The St. Louis Cardinals have seen some of the greatest Gold Glove seasons in the history of baseball, but there are a few that stand above the rest.
From the Ken Boyers of the ’50s and ’60s, to the Wizards and McGees of the Whitey Ball era, to the coveted corner infield tandem of the 2020s, Cardinals fans throughout the decades have seen more than their fair share of defensive prowess.
While the scope of this ranking is limited somewhat by the fact that the Gold Glove Award was not awarded until 1957, the sheer number of times Cardinals players have won the award, a major league-leading 53, calls forth an overwhelming wealth of players to consider.
The Top Gold Glove Seasons in Cardinals History
Partially due to the incomplete and inconsistent nature of defensive statistics, choosing and ranking only five of these seasons is a tall task.
Statcast data, much of which is relied upon currently to make judgments between players, is only available from 2015 onwards. To make matters worse, for much of the 20th century, defensive plays were vaguely or inconsistently cataloged. These two factors combined make it extremely difficult to judge players from different eras by their defensive metrics.
A pivotal statistic in this ranking will be Rtot, developed by Sean Smith of Baseball Projection, which calculates the total runs prevented by a player on defense weighed against league average. For all seasons before 1989, this statistic simply provides a good estimate, based on player averages, that allows for such comparison.
That being said, let us dive into the five best Gold Glove Award-winning seasons in St. Louis Cardinals history.
5. Nolan Arenado – 2022
Nolan Arenado‘s stellar 2022 season being fifth on this list speaks to the immensity of the Cardinals’ defensive tradition.
A sure-fire Hall of Famer, Arenado’s best defensive season with the Cardinals almost eclipses his early showings with the Colorado Rockies. In addition to finishing third in voting for the National League MVP, Arenado won his second consecutive Platinum Glove and his 10th straight Gold Glove. He posted a position-leading 18 Rtot, a position-leading 42 double plays, and was in the 99th percentile in outs above average. His 2.3 defensive WAR was his best with the Cardinals organization.
As trade rumors swirl around the aging Cardinals star, Arenado’s 2022 season will go down as one of the most impressive in Cardinals history. From his diving plays on screaming grounders to his famous basket catches in foul territory, Arenado will be a Cardinals favorite for life.
Another day, another Nolan Arenado defensive highlight. pic.twitter.com/xu4zKawUCd
— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2022
4. Ken Boyer – 1958
Boyer’s first of five Gold Gloves was not only the first in Cardinals history but also one of the most impressive.
While he finished 13th in MVP voting, slashing .307/.496/.360, Boyer’s career-high 1.7 defensive WAR began to cement him as an all-time great Cardinals third baseman. While he was a below-average fielder at shortstop and in the outfield, where he played occasionally, his consistency at the hot corner was profound.
Through 144 games at third base, Boyer posted a .962 fielding percentage as well as a position-leading 41 double plays and 156 putouts. While he did not lead the league in Rtot as he would frequently in the future, his 15 runs above average was a career-high.
On this date in 1931, #CardsHOF 3B Ken Boyer was born.
The 1964 NL MVP was an 11x All-Star and won 5 Gold Gloves during his 11 seasons in St. Louis. He is the only player whose number has been retired by the club who is not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/auTfCHRTXr
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 20, 2019
3. Scott Rolen – 2004
In his second full season with the Cardinals, Scott Rolen‘s eye-popping numbers helped to cement him as a St. Louis star and an eventual Hall of Famer.
In addition to his offensive production, which helped him finish fourth in MVP voting that year, his defensive prowess became quickly apparent to Cardinals fans.
Through 153 games at third base, Rolen posted a league-leading 3.3 defensive WAR. This number still stands as the highest defensive WAR accumulated in a season by a Cardinal since Ozzie Smith. He posted a .977 fielding percentage, 21 points higher than the league average of .956 at his position. He accumulated 30 DRS in addition to a position-leading 325 assists.
Rolen was a stellar defender, and nothing represents this better than his play in the 2004 season.
Insane defensive plays. Countless clutch hits. Scott Rolen’s Hall of Fame career had it all. pic.twitter.com/5VsKlDQn73
— MLB (@MLB) January 24, 2023
2. Yadier Molina – 2012
Even with the advent of advanced defensive statistics, baseball in general has had a tough time properly evaluating the defensive value of catchers. Now, we have metrics like pop time to measure their physical abilities and intricate framing data to measure their impact behind the plate. Yet, truly defensive catchers, those who can hold and control an entire game on the tip of their finger, are still underrated in the larger discourse of baseball.
Yadier Molina was one of those catchers, perhaps the best to ever do it, and his immaculate 2012 season behind the plate goes a long way toward proving it.
Winning his second consecutive Platinum Glove and fifth straight Gold Glove, Molina continued to dominate the award season for his position. He posted a 2.9 defensive WAR, an outsized number in a statistic that generally undervalues catchers’ contributions to the game. He caught 47.9% of runners who attempted to steal on him, nearly double the league average of 26.5% in that season. On top of all of this, he also played an absurd 1,161 1/3 innings at catcher.
Molina was at the top of his game in 2012, and his place in Cardinals history has slowly come to reflect his unique set of skills.
C Yadier Molina in 2012:
.315/.373/.501
.874 OPS
138 wRC+
22 HR
28 2B
76 RBI
12 SB
35 CS (on defense)
29 DRS (!!)Fourth place finish in NL MVP voting pic.twitter.com/XWAvDSruwJ
— Random STL Cardinals (@RandomStlCards) July 3, 2023
1. Ozzie Smith – 1989
In complete honesty, The Wizard of Oz could have easily occupied every spot on this list. While his insanity and improvisational ability on the diamond are well-documented, it is still difficult to grasp the sheer defensive dominance of his 1989 season.
At 34, Ozzie Smith won his 10th of 13 straight Gold Gloves and went to his ninth straight All-Star Game. He accumulated 4.8 defensive WAR in 155 games, a single-season Cardinals record and the fifth most accumulated in a single season in MLB history.
Coupled with a career-high, staggering 32 Rtot, Smith’s defensive performance becomes truly mind-boggling.
From an all-time great defender nearing the twilight years of his career, 1989 was special and remains one of the all-time great seasons by a Cardinal.
Ozzie Smith showing off some of his INSANE glove work 🤯 pic.twitter.com/WmE051cARM
— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) January 5, 2025
Photo Credit: © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
