Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn has won the National League Gold Glove at shortstop for the 2025 MLB season, beating out fellow finalists Mookie Betts and Nick Allen for the hardware. The official announcement came Sunday evening.
Winn's award—the first Gold Glove of his big-league career—is the 100th Gold Glove in Cardinals franchise history as the 23-year-old becomes the youngest Cardinal ever to earn one. It was a culmination for Winn, who said Monday in a Zoom with local media that he had his eye on this hardware from the start.
"It was a goal at the beginning of the year," Winn said. "That was kind of my main focus as far as personal goals, was doing that. So I'm glad I got to get that under my belt."
Of course, one Gold Glove may have been the first goal, but it's not the only goal for Winn. When told by a reporter that several teammates have commented lofty predictions about the number of Gold Gloves he could win throughout his career, Winn took pride in the compliment.
"Hopefully that's a lot of pitchers saying that," Winn remarked. "I have a very close relationship with a lot of the pitchers. Knowing that they have trust in me just boosts my confidence even more while I'm out there. It's good to know those guys want me out there every day."
Cardinals pitchers are right to want Winn behind them, as he finished third among all MLB fielders in Outs Above Average (21), despite missing several weeks down the stretch to end the year. Defensively, Winn has clearly ascended into the upper echelon of MLB stars.
At the plate, though, is where Winn knows he needs to take his next leap.
"This biggest thing is just, I've got to improve offensively," Winn said. "Defensively, I hope I can stay right where I'm at. I feel like, can't really get too much better on that side of it. But hitting-wise, yeah. There's a lot to improve on."
Winn said on Monday's Zoom that he's already been working out this winter at Cressey Sports Performance near the Cardinals complex in Jupiter.
"Pretty much every offensive aspect, I kind of regressed this year," Winn said. "So going forward, hopefully I've got a full healthy season and I'll be able to put a good year under my belt."
After posting a sturdy .730 OPS and 104 OPS+ in his rookie season, Winn's numbers fell below league-average in 2025. A .673 OPS equated to a 90 OPS+, meaning Winn was 10% below league-average as an offensive contributor.
Winn, of course, has hit everywhere he's been throughout his ascent to the big leagues, and his 2025 numbers can be taken with an acknowledgement of the physical grind he endured to make it through the season despite a meniscus tear in his right knee that required a surgical repair.
For Winn to return to his 2024 levels at the plate—and perhaps add another gear from there—could provide an accelerant to the timeline of the Cardinals' rebuild under Chaim Bloom.
Brenden Schaeffer and Joe Roderick discussed how Winn's realization of his ceiling as a complete player, including at the plate, could play into the Cardinals' rebuild happening on a quicker pace than otherwise expected.