William Contreras: A Warrior on the Diamond Despite the Injury
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras is demonstrating incredible adaptability and resilience this season. Despite playing with a fracture in the middle finger of his left hand, Contreras has managed to maintain a high level of performance, proving why he is one of the best in his position.
Contreras, who has been dealing with this injury for much of the season, has managed to overcome adversity and improve his offensive production. His recent performance is proof of this. The two-time All-Star had an outstanding performance in the game against the Baltimore Orioles, hitting four hits in four at-bats, including two doubles and a run-scoring single in the eighth inning.
This performance is a clear indication that Contreras is regaining his best form, the one that led him to be among the top five in the Most Valuable Player voting last year.
“He has been the William Contreras who finished in the top five in the MVP voting last year,” commented Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
Pat Murphy, Brewers Manager
Contreras understands the importance of his role in the team, which explains why he has continued playing almost every day, even with the injury. His commitment and dedication are evident.
“I’ve worked very hard to miss a day. I don’t want to be out for two or three months,” Contreras said.
William Contreras, Brewers Catcher
His teammates appreciate his ability to play through pain. Contreras has only missed three of Milwaukee’s first 48 games this season, after playing 155 games last year. Even when he’s not catching, he usually remains in the lineup as the designated hitter.
“It really shows his passion for playing and how important he thinks winning is and how much he wants to be a part of it,” said pitcher Quinn Priester.
Quinn Priester, Brewers Pitcher
The Brewers have modified Contreras’s glove to help him avoid feeling so much pain with each foul tip he receives while working behind the plate. Contreras has continued to do an outstanding job behind the plate, and statistics rank him among the best catchers in the National League in terms of throwing out runners attempting to steal bases.
The injury has further affected his batting. Contreras hit a home run on April 13 in a 5-2 loss in Arizona, but didn’t hit another extra-base hit until May 11, when he homered again in a 4-2 victory in Tampa Bay. This represented a considerable drop for someone who had won the Silver Slugger as the best hitter in the National League in each of the last two seasons.
However, in the last week, Contreras has shown his best version at the plate. His comeback began on Wednesday, when he connected 3 of 4 with a double and scored four runs in a 9-5 victory in Cleveland. That started a streak of five games in which his batting average has improved from .224 to .258, his on-base percentage has soared from .333 to .370 and his slugging percentage has improved from .322 to .371.
While the metrics show that Contreras hasn’t hit the ball with the same force this year as in previous seasons, it’s clear that he’s making progress in that regard. The four hits he connected on Monday had an exit velocity of over 100 mph.
“It’s hard to hit the ball hard with that finger because sometimes there’s pain,” Contreras said. “But I don’t have to think too much about my finger because I’m going to keep playing the rest of the season.”
William Contreras, Brewers Catcher
