Freed Willy

Willson Contreras has emerged as a star and is showing no signs of slowing down

Paul Steeno
Aug 8, 2017 · 5 min read

Nobody thought that Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras would ever join dreamy-eyed Kris Bryant or slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo as the face of this organization.

But then Contreras’ bat began to sizzle after the All-Star break to complement his already elite defense behind the plate. While he has a long way to go before he joins (or supplants?) Bryant and Rizzo as the resident household name on this club, the past month has offered a peak at his sky-high superstar ceiling.

Since the All-Star break, Contreras is tenth in MLB with 184 wRC+ (a measure of how many runs a player is worth above league average adjusted for ballpark and league; league average is 100; read more about this statistic here). He was recently second in this category, but an 0–5 showing last night against the San Francisco Giants sunk his numbers a bit.

Nonetheless, Contreras has recorded a sparkling .325/.391/.735/1.126 slash line since the All-Star break. His 29 RBIs since then leads MLB and his 70 RBIs on the season trails Rizzo by just one for the team lead. His 10 homers since the All-Star break is second only to Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton for the MLB lead. Contreras has now slugged 21 homers on the season which is the second-highest total on the team behind Rizzo. There is also this:

ESPN Stats and Info posted this tweet prior to Contreras’ second homer of Sunday’s game. He officially had 33 home runs in his first 175 career games which gives him the record for a Venezuelan-born player.

Perhaps most importantly, Contreras’ clutch hitting has been one of the propellers for the Cubs second-half run. With runners in scoring position since the All-Star break, Contreras has been good for a whopping 319 wRC+ which is fourth in MLB behind Daniel Murphy, Chris Taylor, and Nolan Arenado respectively. Contreras has had a plethora of opportunities with runners in scoring position because he primarily hits behind Bryant and Rizzo in the lineup. His continued ability to protect his superstar teammates with his hot bat is imperative for the Cubs success.

Contreras has quietly budded into a superstar over the last month. What factors have contributed to his sudden breakout?

A Bat Change and a Mechanical Adjustment

Over at BleacherNation.com, super sleuth Brett Taylor discovered the most logical reason behind Contreras’ post All-Star break hitting surge.

Contreras says he was not likely the feel of his bats, so he started using fellow backstop Victor Caratini’s bats: “I have to thank Victor. He gave me bats, and I’m hitting with his bats and I’m hot. Thanks, Victor. He’s a great guy. I love Victor.”

-Per Bleacher Nation writer Brett Taylor

Previously, some extremely observant and intelligent baseball people at CubsInsiders.com noticed a subtle pre-pitch timing adjustment that they claim has made a world of difference for Contreras.

What change was that, you ask? The best way I can describe it is that he’s adopted a miniature toe-tap and crouch thing when the pitcher gears back. Before this change, Contreras used a controlled, modest leg kick as a trigger.

Per CubsInsiders.com writer Brendan Miller

In this still frame, Contreras lifts the back of his foot slightly off the ground prior to pitch leading to a mini knee kick.

The change is the cursory moment right before the pitcher lets go of the ball when Contreras picks the back of his foot off the ground causing a quasi knee raise. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s helped him time up pitches which solves the riddle behind his recent offensive surge.

For comparison purposes, notice the lack of pre-pitch motion in a Contreras at-bat in late May.

Once again, if you want this explained in more detail head over to the original article on CubsInsiders.com. They have side-by-side, slowed down video and better still frames to explain the mechanical adjustment more clearly than I can.

Since the All-Star break, Contreras’ strikeout percentage (K%) is 18.5 percent compared to the 25.9 percent strikeout rate he posted in the first half of the season. The timing mechanism has allowed Contreras to make more frequent contact with the ball, and he already had a high hard contact percentage anyway (more likely to get a hit if a player hits the ball hard). That is a good combination, and probably explains why the new timing mechanism has done wonders for his offense since the All-Star break.

Getting Defensive

Contreras’ elite play behind the plate isn’t subject to hot streaks. He has been consistently excellent defensively all season, emerging as one of the best defensive catchers in MLB.

Contreras is tied for the MLB lead with 11.1 defensive runs above average which factors in how much better a player is defensively than an average player at their position and the positional value of a catcher relative to other positions on a baseball diamond.

In a short year and a half, Contreras has transformed into arguably the best defensive catcher in MLB. Now he’s complemented this with offensive star power proving he’s the complete package.

National League Player of the Week today, best catcher in baseball tomorrow. How many Gold Glove awards are in his future? Could Willson Contreras one day win MVP honors? How many more World Series will he win with the Chicago Cubs?

Only time will tell, but Chicago’s most under-the-radar young player has began his ascension. It’s just a question of how high he will rise.

Statistics and information obtained from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise linked in the text.

Paul Steeno spent 11 years pretending he was good at running. After hanging up the track spikes and officially becoming an elite hobby jogger, he decided to do something that he was actually good at: like writing about the Cubs. He is also a perpetually frustrated Chicago Bulls fan. This one time he got super lucky and ran 3:52 in the 1500 meter run.

Paul Steeno

Written by

Elite Hobby Jogger

Wrigley Rapport

Words From the Friendly Confines

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade