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FEATURE: Winn's name called by St. Louis Cardinals with 54th overall pick in 2020 MLB Draft
HOUSTON - Tiffany Rawson placed her right hand on her son's elbow as the pick was being announced.
Sitting around a metal patio table with friends and family at their home in Kingwood, Masyn Winn couldn't help but smile ear-to-ear because he knew his life was about to change.
"With the 54th pick the St. Louis Cardinals Masyn Winn."
Rawson yelled out "Yes!" as the cheers from the group around WInn drowned out the draft broadcast. Winn stood up and hugged his longtime friend and high school teammate Nick Luckett and then one after another hugs were exchanged. Happy tears were shed on this hot Texas afternoon.
Winn's childhood dream just became a reality.
"It was fantastic with everybody here," Winn said. "Just hearing my name everybody's face lit up, me and my mom started crying, it was just a great feeling."
BREAKING: @MasynWinn of @KWoodBaseball is taken with the 54th pick by the @Cardinals in the #MLBDraft
(@HumbleISD_KHS @HumbleISD @HumbleISD_Ath @ElizabethFagen @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2 @PerfectGameUSA @BaseballAmerica @ESPNAssignDesk @espn @MLBDraft @MLB @jimcallisMLB @USABaseball pic.twitter.com/cLca0FjtmV
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) June 11, 2020
Winn and his mother embraced a few more times as the celebration carried on.
The family rewound the television broadcast on the MLB Network to watch the announcement a second time. Rawson exclaimed a few times that - in the heart of Houston Astros country - they were Cardinals fans now as she continued to wipe away tears.
This moment is something Winn has been working towards since he was three-years-old and his mother has been there every step of the journey.
"She hugged me and said 'It's been a long road'," Winn said about the exchange between his mother and himself after he got drafted. "It really has. We've been dreaming of this since I was in elementary school. So, for it to finally happen, it's such a big deal and so huge for us. It was amazing.
"That hug meant everything."
One of the big questions around Winn heading into the draft is what would a team select him as.
He can be quick-handed shortstop with a powerful bat at the dish or a flame-throwing right-hander who's fastball can hit 98 mph on the radar gun before he break off an off-speed pitch that'll buckle your knees dropping into the strikezone at 77-80 miles per hour.
MLB Draft analysts considered him to be "one of the best two-way players in the draft".
Kingwood High School baseball coach Kelly Mead, who was on hand to watch Winn get drafted, has been telling every MLB scout that has called him the last six months exactly that.
"They've asked me what do you draft him as?," Mead said. "I think you draft him as both. They even said it on the broadcast that he's a legitimate two-way player. He's got things you can't teach. I really whole-heartily believe, not just because I've been around him for four years and have gotten to see the talent day-in and day-out, I think in four to five years he could be a household name. It would not surprise me if he's a guy that you're looking up at an All-Star game and winning the Home Run Derby or doing something special.
"He's that kind of talent, he's got that kind of drive."
VYPE INTERVIEW: @KWoodBaseball coach Kelly Mead talks about what it was like to see @MasynWinn drafted & he believes he's a 2-way player #mlb @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2 @stltoday @STL_SportsNews @anne__rogers @MLB @dgoold @OrtizKicks @AdamJWexler @espn @ESPNAssignDesk @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/mtwl5hC09j
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) June 11, 2020
For any high school player drafted by an MLB team, the biggest question that follows is will he go to college or decide to forego that and start his professional career.
Winn signed with the University of Arkansas earlier this spring. According to the Houston Chronicle, Winn will sign with Roc Nation and turn pro. According to the MLB Draft Tracker, Winn's slot value - 54th overall - is valued at $1.34 million.
So, next for Winn is the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.
"It means a lot, especially since I've gotten really close with their area scouts," Winn said. "I got coached by one of their scouts over the summer and we got real close. It's a very good feeling. I know I'm joining a family and I can't wait to get started."
EXCLUSIVE: The 54th pick by the @Cardinals @MasynWinn of @KWoodBaseball & @HumbleISD_KHS talks with VYPE after he gets drafted. @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2 @stltoday @STL_SportsNews @anne__rogers @MLB @dgoold @OrtizKicks @AdamJWexler @espn @ESPNAssignDesk @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/EVyBKLcxJI
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) June 11, 2020
The Decision: Go Pro or No
HOUSTON - It is hard not to pay attention to the hype.
Every time they step up to the plate, a scout hits record on their camera. Every time they come set, the radar guns rise in unison. The attention is hard to ignore.
It is hard not to see where they are ranked in the MLB.com Top 100 Draft Prospects list heading into the spring or where they may fall in 2020 MLB Mock Drafts. It's a lot for a high school senior, who is still trying to figure out what tux they want to wear to prom. But for The Woodlands' Drew Romo, Episocpal's Tanner Witt and Kingwood's Masyn Winn, it's become a way of life.
"It's pretty hard not to look at it. It's definitely really exciting because it is something I've been working for my whole life," Romo, who is ranked No. 27 in the MLB. com Top 100 Draft Prospects list, said. "Right now, I'm not thinking about it too much."
Winn added: "I think it's pretty cool but I'm not trying to get too ahead of myself. I just sit back and appreciate it. I've been working on this since I was three years old."
PROS TO GOING PRO
For the past few months, Romo, Witt and Winn have been busy meeting with virtually every MLB team.
"Just to have an MLB team in your living room is crazy, it's a dream come true," Romo said.
So, what are the pros of going pro?
In the past few years, Houston has seen several players get drafted and take the money. In the 2019 MLB Draft, three Houston-area players were taken in the first 53 picks.
All three were signed to Texas A&M.
Instead of going to college they signed contracts to begin their professional careers, including Matthew Thompson of Cypress Ranch.
"It was about me getting a head start versus college for three years and then going pro. It just seemed right," Thompson, who was taken 45th overall by the Chicago White Sox, said. "The organization was fantastic last year. They limited me to only so much throwing, it gave me time to really figure out how pro ball works. Last summer was fun and I'm really excited for my first full season."
For many MLB Draft prospects, they rely on the advice of scouts, friends, family and of course their parents when it comes to this decision.
For Witt, it helps that one of his resources includes someone who was drafted and signed out of high school – his father Kevin, who went to the Toronto Blue Jays with the 28th overall pick in the 1994 Draft.
"It's nice, I have my own mentor at home, who is also my dad," Tanner, who is ranked No. 67 in the MLB. com Top 100 Draft Prospects list, said. "Growing up he's been my dad, best friend, coach... he's been everything to me. I've been privileged to grow up with him in my household.
"He's just taught me that baseball is a game of failure. You're going to fail more times than you're going to succeed, and just know it's going to be a rough ride to the Major Leagues. So, just push through it and stay strong."
For players like Romo and Winn who don't have that kind of resource at home, they depend on the advice of friends who have been drafted.
Through those conversations, they have figured out what the pros and cons to going pro can be.
"The pro of going pro is that you are starting professional baseball," Winn, who is the No. 46 prospect in the MLB.com Top 100 Draft Prospects list, said. "Starting my career three years early is key. I think whenever we get there, we will have a better idea. It's been pretty fun."
GOING TO COLLEGE
What's the value of a college education?
That's the question that New York Yankee Gerrit Cole had to weigh for himself coming out of high school. On the "Twelve Six" Podcast with Collin McHugh, Cole talked about his decision to not sign with the Yankees, who drafted him with the No. 28 overall pick out of high school. He headed to UCLA.
That is what Romo, Winn and Witt will have to weigh as the trio are signed to LSU, Arkansas, and Texas respectively.
"My dad was a teacher for a long time, so education is really important to us," Romo said. "I make really good grades, good SAT scores, so education is important. That's going to be hard to turn down. Getting a degree is something you'll have forever."
Along with the college education, there is the experience of going to college.
"Going to college, it's three more years of being a kid," Winn said. "You know I'm one that enjoys school, getting a good education, having that degree to fall back on after baseball. The atmosphere of Arkansas, the coaching staff, the players... some of the commits are my best friends."
Witt added: "There's no bad decision. If I go to college for three more years or if I go out of high school, I'm ultimately trying to get to my same goal."
THE MONEY FACTOR
Signing a pro contract could make you a millionaire overnight. It is something that has to be taken into account.
In the 2019 MLB Draft, Bobby Witt Jr. (no relation) of Colleyville Heritage High School was the highest high school player drafted. His signing bonus was projected to be $7.79 million.
Of the eight high school players drafted in the first round, their projected signing bonuses averaged out to $4.59 million.
"It is crazy to think about, but I wouldn't say it's overnight success. It's something I've been working for every day my whole life," Romo said. "My whole family, friends and me have contributed so much to this whole effort."
For every player, the money is a rewarding part of the process, but it's not just for them.
The life-changing money also provides an opportunity for the players to give back to the people who have helped them get to this point – their parents.
"My parents have been a huge part of my journey," Witt said. "Every kid thinks about that signing bonus. I can pay this, or I can pay that. Of course, I'm going to do that, but my parents are more excited for me that I'm going to get there and finally do what I want to do."
For Winn, his mother, Tiffany Rawson, has been with him every step of the way.
Keeping him grounded, while supporting his ultimate dream.
"Of course, everybody's dream is to spoil their mom," Winn said. "I think if things do work out, whether if it's after three years of college or after this year, I want to do something special for my mom. Maybe pay off the house or something. She's important to me. Doing something for her would be great."
ENJOY THE JOURNEY
June seems like a long way away, but the 2020 MLB Draft from Omaha will be here before they know it.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred will stand at the podium and call name after name. If Romo, Witt and Winn's names are mentioned in the early rounds they will have to make the decision – go to college or go pro.
"It's definitely life-changing for my family," Romo said. "We have talked about it. We really can't go wrong either way. Whatever decision I make, it's a win-win. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
For Witt, this has been the dream since he was little. Playing professional baseball is nearly a reality, Witt said that his father's biggest piece of advice is to enjoy these moments.
"Really just enjoy it, it only happens once," Witt said. "Just enjoy the process, don't overthink anything. If it happens, it happens. I'm in a good spot."
With the eyes of MLB teams on them this spring, one could anticipate that the pressure is higher than ever. But for guys like Winn, who have had eyes on him since his freshman year and during the USA Baseball tours, he's used to the pressure.
Knowing what's ahead of him, these last few months with his high school team are ones he is going to enjoy and cherish.
"Don't get too far ahead of yourself. These are some of my best friends and I'm never going to get to play with them again," Winn said. "I'm really just trying to enjoy this year and play through it with them."