Chicago Cubs: What to expect from Willson Contreras in 2018

Contreras builds on 2016 campaign

At age 25, Contreras got off to a slow start in 2017. Through the first two months of the season, Contreras was batting .248 with just five home runs. Despite that, Contreras had amassed a .321 OBP and .426 slugging percentage.

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By the end of June, Contreras was still batting under .250, and he had not eclipsed the ten home run mark. Once July hit, so did Contreras. In 84 at-bats, Contreras recorded 27 hits including seven home runs. In addition to that, Contreras slashed .321/.400/.619 for the month, raising his season average to .269.

During the early part of August, Contreras’ batting average continued to rise, topping out at .281. Despite that, the young back-stop was forced to miss 29 games with a hamstring injury. The injury knocked Contreras out for the majority of August and the first week of September, killing his chances of joining the 30 home run and 100 RBI club.

Even though Contreras missed time, he still played in 117 games and slugged 21 home runs. In addition to driving in 74 runs, Contreras slashed .276/.356/.499.

On the defensive side of the ball, Contreras seemed to take a step back. In 108 games behind the plate, Contreras logged 821 1/3 innings. In that time, Contreras committed 13 errors, which tied him for the most in the majors and was below average when it came to defensive runs saved.

While Contreras did have seven pickoffs in 2017, his caught stealing percentage fell to 27%, exactly league average.