Can you name the best infield defender in baseball?
If you guessed Bobby Witt Jr., you'd be correct. The Royals shortstop is the defending Platinum Glove Award winner in the American League, and he's been sublime yet again this season, leading all infielders in outs above average (+16) and fielding run value (+12). There's not much of an argument to make here.
Here's a harder question for you: Who comes next?
Going by those same Statcast metrics, that would be Cardinals rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt and second-year White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery.
All stats are updated through play on Friday, June 19
Most outs above average, INF, 2026
1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS (KC): +16
2. JJ Wetherholt, 2B (STL): +13
3. Luis Arraez, 2B (SF): +10
4-T. Colson Montgomery, SS (CWS): +9
4-T. Dansby Swanson, SS (CHC): +9
Outs above average is a range-based metric that accounts for the number of plays a fielder made and the difficulty of them
Most fielding run value, INF, 2026
1-T. Bobby Witt Jr., SS (KC): +12
1-T. JJ Wetherholt, 2B (STL): +12
3-T. Colson Montgomery, SS (CWS): +8
3-T. Luis Arraez, 2B (SF): +8
5. Dansby Swanson, SS (CHC): +7
Fielding run value is a composite metric that converts all of Statcast's individual defensive metrics to a run-based scale
It has not taken Wetherholt long to establish himself as one of the game's top defenders. The same goes for Montgomery, who recorded +7 OAA last season after debuting in July.
"Realistically, in college and early in the Minors, defensively, I was playing solid, but it was just always overshadowed because I usually hit really well," Wetherholt told MLB.com inside the visitor's dugout at Citi Field earlier this month. "So people would always profile me as a bat guy first."
MLB Pipeline gave Wetherholt a 50-grade field tool, using the traditional 20-80 scouting scale, where 50 is considered average. He had a 65-grade hit tool. Montgomery's 55-grade field tool was slightly better, although a number of scouts thought he would have to transition to third base given his 6-foot-3 stature. His 55-grade power tool often stole the headlines.
I floated Wetherholt's theory by Montgomery beside his locker in the visitor's clubhouse at Yankee Stadium one week later.
"I was never asked about my defense," Montgomery said. "Everyone assumed since I was a taller, bigger shortstop that I was going to move to third base. They were only worried about me having to hit homers at third base and stuff like that. I take a lot of pride in my defense because I was overlooked."
For both players, there's more to the story than just defense. Montgomery has slugged 41 home runs in 142 games since his MLB debut last July, posting an .834 OPS this season as an integral piece to Chicago's renaissance. Wetherholt is playing a similar role atop the Cardinals' lineup, tallying a .767 OPS for a surprise -- and serious -- NL contender.
But the glove matters, too. The Cardinals have the fourth-highest fielding run value of any team in the Majors, with Wetherholt leading the charge. The White Sox have improved from -41 FRV in 2025 to +4 FRV this year, a drastic leap. Montgomery deserves a lot of credit here, too.
How is each player so good defensively, so quickly? MLB.com talked with Wetherholt and Montgomery to find out.
JJ Wetherholt
Let's start with Wetherholt. What's most impressive here is that the 23-year-old is actually playing out of position: A natural shortstop, Wetherholt slid over to second base to accommodate another plus defender in Masyn Winn.
The hardest part about the transition, Wetherholt says, was learning how to field anything hit to his right -- balls that could careen off the mound and balls that force him to navigate the second base bag. He worked closely with first base and infield coach Stubby Clapp to strengthen his backhand and find a way to consistently get around the baseball.
Among primary second basemen, no one has been better going to their right than Wetherholt. He's accumulated +6 OAA on balls hit to his backhand, tied with the Royals' Michael Massey for most among second basemen.
That sort of elite range comes from the stuff that we don't see while watching the game on TV. By the time we see Wetherholt circling to his backhand, so much of the work is already done.
"Since I've gotten to the pros, the biggest thing for me is pre-pitch," Wetherholt said. "I get off the ball really well, but sometimes I land a little bit late. So I try to sync that up to land as soon as the guy is making contact, which has helped me get to more balls.
"... I used to play pretty tall and narrow with my feet. So we worked to get a little bit lower with my legs. Kind of just avoiding the height on my jump. I'd be timing it where I was still in the air when the ball's being hit."
Wetherholt and Clapp hit the film room to identify -- and fix -- this problem. Early in the season, he re-watched every ball hit his way. He's more judicious now, reviewing particular plays that he likes or doesn't like. Clapp sends him footage, too.
"There was so much that I was trying to learn at that point," Wetherholt said.
Before a game, Wetherholt's routine is similar to any other infielder. He takes an array of short-hoppers -- 10 to his backhand, 10 to his forehand, 10 in front of him. Then he'll pivot to walking backhands and spinning feeds to the second-base bag, working on his footwork. He'll also walk through the motions on routine plays, like grounders hit right at him and double plays with Winn.
His focus is the same in warmups as it is in the game.
"You're just trying to be aggressive at all times," Wetherholt said. "You want to keep that intensity for every pitch, because you never know."
Colson Montgomery
Montgomery preaches much of the same tenets as Wetherholt. In the Minors, he said, there's not that same level of intensity, especially in pregame work. It can be easy to treat a ground ball as a ground ball. Things are different now.
"I take 15 to 20 grounders, but I try to take them as game-like as possible," Montgomery said. "So, as cliche as it is, when the game comes around, I don't feel sped up."
He sure doesn't look sped up. That's in part because of his internal clock.
"You've got to be aware of who's running," Montgomery said. "If I come up here and I know that Bobby Witt is hitting, I know that I'll have to be a little bit faster. Not rush, but I know that I'll have to get the ball out, or I might have to play everything on the run."
Montgomery, 24, is comfortable with any of those plays.
He is confident in his ability. He does not have a favorite play or a most difficult play, because he feels as if he can get to anything. It is his responsibility to. He does not check any sort of advanced metrics, but, at the start of our conversation, he wants to know where he stands -- and who is ahead of him.
"In your prep and your routine, you need to challenge yourself," he said. "I do slow rollers. I do backhands. Stuff like that. So, I feel really comfortable with every play."
Montgomery, who stands at 6-foot-3, is a taller shortstop. That is not unprecedented. Carlos Correa (6'3) and Corey Seager (6'4) are recent examples of taller shortstops who have also been above-average defenders. But it is rare, and something that Montgomery has to deal with.
He credits his athleticism for his success. He played football and basketball, along with baseball, at Southridge High School in Indiana.
"I don't really try to think too much about footwork and stuff," Montgomery said. "It's just trying to be an athlete. That's what I try to do when I'm at shortstop. It's natural."
Whether for Montgomery or Wetherholt, it sure does look like it.