As efficient as the Brewers have been this season in all facets of the game, it might be hard to think of an area in which they’ve struggled.
Holding the Majors’ best record at 81-50 through Sunday night, they’ve somewhat sneakily (at least to those outside of Milwaukee) built a strong six-game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central and are vying for home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
For catcher William Contreras, though, it hasn’t been as smooth a ride for him personally as it has been for the team as a whole.
After hitting .288 through March/April, Contreras was the picture of consistency in May and June -- hitting .302/.358/.365 in May and .302/.364/.479 in June.
July, though, was another story. A dip at the dish saw him hit just .186/.245/.291 in 22 games.
August didn’t begin any better. Through 13 games, Contreras slashed an anemic .109/.255/.196 in 46 at-bats, with just two extra-base hits and two RBIs in that span.
But then … Contreras caught fire.
In his past seven games through Sunday’s Little League Classic, Contreras has improved to a robust .448/.485/.621 in 29 at-bats, including a 4-for-4 showing on Friday against his former club, the Braves, with three of those hits coming against tough lefty Chris Sale.
An under-the-hood look at Contreras’ August reveals he may very well be breaking out of that previous funk.
He’s hitting the ball harder and more consistently in August than July, to the tune of an average exit velocity of 91.9 mph in August (entering Sunday), compared to 87.2 in July. Additionally, his August xwOBA of .292 bests July’s .256.
Manager Pat Murphy also pointed to an improvement in Contreras’ approach that may have helped.
“I think William knows he's being way more disciplined,” Murphy said on Saturday. “Just look at his ball-strike recently. He's faced two of the best pitchers in the league [Sale and Martín Pérez] the last two days, and look at how he's kept himself disciplined. That is the key -- discipline. Swinging at the right pitches with a simple swing, trying to stay in the middle of the field. That's what William's gotta do, and he's executed pretty well.”
Backing up that assessment is Contreras’ decreasing chase rate -- the tune of 25.9% in August (entering Sunday), compared to 28.3% in July.
The grind of the baseball season lends itself to bouts of inconsistency and slumps. That’s an inevitable, unavoidable part of the game and the demands it makes of those who play every day.
And Contreras does play just about every day.
Of his 121 games this season, Contreras has appeared at catcher in 105 of them, with 99 starts (he DH’d in his other 16 games). His career high for starts behind the plate (128) came a season ago.
Whether he’ll start 30 more games at catcher over the remaining weeks of the regular season remains to be seen -- but ever since he was dealt to the Brewers in a three-team trade involving the Braves and Athletics in 2022, Contreras has shifted into a primary role as one of Milwaukee's premier presences on both sides of the diamond.
If he’s able to extend this offensive resurgence as the Brewers head into the postseason, that’ll go a long way toward strengthening the club’s offense as it aims for a deep run in October.
To hear Murphy tell it, Contreras just has to maintain the right mental approach.
“William is a very emotional guy, he loves baseball and he has very high standards for himself,” Murphy said. “Players go through this. You look at the kid that just came to town from Seattle [Cal Raleigh]. Look at the change in his seasons. Now, William is pretty much on track, and he's done amazing things, but he's so hard on himself. There's a lot of positives to that, but you reach a point in this game ... he's had 48, 49 balls hit really hard in the air, and it didn't drop.
"So I don't think he's having a brutal year. I think he's having a really good year. But results are the key for him, and that's trying to get him more involved in the process. Understanding that, 'Hey, this is a good at-bat.' When you leave the zone, no, but when you hit the ball on the screws, that's a good at-bat with good ball flight. I think he's doing better than he gives himself credit for, but again, his expectations are really high.”