3 Cardinals named Gold Glove finalists, including league's best double-play tandem

Defense is one of the most difficult things to measure in baseball, which is why Gold Glove announcements often feel like a crapshoot. I mean, Yadier Molina won the award nine times with the St. Louis Cardinals throughout his career (plus four Platinum Gloves for best defender regardless of position), but is anyone really going to argue that there was a better catcher in the National League in each of the 10 years he didn't win?

Still, it's the best way we have to honor the elite defenders in on our game. Even just being named a finalist for the award at a position is seen as a big deal, since it's an acknowledgement of a player's defensive prowess in a given season.

And so, it's a good sign for the future of the Redbirds that they had three players named as finalists for a Gold Glove at their respective position this year: pitcher Michael McGreevy, second baseman JJ Wetherholt, and shortstop Masyn Winn.

Cardinals' three Gold Glove finalists all have legitimate chance to win the award

Michael McGreevy

Pitcher defense is even more complicated to measure than elsewhere on the diamond, since there's so much that goes into fielding the position after a pitch is thrown. Still, McGreevy was excellent by every available metric, leading all NL pitchers in Defensive Runs Saved (+5).

The other finalists -- Nolan McLean of the Mets (+4 DRS) and Chris Sale of the Braves (+3 DRS) -- were also quite good, and Sale has the pedigree of winning a Gold Glove previously during his Cy Young season in 2024. Still, McGreevy seems like a good bet to take home the award for the first time this year.

JJ Wetherholt

There's a reason JJ Wetherholt led all Senior Circuit rookies with 4.6 fWAR despite a modest 101 wRC+. His defense at the keystone was simply astounding, with NL-best marks for second basemen in Outs Above Average (+25) and Fielding Run Value (+23). He also finished second in fielding percentage (.996) and tied for second in DRS (+13). It truly was a remarkable season with the glove.

His competition is steep, including 2024 Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang. The Brewers' star finished the year with a commanding lead in DRS (+23) and top-three finishes in OAA (+14) and FRV (+14). Brandon Lowe, the other finalist, will likely finish third in the voting after an impressive defensive turnaround in his first year in Pittsburgh.

Masyn Winn

In case it wasn't already clear, the Cardinals have the best defensive middle infield in baseball.

Unsurprising though it may be to see Winn here, it's still worth marveling at the year he had with the glove. Among all NL shortstops, he ranked first in DRS (+10), OAA (+19), and FRV (+17). It would be a massive upset if he doesn't win his second straight Gold Glove.

As such, you can expect to see Geraldo Perdomo (+8 DRS, +16 OAA) and Dansby Swanson (+16 OAA, +11 FRV) battling it out for second palce in the voting.

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