Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras won’t let new rules stop him

The latest MLB rule change concerning pace-of-play has caused a lot of head-scratching. Limiting mound visits will affect the way players and coaches manage the game, but Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is not willing to back down.

The beginning of the 2018 MLB season starts with several controversial issues. Outside of the ongoing free-agent discussions, the other major topic is the new pace-of-play rule. In an attempt to speed up the game, commissioner Robert Manfred announced that mound visits will be limited to six per-game with an extra visit per-extra inning.

According to CBS’s official report, mound visits include coaches and position players visiting the mound. This includes catchers. The only time it will not count is if a catcher goes to quickly chat with a pitcher between batters. All visits in the middle of at-bats, however, do count.

This is a big deal, there are plenty of times a catcher and pitcher need to talk things over during a big at-bat. Using just a few of those really limits coaches ability to visit the mount to talk to his pitcher. Umpires can apparently decide if they are allowed to use extra visits in a game.

Willson Contreras will not let it change his game.

A great quote from spring training came out regarding the rule. Catcher Willson Contreras is well aware of the new rule and talked to WGN’s Josh Frydman about it. Frydman quoted Contreras on Twitter, saying:

“What about if you have a tight game and you have to go out there? They can’t say anything about that, that’s my team and we just care about wins. If they’re gonna fine me about number seven mound visit, I’ll pay the price.”

This quote speaks volumes. Contreras as a player sees the issues a rule like this can cause. Not only that, but the fact that he is willing to pay a price to do what he thinks is right is true leadership. Him Establishing this kind of mindset can also be beneficial to the pitchers he works with. Pitchers knowing they can talk with him without worrying about a limit can lead to better communication and comfort working with one another.

Cubs fans saw him emerge as a leader last season and this kind of attitude gives him even more credibility as one.

Next: The hunger is back for the Cubs

Cubs spring updates

Anthony Rizzo has returned from Florida after the tragic shooting. All Chicago Cubs players are now in camp and working. Contreras has been working with Yu Darvish with ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers getting some shots of them. It is early, but chemistry seems good between them.