Very early into the 2018 season, I dug into an aspect of Willson Contreras’ defensive game that fans and pundits alike have viewed as a strength for him even as he’s struggled offensively: his ability to throw runners out. I specifically focused on this because Contreras tends to get a bad rap defensively, namely because […]
Tag: Willson Contreras
What Is Wrong with Willson Contreras?
If hitting is contagious, as many are wont to believe, then the Cubs (last night excluded) have a pernicious cold on top of the flu with some sort of weird infection to top it off. After scoring five runs in five games versus the middling Pirates and lowly Tigers, all courtesy of the solo home […]
For Willson Contreras, It’s Not All About the Long Ball
Last Saturday, Willson Contreras hit this opposite-field homer off an Anthony DeSclafani slider. Thanks to the soft skin of home plate umpire Gary Gibson and the Cubs ultimately falling for the third straight time to the last-place Reds, Contreras’s second-inning shot was nowhere near the most newsworthy thing that happened in that game. But the […]
Game 36 Recap: Cubs 8, White Sox 4
What You Need To Know: This game was weird. It felt like it was over early, then got tighter than it should have been late. The Cubs have decided they will now send nine hitters to the plate in every first inning, and they jumped on James Shields early. It’s a good thing they did, because after […]
Willy C But Willy Don’t
The Cubs only managed to get 22 games in over this first month of the season, so numbers are even more skewed than they might be as April fades away. The Cubs bats have at times been explosive, but recently have gone quiet, and not everyone is clicking. While Schwarber, Báez, and Almora have brought the […]
Willson Contreras: It’s All in the Pop
If there’s one thing Chicago Cubs fans have been united in since the middle of the 2016 season, it is that they have one of the best young catchers in all of Major League Baseball. Entering the 2018 season that united front had shifted somewhat simply by removing the word young. Willson Contreras is still […]
How Willson Contreras Can Speed Up the Game
As a rule, I’m hesitant to mention Bob Brenly in the posts I write on the off chance it might bring up repressed memories of watching any of the Cubs teams for which he broadcast. In these heady times for the franchise, no one needs to be reminded of…say…Milton Bradley throwing a ball into the […]
Are the Cubs Ready to Go With Victor Caratini As Their No. 2 Catcher?
There’s a little bit of a buzz recently surrounding the Chicago Cubs’ catcher position, courtesy of Willson Contreras’ mouth. The Cubs’ starting backstop, who is heading into his second full season as the starter, declared his intention of surpassing the likes of Yadier Molina and Buster Posey and serve as the game’s top catcher. Good […]
Who Is Best Suited To Set The Cubs’ Table In 2018?
As we sit in the doldrums of winter, awaiting any sort of news surrounding potential additions to the North Side of Chicago, there’s still plenty to be discussed surrounding the team as currently constructed. And with some of the buzz around such hypothetical additions relating to the number one spot in the batting order, the […]
2017 Player Profile: Willson Contreras
Position: Catcher 2017 Statistics: AVG OBP SLG HR TAv wRC+ FRAA WARP .276 .356 .499 21 .302 121 -3.0 3.1 Year in Review: Few Cubs were able to stand out in 2017 in the way that Willson Contreras did. Not only did Contreras take his first full season at the big league level and run […]