Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras a season of highs and lows

Chicago Cubs backstop Willson Contreras came into the 2018 season looking to establish himself as one of the league’s premier catchers, but fell short.

It all started with a statement. In January 2018, before spring training, before a whole bunch of free agents had yet to sign, before even the taste of the Cubs 2017’s postseason exit at the hands of the Los Angele Dodgers was a cold a memory, Willson Contreras was making noise.

“I know that I have a lot of talent, and I thank God every day for giving me this kind of talent that I have,” he said. “In my mind, I want to be the best catcher in the game for a long time — like it was with Yadier Molina, like it is with Buster Posey.”

A statement fit for baseball lore. Molina was quick to snap back at the youngster, saying something about respecting the ranks.  After two strong showings behind the dish for Chicago, we all knew the talent was there. Could he back up his big talk?

Most already know of the cannon-like arm, his ability to pick off runners at every bag and his prowess when it comes to throwing out the some of the game’s best base runners.  And his offense ranked as some of the best for a catcher in the game.  But there were weaknesses we all knew about, as well. Namely, pitch framing.

Chicago Cubs: Living up to the hype in the first half

It was a slow start to the 2018 season for the Cubs but a combination of Contreras (.264/.350/.418), Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward and Javier Baez helped carry the team as others struggled early on.

Contreras’ red-hot May saw him improve to a  .273/.369/.500 slash and finishing the first half with an equally scorching hot July (.309/.405/.471).

Defensively in the first half, Contreras committed six errors and was charged with five passed balls, not quite Posey or Molina-esque, as both posted just two errors and two past balls.  But his ability to nab base stealers and pick off runners remained his strong suit.

Coupled with a savvy defense that maximized the abilities of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Addison Russell and Kris Bryant, the Cubs carried an edge few other teams possessed. When the offense struggled, we often saw the defense at least try to carry the club.

It was this defensive ability coupled with putting together a first-half slash line of .279/.369/.449 that earned Contreras in his first All-Star Game.

Chicago Cubs: The wheels fall off

The Cubs finished the month of July 11 games over .500 at 46-35, tied for first.  They held on to sole possession of first place all the way until game 161 on Sept. 29.

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As for Contreras, what began as a something that resembled a potential breakout campaign went downhill in a hurry. In August, he hit a dismal .213/.323/.300. His sky-high July BABiP of .432 cratered to .291.

As bad as August was for Contreras, September was worse.  Posting a puny .152/.222/.242 slash, he limped to the finish line with a .103/.133/.241 over the last 14 days of the season.  And much like the Cubs, Contreras endured a historic fade.

Then there was the mid-September gaffe that saw Contreras admiring a non-home run that he barely turned into a double. Contreras apologized for the mental mistake but not before Cubs Manager Joe Maddon made a rare critical statement about the play.  Maddon, not known for calling out players, especially struggling players, minced no words.