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Emergence of Willson Contreras key to Chicago Cubs lineup

By Dan Schmelzer

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 14: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs follows his three RBI home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 14, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 14: Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs follows his three RBI home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 14, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The emergence of Willson Contreras is the key to the Chicago Cubs lineup.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras started his second half in a big way. In his first at-bat coming out of the break, Contreras crushed a three-run home run off of Baltimore Orioles starter Kevin Gausman in the first inning of Friday night’s 9-8.

Contreras was incredible over the weekend, going 8-14 and pacing the Cubs offense through their sweep of the Orioles. The Cubs scored 27 runs against Baltimore during their three-game set and Contreras was undoubtedly a major reason why.

In his first year as a full-time major league catcher, Contreras is hitting an impressive .278/.340/.483. His 113 wRC+, according to FanGraphs, is the third best of any full-time catcher in Major League Baseball. Simply put, Contreras is one of the best hitting catchers in the game.

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He still has some defensive issues that need work (framing and blocking the ball in particular), but Contreras has a rocket arm behind the plate and seems to handle the Cubs pitching staff extremely well. He is quickly becoming one of the most valuable players on a loaded Chicago Cubs roster.

Perfect spot in lineup

With Contreras’ offensive emergence, Joe Maddon has found his catcher a home in the cleanup spot. Hitting fourth, Contreras is providing great protection for Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. On top of that, Having Contreras as a legitimate weapon at cleanup allows Maddon to put his best fit for a leadoff hitter (Ben Zobrist) at the top.

It also helps take pressure off of guys like Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ and Jason Heyward. Simply put, having a productive Contreras hitting fourth makes the entire Cubs lineup better.

While you never want to put too much stock into how a guy performs in a certain spot, it is hard to ignore Contreras’ success batting fourth. In 46 plate appearances as the Cubs’ cleanup hitter, Contreras is hitting .372/.413/.744 on the year. That is an incredible slash line that is much better than his season averages.

While we cannot expect Contreras to keep contributing at that level, he really seems to have found a home in the four-hole. A batting order starting with Zobrist, Bryant, Rizzo and Contreras with some combination of Schwarber, Heyward, Javier Baez, Happ and Addison Russell behind them can be absolutely deadly.

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However, it only works if Contreras keeps on hitting. The Cubs showed off their offensive firepower over the weekend, with Contreras being the centerpiece. As long as he keeps on cruising, expect the Chicago Cubs offense to have a massive second half of the season.

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