Awake by 5:30 a.m., Contreras relentless in daily quest to be 'one of the best'

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- William Contreras was so busy on Monday that he skipped breakfast. Then he skipped lunch. Then he caught four different pitchers over four innings and picked up his first three at-bats of Spring Training in the Brewers’ 12-8 loss to the Mariners at American Family Fields of Phoenix.

Welcome to life as a catcher in the early days of Spring Training.

“Some prospects asked me, ‘Why are you here so early?’” said Contreras, who responded, “Because I want to be one of the best in The Show.”

He’s coming off a season in which the 27-year-old became the first Brewers catcher in a decade to start the All-Star Game on the way to finishing fifth in NL MVP Award balloting. And judging by his description of a typical day in the desert, Contreras doesn’t show signs of coasting on his success.

“Getting to play with him last year and see his work, he’s a force,” said Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

Said lefty reliever Jared Koenig: “I’m always amazed about everything catchers take on. They definitely have the hardest job in Spring Training. He’s a leader, he wants to win, and he’s the first one here every day. You respect that.”

• Brewers know Contreras is special: 'Just a damn good player'

Every day in Spring Training, Contreras rises in Tempe at 5:30 a.m. MST and is across town at the Brewers complex in west Phoenix by 6:20 a.m. at the latest. The clubhouse, it should be noted, doesn’t officially open until 7 a.m.

“It’s open for me,” he said with a grin.

That’s what happens when you’re a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and two-time reigning club MVP. Contreras recalled that during first camp with the Brewers in 2023, after they pulled off a heist by getting Contreras and steady reliever Joel Payamps in a three-team trade with the Braves and Athletics, he reported to the complex before 6 a.m. and was turned away. It showed Brewers coaches how intent Contreras was to shed his reputation as a hitter who happened to catch, and to make himself an all-around catcher, so they granted him an exception.

Once through the door, Contreras starts with a cup of coffee from the cafeteria but passes on breakfast, and heads to the weight room for a two-hour lift. He has to be in a daily meeting with pitchers, catchers and staff by 9 a.m., then hustles back to the training area for contrast therapy in the hot tub and cold tub.

By 10 a.m., he’s in the batting cage with budding star Jackson Chourio. Their early hitting sessions started last year with Chourio, Contreras and Willy Adames, who plays for the Giants now. Contreras is carrying on the tradition with Chourio as the 20-year-old heads toward the challenges of Year 2.

After they hit, there are defensive drills and bullpens to catch. Then more stretching, more therapy and another dip in the cold tub.

“He’s special. His commitment to being great is high,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “It takes more than that, too. It takes the mental commitment. I think he’s getting there. It’s a good sign that he wants to get out here early and play baseball.”

Contreras says he learned the routine from his older brother Willson, a longtime catcher who is converting to first base with the Cardinals this season. It’s paying off. William posted an .825 OPS in 2023 in his first Major League season as a full-time starter, then boosted that to an .831 OPS in ‘24 with career highs for home runs (23) and RBIs (92).

He began ‘25 with an ideal gameday. Besides logging at-bats, he worked with four pitchers. Two of them, relievers Koenig and Elvis Peguero, were familiar. Two others were relatively new: Right-hander Chad Patrick, who won the pitching version of triple crown by leading Triple-A last season with a 2.90 ERA, 14 wins and 145 strikeouts; and Easton McGee, a non-roster invitee.

Contreras has done some thinking about last year’s workload, which included 155 games played, 679 plate appearances and 119 starts behind the plate. He started each of the Brewers’ first 64 team games, 52 of them at catcher, before taking a day off.

“Playing 155 games is crazy for a catcher, but I learned about getting rest and therapy,” Contreras said. “That’s going to help me to be healthy throughout the season. I had to learn what I need.

“[Serving as] DH, that’s my day off. It’s like, ‘OK, you need a rest? DH. I like to hit. But I played the first [64] games with Willy [Adames], and that was crazy. Maybe that didn’t help me, but I did it already, and now I learned I can play like that.”

He wasn’t tired at the end of the season, Contreras said, but he was banged up. A sprained left knee was serious enough that it threatened to sideline him during the Brewers’ NL Wild Card Series against the Mets, but didn’t require anything in the offseason but rest.

Rest. There’s a concept.

“That’s what people don’t know about catching, about baseball,” Contreras said. “They think baseball is easy, but it’s not easy. It’s work.”