Chicago Cubs: Five bold predictions for the 2019 season

Chicago Cubs: Contreras finishes as the top offensive catcher in MLB

The final ‘bold’ prediction has Willson Contreras not only finishing as the top offensive catcher in the National League but across all of Major League Baseball. Coming off a down year in terms of his previous year’s production, Contreras is thus far slashing .320/.393/.680 with a pair of home runs, including an inside-the-park home run, nine RBI, and a 1.073 OPS.

Naturally, the level of most pitching Contreras has faced equivalent to that of slightly below Triple-A. However, it is still great to see his level of production thus far. The amount of contact Contreras is increased as he has struck out only seven times in 28 total plate appearances. Contreras is also making harder contact, driving the ball with force to all parts of the field.

Last season Contreras saw a dip in his stats. He slashed .249/.339/.390 with ten home runs and 54 RBI in 138 games. Fans are well aware of Contreras’ second-half disaster last year when the All-Star slashed .200/.291/.294 with two home runs. Nevertheless, with how Contreras has performed this spring, a level of confidence exists that he will finish as the top offensive catcher across baseball.

J.T. Realmuto and Yasmani Grandal are the only two who finished 2018 ahead of Contreras in terms of overall WAR, giving Contreras the realistic possibility of closing the gap this season and ending 2019 as the top offensive catcher.