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Chicago Cubs: Who was the most reliable hitter of the postseason?

By Derek Snyder

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07:Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the Washington Nationals in the forth inning during game two of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07:Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the Washington Nationals in the forth inning during game two of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Cubs saw their season end in the National League Championship Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even so, which player gave the team the most reliable bat in the postseason?

Even for a team that won the World Series just one year ago, losing in the National League Championship Series is an extremely hard pill to swallow. Sure – the Chicago Cubs won another NL Central title in 2017, but they ultimately failed to win back-to-back championships, which is something that will surely motivate them throughout the 2017-2018 offseason.

That said, the Cubbies just couldn’t quite figure out the Dodgers pitching in the NLCS, as they only scored an average of 1.25 runs in the four games they lost. Needless to say, that lack of production gave Los Angeles an easy path to the winning the pennant.

Even though many of Chicago’s big-name hitters struggled throughout the postseason, there was one player who I believe was the most consistent of the bunch. No, it’s not Kris Bryant and no, it’s definitely not Anthony Rizzo – it was actually the Cubs catcher, Willson Contreras.

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Take a look at Contreras’ hitting statistics and where he ranked among his teammates for the entire 2017 MLB postseason:

  • 7 hits (2nd on team)
  • 2 home-runs (tied-1st on team)
  • 2 runs-batted-in (tied-5th on team)
  • .219 batting average (2nd on team)
  • .342 on-base-percentage (1st on team)

That said, what you need to realize is that I’m not arguing Contreras was one of the best hitters of the entire postseason by any stretch of the imagination. Chicago struggled mightily to swing the bats against the Dodgers and that’s exactly why they’re on vacation while Los Angeles is playing for another title.

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However, what I am saying is that Contreras is who I believe gave Chicago the most consistent at-bats throughout October. No, he didn’t drive in many runs, but he did give the team one thing they struggled to do– a runner on-base.

Whether it was working the count for a walk or squaring up the baseball, Contreras proved his worth this postseason for the Cubs.

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