And while the “defense wins championships†motto has gone out of style in recent years in favor of offensive production, the Cardinals are going to need to cling to that mantra if they want to be a threat in the standings as the season progresses.
Even with the loss of 10-time Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman Nolan Arenado, Gold Glove Award winner Brendan Donovan and one of the strongest defensive first basemen of the 2025 season in Willson Contreras, the Cardinals haven't missed a beat defensively.
Star rookie JJ Wetherholt, whose bat stole the headlines as a prospect and is the main reason the Cardinals are so excited about him, is playing second base full-time this year after a move from shortstop. He currently leads all players, regardless of position, in OAA this year with five. It feels like every series, Wetherholt is making a highlight-reel play by throwing his body in front of a ground ball, turning a beautiful double play or making his trademark move: launching into the sky to snag a line drive and rob batters of a base hit.
Speaking of those sweet double plays, Wetherholt's hot start defensively is giving the Cardinals a real claim to the best defensive middle infield in baseball. Reigning Gold Glove shortstop Masyn Winn is already viewed as one of the best individual defenders in baseball and is currently sixth in baseball in OAA (3) after finishing tied for third last season (21).
Even Nolan Gorman is having himself a strong start to the year, filling in the shoes of Arenado. Gorman is tied for second among third basemen in OAA (2) to start the year, playing a position he rarely saw opportunities at with Arenado on the roster.
With the Cardinals’ pitching staff relying so heavily on ground-ball outs, having an air-tight defense is a must if St. Louis is going to consistently win games.
So far, the Cardinals' pitching staff is tied for the third-highest groundball rate in baseball (47.6%), giving Wetherholt, Winn, Gorman, and Alec Burleson plenty of work on a daily basis. This puts an even greater emphasis not just on their ability to avoid mistakes, but to make high-level plays that keep their pitchers out of trouble.
The outfield defense has been a run-prevention machine as well early in the season. Victor Scott II, a Gold Glove finalist last season, is now flanked by an improving Jordan Walker, whose arm is causing baserunners to think twice before attempting to move the next 90 feet. The left field defense has graded out positively as well, and could get even better if the talented Nathan Church overcomes some uncharacteristic early season mistakes.
The same could be said behind the plate as well. Pedro Pages hasn't played to the same level that he did in 2025, but if he can regain some of his framing and blocking prowess, he can form a nice catching tandem with the improving Iván Herrera.
The Cardinals have put a great emphasis on acquiring and developing pitchers with more swing-and-miss in their game, but the majority of those arms are not yet in the Majors. In order for the Cardinals to maximize the value of their current pitching staff, they have to continue to field a defensive unit that is able to maximize the number of outs on batted balls in play.
