Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras has been solid behind the plate

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In an up-and-down season, the Chicago Cubs continue to appreciate the work Willson Contreras turns in behind the dish each day.

When the Chicago Cubs called up Willson Contreras last season, they knew they had something special. He confirmed these expectations when he clubbed a home run in his first major league at-bat. He set the bar a bit high, but that’s just how Contreras is.

Following that exciting debut, Contreras went on to slash .282/.357/.488 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI in his first 76 games. What some thought might be a “cup of coffee” has turned out to be much more than that.

Contreras not only impressed fans with his bat in 2016, but he also put on a defensive showcase behind the dish. In 57 games as a catcher, Contreras caught 37 percent of would-be base stealers. Now as the “catcher of the future,” Contreras has some big shoes to fill.

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2017 has been more of the same

With his stellar performance during the 2016 season, Contreras won the starting catching job in 2017. With veteran Miguel Montero likely past his prime, and Kyle Schwarber slated to play more in the outfield, it was Contreras’ to lose.

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Even though Contreras is off to a slow start offensively, he is still providing solid defense behind the plate.

In 60 games as a catcher, Contreras has thrown out 15 runners. Despite having allowed 30 stolen bases, Contreras still owns a 33 percent caught stealing rate, which is above the league average of 28 percent.

Currently, Contreras leads the majors with ten errors committed behind the plate. On the flip side of that, Contreras leads all catchers with 54 assists. He also ranks tied for third with five double plays turned as a catcher. In addition to that, Contreras currently ranks third in runners caught stealing.

Contreras needs to step it up offensively

Despite posting solid defensive numbers, Contreras has been lackluster on offense this season. Contreras is slashing .249/.311/.423 with seven home runs and 34 RBI in 64 games. However, Contreras’ struggles run deeper than his slash line.

Diving deeper into Contreras’ numbers, one can see some troubling trends. Contreras’ walk rate is down from a year ago (9.2% in 2016 to 7.2% in 2017). Perhaps as a byproduct, his strikeout rate has climbed to 27% in 2017 from 23.7% in 2016. In addition to that, Contreras his hitting about 55% of the balls he puts in play on the ground. That number is slightly elevated from a year ago, while the 25-year-old’s line drive percentage has dropped to 16%.

Even though Contreras hits more balls on the ground this year than a year ago, he makes hard contact. According to FanGraphs, Contreras is making hard contract 32.2% of the time, which is virtually the same amount as last year.

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A move to the three-hole could do Contreras some good

Contreras has logged at-bats at every spot in the Cubs’ line-up expect lead-off in 2017. In the seven-hole, Contreras’ most frequent spot in the order, he is hitting .232 with a .321 OBP.

Just moving up one spot in the order adds to Contreras’ value at the plate as he is hitting .246 in the six-hole. In fact, as Contreras moves up the order, his batting average increases. Since that is the case, perhaps Contreras would benefit from hitting higher in the order more often. The ideal spot to put Contreras would be the three-hole.

In 14 at-bats in the three spot, Contreras is hitting .357 with two doubles, a home run, and five RBI.

With Anthony Rizzo now leading off, the three-hole is open to Contreras. Perhaps, a move in the line-up would be the spark Contreras needs to get back to his 2016 self.

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Contreras has a lot of untapped potential

Yes, Contreras is struggling at the plate right now. However, despite that, the youngster is still able to play defense at a high level.

At just 25 years old, Contreras is still figuring out major league baseball. I think many Cubs fans were spoiled by Contreras’ offensive performance last season, which makes his struggles this season seem even worse. As long as Contreras continues to flash his cannon of an arm and his great baseball instincts, he will be around for a long time.

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Contreras has so much raw talent that he is still trying to develop. You can tell that when a snap throw to first gets away from him, or when a throw down on strike three gets away from him. Those types of plays are occurring less and less as the youngster finds his way in a tough league.

Don’t worry Cubs fans, Contreras will continue to provide excellent defense behind the dish, it just may take a little while for his bat to come around.

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