St. Louis Cardinals win 5 Gold Glove Awards

Throughout the regular season, the St. Louis Cardinals’ defense established itself as the best in the league. Combined with playing in a pitchers’ park, it helped mask a starting rotation that was decimated by injuries – and ultimately what led them to a playoff berth.

On Sunday night, the Cardinals were rewarded for it, with five of their players earning a Gold Glove Award. That means that the other four Gold Gloves in the National League were spread among 14 different teams, a sign of just how good their defense was this season.

The Cardinals players to win the Gold Glove were Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader and Tommy Edman.

St Louis Cardinals SS Nolan Arenado picks up his ninth Gold Glove

It was Arenado’s ninth Gold Glove in as many seasons.  It was Goldschmidt’s fourth, but his first since 2017. It was O’Neill’s second. Bader, who had never won a Gold Glove entering the season, sought to change that. It was his No. 1 goal and despite missing time with a couple injuries, established himself as a dominant presence and center field while improving his offensive game. He’s now their center fielder of the future and could be in line for a contract extension this winter, with his case growing even stronger on Sunday.

Perhaps the most notable winner, however, was Edman. The Cardinals were criticized for letting Kolten Wong go – I was one of them – and they put a lot of pressure on Edman to perform when he had a small sample size in the majors. Not only did he establish himself as a very good second baseman in 115 games, he also played 35 games in right field — and was their No. 4 outfielder for most of the season.

The defense was a primary reason why the Cardinals overcame minimal odds to make the playoffs. And it’s a large reason why they will be in contention once again in 2022 — and combined with an upgraded offense and a (likely) improved rotation, could vault them into a legitimate World Series contender.

Especially since all five players are returning — and all are here to stay for the long haul, with Arenado (who has an opt out after 2022) continuing to make it clear how much he loves being in St. Louis.