Cardinals rookie cements himself in a list of legendary players

Last year, I took a deep dive into an interesting trend for the St. Louis Cardinals franchise: They've had a unique leader in bWAR every season since 2011. I won't break down every player in detail like I did last year, (you can check it out here to get the full rundown) but I will provide a quick list:

1. Albert Pujols (2011)

Pujols recorded 5.3 bWAR and finished 5th in MVP voting.

2. Yadier Molina (2012)

Molina recorded 7.2 bWAR, finished 4th in MVP voting and won a Platinum Glove.

3. Matt Carpenter (2013)

Carpenter recorded 6.6 bWAR and finished 4th in MVP voting.

4. Adam Wainwright (2014)

Wainwright recorded 6.4 bWAR, finished 3rd in Cy Young voting and 8th in MVP voting.

5. Jason Heyward (2015)

Heyward recorded 6.9 bWAR, finished 15th in MVP voting and won a Gold Glove.

6. Carlos Martinez (2016)

Martinez recorded 6.1 bWAR.

7. Tommy Pham (2017)

Pham recorded 6.2 bWAR and finished 11th in MVP voting.

8. Miles Mikolas (2018)

Mikolas recorded 5.3 bWAR and finished 6th in Cy Young voting.

9. Jack Flaherty (2019)

Flaherty recorded 5.9 bWAR, finished 4th in Cy Young voting and 13th in MVP voting.

10. Paul Goldschmidt (2020)

Goldschmidt recorded 2.1 bWAR in the shortened season and finished 15th in MVP voting.

11. Tyler O'Neill (2021)

O'Neill recorded 6.1 bWAR, finished 8th in MVP voting and won a Gold Glove.

12. Nolan Arenado (2022)

Arenado recorded 7.7 bWAR, finished 3rd in MVP voting behind Paul Goldschmidt and won a Platinum Glove.

13. Willson Contreras (2023)

Contreras recorded 3.4 bWAR.

This year, Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn joins this list with 4.3 bWAR so far, barring an insane run from Nolan Arenado (he'd probably have to finish the year with a Shohei Ohtani-esque performance in every game to catch up). Last year, I listed a number of players who had a chance to take the honor this year, and as always, I failed to name the player who actually accomplished this feat. It's quite an impressive list to join, with several Hall of Famers, Cardinals fan favorites, All-Stars, and a few failed prospects.

Winn is one of just two players on this list who have never received All-Star consideration, along with his former teammate Tommy Pham. However, Winn was surely close to receiving a nod this season and definitely could reach the Midsummer Classic later on in his young career. He may also join Carlos Martinez and Willson Contreras in not receiving any major awards consideration, though he's sure to get a down-ballot Rookie of the Year vote later this year. He also could win his first Gold Glove at a competitive shortstop position.

Strictly from an offensive standpoint, Winn's inclusion on this list is rather surprising, as his .265/.313/.404 slashline and 98 OPS+ aren't all that impressive. However, Winn is a defensive wizard, likely the best defensive shortstop in organization history since Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. His 2.2 defensive WAR ranks second in the National League behind Brewers second baseman Brice Turang thanks to his electric arm. Through the course of a long season, Winn's bat has dropped off a bit, but any offensive production the Cardinals can get from him is a pure bonus. He's been a very productive leadoff hitter this season, and he will prove to be one of the Cardinals' most exciting players for years to come.

Now comes the time for me to speculate (and probably fail to guess) who might achieve this honor next year for the Cardinals. Assuming Winn, Arenado, Contreras, or Mikolas (how crazy would that be?) don't break the trend next season, who could lead the team in WAR? Sonny Gray has a real shot if he stays healthy and limits the home run. Maybe Nolan Gorman has a resurgence, or Lars Nootbaar puts it all together. Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson are under-the-radar candidates as well. Or who knows, the Cardinals could swing a surprise deal for Juan Soto and shock all of us. Thanks for playing stats that exist but do not matter, I can't wait to see what happens next year.