Willson Contreras hit a game-tying three-run homer on Sunday night. It was the sort of home run that has become more common in the past two years for the Cubs, the seizing of an opportunity that in years past might have been squandered. It was beautiful and dramatic and it made me yell in joy […]
Tag: Willson Contreras
The PECOTA Gap Between the Cubs and Dodgers
On April 10th, the Cubs will play their first real game at Wrigley since the World Series, and they’ll do so against the Dodgers. The rematch of the NLCS should be a well-played series between two evenly-matched teams. This offseason, many comparisons of the two teams have been made, and the consensus seems to be […]
Cactus Catchup: The Walk Before the Squat
This post-World Series offseason was the shortest in Cubs history, but in many (many) ways it felt very long. On Tuesday, though, at least a light semblance of baseball returned, and to the relief of fans everywhere. The Cubs are back in Mesa, and that means the return of our Cactus Catchup series, in which we’ll […]
Going “All In” on Willson Contreras in 2017
It seemingly took all of a few minutes into spring camp for the Cubs to make their intentions clear for their young catcher Willson Contreras. His transition to the role as the Cubs’ no. 1 catcher will also feature a role serving as Jon Lester’s personal backstop. This is significant news for a catcher coming […]
Player Profile: Willson Contreras
Position: Catcher and left field, somehow. 2016 Stats: .282/.357/.499, .302 TAv, 2.4 WARP in 283 plate appearances Year in Review: What did the Cubs do to deserve Willson Contreras? Here is the prospect that nobody saw coming, who wasn’t included in the 2013/2014 fantasy lineup that every Cubs fan was explicitly or implicitly putting together in his […]
Second City October: The Beauty of Belief, And Those Who’d Take It Away
Javier Baez, Most Valuable Player of the 2016 NLCS, has fourteen postseason hits for seven RBIs through Game One of the World Series. That’s better than Kris Bryant. It’s better than every other Cub. And it says nothing of his dazzling defense. Willson Contreras has knocked a cool .409 in his October attempts, which is […]
Willson Contreras: Solid Major-League Catcher
It’s been just over three months since Cubs catching prodigy Willson Contreras made his MLB debut at Wrigley Field. Though he wouldn’t register a plate appearance in that particular game, two days later Contreras would come up to the dish for the first time and, in true Cubs rookie fashion, hit a first-pitch, two-run home […]
Jorge Soler and Willson Contreras: The Curse of Kris Bryant’s Unreasonable Standards
When you’re 41 games over .500 and have such a commanding division lead that your fans are already debating the merits of having either Tommy La Stella or Chris Coghlan as a left-handed pinch hitting option off the bench in the playoffs, it’s easy to forget the journey that led the Cubs to this point. Some fans probably just want […]
Cubs’ Unlikely Duo Dishing Up the Fun
“Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.” It’s a famous Maddon-ism designed to keep players loose. With their 17-4 record this month and a cushy division lead, the boys in blue don’t seem to need the reminder. But some fans out there (you know who you are), definitely do. The dog days aren’t […]
The Many Sides of Willson Contreras
The quiet confidence of Kris Bryant, the stoic Addison Russell, the flashy Javy Baez, the always smiling Dexter Fowler. The Cubs have a ton of personality on the roster that comes in many different forms. While Anthony Rizzo is surely the leader of this club and has shown immense passion from time to time (just ask […]