MILWAUKEE -- William Contreras came to the Brewers with a reputation as a hitter who happened to play catcher. Those days are long gone.
The latest example? Contreras was honored as the top all-around backstop in baseball on the sixth annual All-MLB Team presented by MGM Rewards.
Contreras is the first Brewer named First Team All-MLB since starter Corbin Burnes and closer Josh Hader in 2021, and the first Milwaukee position player since Christian Yelich in 2019, the inaugural year of the All-MLB Team.
As was the case in past years, the All-MLB First and Second teams were determined by a combination of online fan balloting and a panel of experts, with each group accounting for 50 percent of the final result. Contreras, second baseman Brice Turang, shortstop Willy Adames and outfielder Jackson Chourio were all on the list of 115 nominees, which included 69 position players and 45 pitchers, including 60 players who appeared on the 2024 All-Star roster.
Among the nominated catchers whom Contreras edged out for first team honors were his older brother, Willson, and Second Team All-MLB honoree Salvador Perez.
Contreras, 26, posted a .281/.365/.466 slash line in 2024 with 23 home runs and 92 RBIs while playing in 155 of the Brewers’ 162 games, including 119 starts behind the plate and 34 as Milwaukee’s designated hitter. He tied for fifth in the NL with 78 walks, ranked sixth with 99 runs scored, seventh with 167 hits and 10th in on-base percentage while compiling a 5.4 fWAR that ranked 13th among all MLB players and narrowly edged the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh among catchers.
Contreras won fan balloting to start the All-Star Game for the National League, was named Brewers MVP for the second straight season by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and now stands to cash in via arbitration as a first-time eligible player.
Looking back, the Brewers’ trade for Contreras was a steal. They got him in a three-team swap with the Braves and A’s in 2021, sending outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz to the A’s and getting Contreras, reliever Joel Payamps and pitching prospect Justin Yeager in return.