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How St. Louis Cardinals and Willson Contreras can work long-term

By Jared Wolfe

Apr 19, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras (40) reacts after hitting a one run double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras (40) reacts after hitting a one run double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Willson Contreras, Cubs, Cardinals
Apr 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) before hitting against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

If Willson Contreras can keep hitting, he will always be playable.

For all the negative surrounding his 2023 season, his hitting has been about as good as advertised. Through his 345 plate appearances he already has 22 doubles and is only five shy of tying a career-high in a season. In 2018, he had 27 doubles in 544 plate appearances, so his pace is also significantly better.

His slash over the past couple years is nearly in line with his performance this season:

Year – OBP/SLG/wOBA

2023 – .339/.428/.336

2022 – .349/.466/.357

2021 – .340/.438/.337

Projecting him moving forward looks promising as it appears he is also hitting the ball harder than he ever has before. This season his average exit velocity on his balls has been 91.8 mph, tied for a career high that he hit in 2021. That cannot be a bad thing as earlier in his career he was always averaging below 90 mph.

He also has 27 barrels (95+ mph batted balls) in only 222 events. Last season, he had 33 barrels in 315 events and the year prior was 31 barrels in 279 events. Once again, right on par with his historical pace.

From a projectability standpoint, it is fairly easy to be confident in his ability to hit the ball. You know what you are going to get if you are the St. Louis Cardinals. To continue the process of reconciliation, he will need to make this a priority, so his bat has to be in the lineup.

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