Why did all three Cardinal nominees mysteriously miss out on Gold Gloves?

We’re not even a few weeks into the offseason, and fans already have a murder mystery! Thankfully, I’m not being literal. But someone or something did kill the Cardinals’ chances at a Gold Glove. The three Redbirds who received the sticks short-end were JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and Michael McGreevy. 

Winn took home a 2025 Gold Glove and is widely regarded as one of MLB’s premier defenders (by anyone not named Justin Turner). Wetherholt debuted in 2026 and was masterful at both middle-infield positions. McGreevy is an infielder-turned-pitcher, giving him rare athleticism on the mound. 

All three had legitimate shots at bringing home gold, but division rivals, fellow rookies, and snakes sneaked up at the last minute.  

So who done it? 

Clue #1: Nolan McLean, with a curveball, in the study 

Nolan McLean of the New York Mets was all but pronounced the NL Rookie of the Year before the season started. 

If RPMs were outs, McLean would’ve turned in an all-time season. I.e., the stuff is elite, but inexperience was evident. 

On the mound, he bested McGreevy in most categories. He was a better prospect, is a better pitcher now, and is much more projectable. 

Fortunately, NONE OF THAT MATTERS! 

We’re looking at the glove. The on-ball defense. Not how they spin it to win it. And when you home in on the numbers, they reveal the truth. 

According to Fielding Bible’s DRS measurement, McGreevy ranked second among all pitchers, only trailing reliever Brent Suter. Where was the culprit, Met? Biding his time at 11th. Furthermore, Chris Sale, the third nominee, was 17th.

No pitcher in baseball since Greg Maddux has had a highlight reel worthy of winning a Gold Glove. That’s why these numbers matter. What else is the award being based on? 

McGreevy spent the entire season earning value in niche ways. Nobody is better at shutting down the run game from the rubber; his command was immaculate, and his glove should’ve been golden. 

McLean awaits his fraud hearing—following an impressive rookie season that should’ve been more likely to rob Wetherholt of an award than McGreevy. 

Pitchers have always been hard to measure as fielders, but if we’re throwing out the numbers we do have, then why hand out an award at all? With this win, McLean continues to push the “New York favoritism” narrative, and McGreevy loses out on a very cool cabinet decoration. 

Not a single measurement favored the Metropolitan. And yet, he was crowned the best fielding pitcher in the NL. In this verdict, bias reigns supreme. 

Clue #2: Brice Turang, with a bat, in the library 

Cardinal fans had already decided the Gold Glove race at second base. It was Wetherholt; it was always Wetherholt. 

After the 24-year-old slowed offensively, Rookie of the Year shouts drifted towards a young buck in Cincy who hit homers like a vet. 

Redbird fans didn’t lack the effort to keep Wetherholt in the race. NL Central fans clashed in social media debates all season. See “X” for proof. 

But in the end, Cardinal fans knew it was never enough. Wetherholt’s rookie year would likely end in a Gold Glove and nothing else. Or so you thought. 

Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers, and then swept in to take Wetherholt’s gold. 

Turang (the bishop), 26, has been one of baseball’s most efficient fielders for years. This season, he added offense to the mix, finishing with 7.3 bWAR and as a finalist for the NL MVP award. 

Fairly, some statistics favor the rook, and others the bishop. It may have been shortsighted to look past Turang. 

The world champion Brewer led Wetherholt in SABR (12.8) and had a significant lead in DRS (23 to 13). 

According to Just Baseball Media’s The WAR Monger/X, infield defense is best measured by DRS and SABR—both of which Turang led. 

The Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) is responsible for the SABR fielding statistic. 

The SABR Defensive Index (SDI) has been in use since 2013 and is partly responsible for the selection of Gold Glove recipients. 

The SDI draws on batted-ball location-based data and play-by-play reports. It accounts for roughly 25 percent of the decision on who wins the Gold Glove. 

Alongside the SDI, managers and coaches will vote for winners. 

Turang’s argument for the award was sound and also very revealing. Coaches, managers, and the folks at SABR revealed that DRS leads the infield charge. Rather than be sick, hold the standard.

If it’s consistent, you can’t hate it. 

Some fans have pointed to the other Brewer, Jackson Chourio, and said that the World Series may have influenced decisions. Both Milwaukee nominees took home the award. 

Chourio’s Gold Glove competition included Ian Happ and Daylen Lile. 

Lile and Happ trailed Chourio in OAA, DRS, and overall WAR. If Cardinal fans want to argue the Brewers won because of their World Series, that take seems sorely misguided. 

Still, Wetherholt’s Gold Glove chances came up short. Don’t forget his phenomenal rookie year just because it wasn’t golden. 

Clue #3: Geraldo Perdomo, in the desert, with a poison vial 

They say Winn had his feet kicked up on a table, cowboy boots and attire—decked from head to toe. 

His Gold Glove case was about as firm as it could get. On his way through the desert, something nipped at his ankle, leaving him totally fine but poisoning his chances at the award. 

The “Geraldo Perdomo” is a species of snake that plays shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Thanks for the applause. I do autographs.) Usually, Perdomos accrue value by getting on base, hitting for a high average, and playing good defense. It’s never been golden, though. 

And it shouldn’t have been. Simply, Winn trounced his nominee counterpart in every sense of the word. 

OAA? Advantage Winn. Arm strength? Major advantage Winn. DRS? Winn still wins. SABR? Yep, he’s got that one, too. FRV? This is getting ridiculous. 

The only statistics going Perdomo’s way are fielding percentage and errors—which are a flawed formula and have been debunked for years. Great fielders make more errors because of elite range; it’s that simple. 

Perdomo slithered away with an award that didn’t belong to him. Winn, likely MLB’s best defensive shortstop since he debuted, only has one Gold Glove to show for it.

Where is the explanation? What could possibly have gone into Perdomo and McLean walking away victorious? 

To be clear, Turang, Perdomo, and McLean all had great seasons. There were no outlandish winners—there were only outlandish losers. 

It’s a trial by tweet for every voter who lied to the Lou, and until Winn and McGreevy earn themselves another shot, this one's gonna sting. 

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