Chicago Cubs: Welcome Back Baseball’s Most Important Catcher

The number one factor in the NL Central race returned with a bang on Tuesday night. Willson Contreras is back and hitting dingers for the Chicago Cubs!!!

The NL Central has and will continue to be a rollercoaster with fans of the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers sitting at the edge of their seat every single pitch.  Even the Reds and Pirates have a spoiler role to play and there are no gimmes on the schedule the rest of the way.

The Chicago Cubs, in particular, have been struggling of late offensively since they have been missing a key cog in their lineup.  Well, fear not Cubs fans, Willson Contreras was back and made his presence felt immediately.

Hamstrings are a nasty injury to deal with especially as a catcher so the Cubs were always going to be cautious bringing Contreras back.  Well with a sample size of one game, I think he looks pretty damn good.

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Contreras being back adds a new dimension to the Cubs lineup.  He is one of their best hitters with a line of .275/.365/.525 good for a 127 wRC+.  He provides an immediate upgrade over the tandem of Victor Caratini and Jonathon Lucroy and brings his unquantifiable energy back to the dugout.  At a time where every pitch is under a microscope, the Cubs will take any boost they can get.

Before he got hurt, Contreras was in the midst of a career season having racked up 2.1 WAR through 340 plate appearances.  Even after not playing most of August, his WAR total ranks 7th among all catchers this season.

With the Cubs chasing the Cardinals and looking to not disappoint after last years Wild Card exit, the importance of Willson Contreras returning cannot be overstated.  The lineup instantly gets deeper and adds some serious punch when you slot him into the 4-6 slot where he can mash with Baez, Rizzo, and Schwarber around him.

If the Chicago Cubs are going to catch the Cardinals, Willson Contreras is going to be the key.  So far against the Mariners, he’s been exactly what is needed.