The St. Louis Cardinals may have the best defender in the MLB in shortstop Masyn Winn. The young Cardinal is only in his second full season in the majors, but he's quickly becoming one of the most elite defenders in the game.
Winn leads the MLB with his 21 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. He holds a three OAA lead over a three-way tie for second featuring Chicago Cubs' centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cincinnati Reds' Ke'Bryan Hayes and Kansas City Royals' shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
If Winn continues his stellar defensive play he could become the first Cardinals' player in more than 20 years to win a Gold Glove. The last Cardinal to do so was Edgar Renteria in 2003.
Winn's closest competition right now is Witt Jr., who currently has 18 OAA. However, if the Cardinals' shortstop doesn't slip up, Witt Jr. may not be able to catch him.
Winn's committed just two errors on the season. For reference, the standout shortstop committed 18 last season, and Renteria committed 16 in his 2003 Gold Glove season. Winn holds a .995 fielding percentage and a 4.02 putouts plus assists per nine innings, which leads the MLB and the National League, respectively.
Masyn Winn in his 2nd full season:
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) August 16, 2025
102 wRC+
21 OAA
3.8 fWAR
That fWAR mark is Top 25 among all position players in MLB 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EVd7w9jvuy
The Cardinals have a defensive wizard at shortstop, but the 23-year-old has also been productive in the batters' box. After a strong first full season in the MLB, hitting .267 with 15 home runs and 57 RBI, Winn has matched that in 2025. He's hitting .267 with nine home runs, and 46 RBI with 38 games left in the season.
In the Cardinals' Saturday night loss to the Yankees, Winn hit his ninth home run, a three-run shot that put St. Louis up 5-1 at the time.
Winn's offense is coming around but his defense has already reached an elite level. If he continue the pace he's set in 2025, Winn could be making history as the first Cardinal in 22 years to win a Gold Glove award.