The Cardinals are turning Busch Stadium into a defensive nightmare

The St. Louis Cardinals are back to their defensive ways of old, especially so up the middle. 

The Cardinals have elite middle infield defense

Since his debut, Masyn Winn has cemented himself as one of baseball’s premier shortstops. In 2025, the rocket-armed infielder picked up his first Gold Glove award of what many presume will be many. Winn did so by recording a fielding run value of 17, ranking him in the 98th percentile of baseball, while also recording 21 outs above average, ranking in the 100th percentile. 

Winn is the type of defender that doesn’t just grade out well; he passes the eye test. Defensive metrics and the analytical agenda have led the modern baseball fan to distrust their gut. There’s no second-guessing with Winn; his glove is gold, and it’s plain as day. 

The Cardinal infield felt secure with Winn at short, but the newest Redbird second baseman has morphed St. Louis into a defensive force. 

JJ Wetherholt complements Masyn Winn up the middle

Cardinals standout rookie JJ Wetherholt hasn’t just been the table setter St. Louis was missing; he’s cleaning house at second base. Opposing batters looking to sneak one through the right side have been flustered by the rookie’s outlandish range and Bugs Bunny hops. Wetherholt was never supposed to be an elite defender, and now that he is, analysts around baseball are starting to take notice. 

Stefan Caray, a Cardinals broadcaster himself and son of St. Louis’ Chip Caray, appeared on Matrix Midwest, sharing his thoughts on the Cardinals’ stellar defense. 

“They don’t want to hit the ball up the middle,” Caray said. “The range that [Winn] has going from either right to left or left to right, it’s tough. It’s a vacuum.” 

Caray then expanded into how Wetherholt is helping to bolster Winn’s defensive efforts. 

“JJ Wetherholt, especially moving to his left, is one of the guys who’s able to cover some of the ground that Masyn can’t get to on the second base side of the diamond. Those two guys up the middle really make it nice for guys like McGreevy, Pallante, high-contact, high-groundball pitchers. You trust that they’re going to make the plays behind you; those two guys in particular are the ones that stand out for me.” 

Caray’s breakdown shines a light on the glistening defense that St. Louis sports through the center. However, the dynamic glove work doesn’t stop when dirt meets grass. 

Don’t hit the Arch

The Cardinals' elite defense stems all the way to center field. This year, Busch Stadium has an outline of the Gateway Arch mowed into the outfield grass, and it’s being protected as if it's made of glass. 

Victor Scott II has been in the midst of an offensive depression. He maintains a disciplined approach but has lacked any remnant of hard contact. Even through such a disastrous start, the speedster remains an above-average fielder. 

In addition to Scott II’s exploits, Nathan Church has quickly emerged as an option in the middle outfield position. His metrics are slightly diluted in comparison to VS2’s, but his innate athleticism and foot speed make up for any learning curves he may have in center. 

The Cardinals are back to stealing outs. Baseball is better when opposing teams hit balls hard and they end up in an outstretched Redbird mitt. 

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