Willson Contreras, Catcher, St. Louis Cardinals

Date of Birth: 5/13/1992
Birthplace: Puerto Cabello, Venezuela

Willson Contreras, catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2009. He played in the Cubs' minor league system from 2009 through 2015. He had his best year in 2015 when he was named the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year. That season, he batted .333 with 151 hits, 34 doubles, and 75 RBIs in 126 games.

As a minor leaguer, Contreras batted .275 with 465 hits, 239 RBIs, and 321 strikeouts to 151 walks in 462 games. Defensively, as a catcher, he made 230 assists, 1,757 putouts, and 34 errors in 259 games. He caught players trying to steal 31% of the time and he had a .983 fielding percentage.

Contreras played in 76 games with the Cubs in 2016. He finished the season with 71 hits, 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, and a .282 batting average. Defensively, he played 3 games at first base, 24 games in left field, and 57 games as a catcher. In the postseason, he batted .256 with 10 hits, including 2 doubles and a home run, and 5 RBIs in 39 at-bats in 17 games.

Contreras finished the 2017 season with 104 hits, 21 doubles, 21 home runs, 74 RBIs, 98 strikeouts to 45 walks, and a .276 batting average in 117 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 108 games, he made 86 assists, 782 putouts, and 13 errors. He caught players trying to steal 27.4% of the time. In the postseason, he had 7 hits, including 2 home runs, in 32 at-bats in 10 games.

Contreras played in 138 games in 2018. He had 118 hits, 27 doubles, 54 RBIs, 121 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a .249 batting average. Defensively, as the Cubs' catcher in 133 games, he made 71 assists, 1,013 putouts, and 11 errors. He caught players trying to steal 34.2% of the time and he had a .990 fielding percentage. In the postseason, he had no hits in three at-bats in one game.

Contreras spent time on the DL in 2019 with a foot strain and with a hamstring strain. He finished the season with 98 hits, 18 doubles, 24 home runs, 64 RBIs, 102 strikeouts to 38 walks, and a .272 batting average in 105 games. Defensively, as the Cubs' catcher in 99 games, he made 51 assists, 770 putouts, and 12 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 29.1% of the time.

Contreras played in 57 games in 2020. He finished the season with 46 hits, 10 doubles, 7 home runs, 26 RBIs, 57 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a .243 batting average. Defensively, he was the Cubs' catcher in 41 games. He was the DH in 18 games. In the postseason, he had 1 hit in 4 at-bats in 2 games.

Contreras spent time on the IL in 2021 with a knee sprain and hip inflammation. He finished the season with 98 hits, 20 doubles, 21 home runs, 57 RBIs, 138 strikeouts to 52 walks, and a .237 batting average in 128 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 116 games, he made 57 assists, 885 putouts, and 7 errors. He caught players trying to steal 21% of the time.

Contreras became a free agent on November 6, 2022. He signed with the Cardinals on December 9th.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Willson Contreras
Baseball Reference - Willson Contreras