Masyn Winn is not the best high school pitcher but he still has a chance to be a fairly high draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. The 18-year-old attended Kingwood High School in Texas. Winn would be the first draftee from the school since Lance Pendleton was selected in the 2002 Draft.
Masyn Winn 2020 MLB Draft Profile
Winn is currently the 54th best prospect on MLB.com. The high school senior is listed at 5’11”, 180 pounds. He is also dual-listed as a shortstop and right-handed pitcher. Two-way players are becoming slightly more common in recent years but there is still a very little track record of teams exploring the concept seriously. His school’s varsity team played in 13 games before high school baseball ceased across the country. Winn is currently committed to the University of Arkansas.
Strengths
Winn can do a little bit of everything at a high level. He has good power and a slightly below-average hit tool but makes up for it with good range and a great arm for his position. Some scouts would certainly love to try and develop his hitting so his glove can stay in the field.
However, Winn profiles even better on the mound. He throws a fastball/curveball/changeup with all three pitches grading as above-average. The fastball and curve are both 60/80 while the changeup is a respectable 55. He has touched 98 with the fastball but more often throws it in the 92-96 range. The curve typically comes in between 79-82 giving it plenty of usefulness keeping hitters guessing. The changeup isn’t as good right now but it would be a solid third pitch if he remains a starter.
Weaknesses
Winn is not the largest person on the field. Modern starting pitchers are typically at least 6’0″ if not taller. There is some bias in selecting for pitcher height but it still hurts Winn’s chances if he’s drafted. A smaller build could push him into the bullpen where his fastball/curve combination plays up more. Drafting high school pitchers is one of the riskiest things MLB teams do. Winn could benefit from declining his draft offer and attending college to prove his starting potential.
His size won’t hurt him as much as a hitter but he needs to get more reps at the plate to stick there as well. A strong few seasons playing shortstop in the SEC would only benefit him as a hitter and fielder. Drafting high school hitting is safer than pitching but shortstop is among the most difficult defensive positions. Losing most of a senior year is damaging to a player with Winn’s intriguing two-way potential.
MLB Comp
There are very few two-way MLB players. It’s even harder to find a pitcher/shortstop combination. MLB.com cites former 1st overall selection as Matt Bush who played several recent seasons for the Texas Rangers. Bush didn’t hit and only threw 137 innings in three years. He had a 3.35 ERA with 138 strikeouts and 47 walks. Bush is similar in height at 5’9″ and threw a fastball/curve/slider combination in his best major league season. Winn is such a unique combination of skills that any team drafting him is venturing into mostly uncharted territory.
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