Willson Contreras shines as a selfless beacon for the Cardinals

Willson Contreras was swept up by the tornado of incompetence that racked the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023. As the team limped to a record of 71-91, the catcher found himself in the crosshairs of the Cardinals front office and their starting rotation. While navigating through that tumultuous twister, Contreras remained committed to helping the Cardinals and displayed admirable poise that has continued through 2024.

Despite the Cardinals' impending "retool," Contreras has expressed a desire to stay with the team. The Cardinals appear to have respected his wishes, but it will come with a 90-foot move, as the team recently announced that Contreras will be the Cardinals' regular first baseman in 2025. Contreras was proud of playing catcher, and he was surely disappointed with the news, but his choice to continue playing in St. Louis is worthy of massive praise from the Cardinals faithful.

The deck seemed stacked against Contreras from the beginning, as he arrived in St. Louis in an unenviable position, having to fill the shoes of a catching titan in Yadier Molina. But Contreras embraced the challenge and won over Cardinals fans from the beginning with his homage to the legend, donning cleats decorated with "Respect 4" on Opening Day.

Throughout the season, Contreras did everything that was requested of him, but the Cardinals were unhappy with his performance behind the plate, so much so that he was briefly removed from the position and was the subject of a rumor that he would be moved to the outfield. He was also the center of thinly veiled frustration from members of the rotation, especially Jack Flaherty, who said that catchers were calling for pitches that didn't make sense.

The criticism thrown at Contreras from all directions may have led a weaker-willed player to crumble, but in the batter's box, Contreras thrived during the second half of 2023, owning a 188 wRC+ from July 1 until the end of the season. During the offseason, Contreras worked with his brother William, a catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, to improve at the position. The results were noticeable, as Contreras improved his blocking and pitch framing in 2024, a year in which Contreras led the team in OPS+ and further endeared himself to fans by recovering more quickly than expected from a broken wrist.

The idea that Contreras was a poor signing by the Cardinals has been floated, but the real failure was the Cardinals' inability to do their homework on his defense before panning him and using him as a scapegoat. Contreras was everything that an astute organization and fans could have expected, and his willingness to remain a Cardinal through a potentially lean year while enduring everything that came his way in 2023 is a testament to his character and dedication to helping the team and guiding younger players. It's beyond time to recognize that Contreras is deserving of respect to the highest degree.