The St. Louis Cardinals do not have much to write home about in terms of on-field success from the 2025 season, but a couple players are being recognized for the work they did on the defensive side of the ball. Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II were both named Rawlings Gold Glove finalists with a real shot to take home the hardware on November 2.

Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II are guaranteed a top-3 finish in Gold Glove award voting

When Masyn Winn was drafted in the second round in 2020, he was viewed as a potential two-way player, handling shortstop with flash and consistency while also having a cannon for an arm. However, the Cardinals quickly nixed that idea and had the Texas-native focus on becoming a long-term piece of their future, moving him full-time to shortstop.

While the offense is still coming along with his potential to be a four or five-tool player, Winn’s defense has never been in question. Since his first full season in 2024, Winn has only committed 21 errors in 277 games, the second-fewest among players with at least 250 games played in that span. This season, though, Winn took his defense to another level.

By all measures, the 23-year-old was not just a top defensive shortstop in the game, but one of the overall best fielders in all of baseball. While fighting a torn meniscus, Winn only committed three errors in 129 games, the fewest at the position, and put up a .994 fielding percentage. He was not just making the routine plays, either, as Winn would put up highlight plays on a near-nightly basis, getting to grounders that others cannot before unleashing a 90+mph dart to the first baseman’s chest.

Winn is joined by the Braves’ Nick Allen and Dodgers’ Mookie Betts as National League finalists, but Winn outpaces both players in virtually every measure. When the winner is announced on November 2, it would be a surprise if anyone besides Winn took home the trophy.

Joining Winn as a finalist as his position is center fielder Victor Scott II, whose game-breaking speed allowed him to make more plays than the average defender. Like Winn, Scott is viewed as one of the best all-around defenders in the game, even though he made more errors than his teammate. By Baseball Savant’s value measure, VSII is in the 96th-percentile in terms of defensive value.

While Scott’s offense has a ways to go, the Gold Glove is made to honor those who are specialists on the other side. VSII definitely fits that mold as he put up a .982 fielding percentage and nabbed four runners on the bases. Scott may be leaving the event empty-handed, though, as the other finalists are Jacob Young of the Nationals and Pete Crow-Armstrong from the Cubs. Each player made fewer errors than Scott, while PCA had more assists and Young matched Scott’s total in 24 fewer games.