and uncorked a 100.5 mph throw to first base, which set a new record. According to Statcast, it’s the hardest infield throw (non-relay) ever recorded.
Did you see the streaks behind the ball as it sailed into the first baseman’s mitt? Even if there were no flames trailing the ball, Winn’s throw was incredible.
The previous record was also set recently, by Pittsburgh Pirates’ young dynamo prospect Oneil Cruz, who clocked at 97.8 mph.
Winn made a point to try and break the record heading into the game, noting in a Baseball America interview that he felt he could hit 100.
The 89th-ranked prospect on MLB’s top-100 list, Winn is the fourth-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ organization. To no surprise, his arm’s been given an 80 grade, which is the top of the grading scale in baseball scouting. He just might have the strongest infield arm in baseball and possibly even the strongest we’ve ever seen.
Amazingly, Winn is just 20 years old and is currently down in AA with the Springfield Cardinals. But after reaching the Futures Game, it’s clear he’s on the right path, headed for the big leagues. Winn was the club’s second-round pick in 2020 and MLB.com estimates he’ll reach the majors by 2024.
If Winn wasn’t on your radar before, he should be now.
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