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Cardinals Lead MLB in Ever Important Category

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Webb | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:23 PM ET

Statistically, the St. Louis Cardinals have far and away been the best defensive team in baseball to start 2025. As a team, they have accumulated 28 outs above average (OAA) through just 47 games.

The Cardinals' 28 OAA is easily an MLB-best, as the next closest team is the Astros with 18. According to Baseball Savant, the Cardinals also comfortably lead the league in runs prevented, with 22.

It hasn’t just been two or three players carrying the load either. Nine different players on the current 26-man roster have a positive OAA.

Shortstop Masyn Winn leads the team and is tied for third in the NL with an OAA of six. Joining him in the top 10 are third baseman Nolan Arenado and center fielder Victor Scott II, each with five.

Two pleasant surprises for the Cardinals on the defensive side of things have been Willson Contreras and Jordan Walker.

After making the switch from catcher to first base in the offseason, Contreras ranks second in OAA among NL first basemen, only trailing two-time gold glover Matt Olson.

The most impressive story, though, has been Jordan Walker’s development as an outfielder. While he’s still trying to figure it out at the plate, the strides he’s made defensively have been tremendous.

JORDAN WALKER SAYS THIS GAME IS OVER!! pic.twitter.com/BlYizBy6hz
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 13, 2025

After finishing as one of the worst defenders in baseball in his rookie season with an OAA of -14, Walker showed signs of improvement in 2024 and is now tied for second in OAA among NL right fielders for 2025.

The Cardinals were a good defensive team last year, but nowhere near the best. Their team OAA of 15 ranked eighth best in the league. There’s still a long way to go, but it appears St. Louis will shatter that number this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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