ST. LOUIS -- Brendan Donovan -- a guy who knows a thing or two about defense, having won a Gold Glove in 2022 and being a finalist for another one in 2024 -- said about the only time he’s surprised on the baseball field these days is when electrifying shortstop Masyn Winn is unable to get to a ball scorched into the outfield for a hit.
Otherwise, Donovan said, Winn possesses the kinds of next-level shortstop skills that make the impossible seem almost mundane and expected at times.
“He’s one of the best defenders I have ever seen in my life,” Donovan said after the Cardinals blew a ninth-inning lead and lost, 6-5, to the Rockies on Wednesday. “You can talk about the arm strength, the accuracy of his throws, the carry on his throws, the mental clock in his head, the instincts, the awareness to read swings and be in the right spots, the aggressiveness -- his ability to do everything at a high level is incredibly impressive.
“I’m serious, he’s the best defender I’ve ever seen … and he’s only getting better.”
The numbers certainly back up the hype surrounding the defensive play of the 23-year-old Winn, who leads all of MLB in Outs Above Average at 22. That’s three more than Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong and four more than the next closest shortstops -- Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. (18) and Atlanta's Nick Allen (18).
The accomplishments hardly stop there for Winn, who is on pace to have the most Outs Above Average by a Cardinal player since the creation of the defensive measurement in 2016, bettering the 19 that former Gold Glover Tommy Edman had at shortstop in 2022. Also, Winn’s 16 runs prevented in 2025 are equal to the total that center fielder Harrison Bader had in 2018 when he finished sixth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Then, there’s this for the strong-armed shortstop: Winn has committed just two errors all season, and he could potentially break the MLB record for fewest errors in a season by a shortstop (min: 140 games played) with three -- a mark set by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. in 1990 and 11-time Gold Glover Omar Vizquel in 2000. He’s riding a 47-game errorless streak after Wednesday, bettering the 45-game stretch he had without a miscue to open the 2025 season.
In a word, Winn has been Ozzie-like -- as in Cardinals legendary shortstop and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, someone Winn has dined with and talked to for advice.
“I told the [coaching] staff at the beginning of the year that I want to get a Gold [Glove], and at this point I feel like I’m pushing for a platinum, and I feel like I’ve got a good chance at it,” Winn said of his defensive work over 109 games. “I want to make the playoffs, but one reason I want to be in there every day is to back that [defensive work] up and give myself a chance to win [the Gold Glove].”
Two plays Winn made recently showed off his range, powerful arm and ballet-like brilliance defensively. He went to his left to stab a squibber in the hole and then threw out Padres star Luis Arraez from the outfield grass on Aug. 2. Then, on Sunday, he made up for a momentary bobble with an 87.6 mph strike to first retire Cubs catcher Carson Kelly.
“I love going back and watching stuff like that, and it makes me feel like I can make any play in the world,” Winn said. “If there’s a play I can’t make, then I feel like nobody can make it. It boosts the confidence a little bit and I’m sure my pitchers love having me out there.”
Do they ever. Listen to Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy -- someone who played with Winn at various levels -- describe the raw talent of his teammate.
“The caliber of player he is, the type of ceiling he has -- even the floor -- it’s a really special player,” McGreevy gushed. “He’s the type of player who comes along once in a generation.”
Winn was a finalist for the Gold Glove in 2024 despite making 18 errors -- something that motivated him throughout the offseason and made him want to be more detailed in his approach. He’s done just that, while also still showing off the aggressiveness and fearlessness of a shortstop not afraid to risk mistakes.
“Usually when you have the range and arm and you get to what he gets to, it comes with a lot of errors,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Not because you’re not a good defender, but because you do things others can’t, and it leads to a throw getting away. The fact that he gets to more than anybody and he’s still securing the baseball, it’s highly impressive.”