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

PHOENIX -- Brewers manager Pat Murphy pauses for a second, then smiles.

A play that defines William Contreras? That¡¯s easy.

¡°The [Justin] Verlander at-bat,¡± Murphy said, as if recalling a masterpiece.

¡°Relentless. Resilient. And poised. It was just really special. One of the best at-bats I¡¯ve seen live.¡±

A refresher: Contreras and Hall of Famer-in-waiting Verlander faced off in the fifth inning of a game in Houston on May 18, 2024, with two runners on and two outs and the score tied at 1.

Contreras worked the count to 3-2 before fouling seven straight pitches -- a curve, a changeup and five four-seam fastballs -- before driving a final four-seamer a Statcast-measured 428 feet for a three-run homer and all the runs the Brewers would need for a 4-2 victory.

"It was a showdown," Murphy said.

¡°With all respect to Verlander, who just kept saying, ¡®Here you go, bro. Here you go.¡¯ A bunch of high heaters. A bunch of foul balls. Special to be a part of. But a compliment to William and also to Verlander. That¡¯s who he is.¡±

It is much easier to remember Contreras¡¯ high moments than it is to get him to talk about them.

Contreras is always on the go, from the time he arrives at the Spring Training facility at 7 a.m. until the end of workouts, which are always longer for catchers this time of year. Meetings, defensive drills, hitting in the cage. A quick breakfast. Into the clubhouse to change headgear, gone again.

The Brewers know what they have in Contreras, who led NL catchers with 23 homers, 92 RBIs and 99 runs last season while hitting second in the lineup before moving to third after Christian Yelich went out. Two-time All-Star. Two-time Silver Slugger. Two-time top 12 finisher in the NL MVP balloting, including a fifth-place finish last year.

So let those who know him best do the talking.

¡°Just a damn good player in all facets of ball,¡± fellow catcher Eric Haase said. ¡°When he was a young kid just breaking into the league, all the tools were there. You are really starting to see the game slow down for him. A really good player who keeps getting better.

¡°Physically, his game has always been at a very high level. The mentals are coming -- reading swings, reading a lineup, navigating a lineup, working with your pitchers. There are so many things that you can add value to back there that are not always on the stat sheet. That is starting to come around for him.

¡°Obviously the stat sheet is working pretty well for him, too.¡±

Contreras has grown defensively, and his knack for picking a ball out of the dirt from his one-knee stance is noticeable for its ability to hinder the running game. He ranked tied for sixth in the Major Leagues with seven ¡°runs saved¡± in pitch framing in 2023, according to Statcast, as calculated by the number of called strikes a catcher compiles.

"His instincts for the game, his feel for the game, are at a high level,¡± said Brewers bullpen coach Charlie Greene, who along with Major League field coordinator N¨¦stor Corredor serve as Contreras¡¯ mentors.

¡°He¡¯s to himself. He¡¯s quiet,¡± Greene added. ¡°But he takes it all in. He came here, and the Brewers gave him the freedom to figure things out back there. That¡¯s the best training, on-the-job training. There is no substitute for game reps. We can replicate practice and come up with situations. The drills. We try to make it as game-like as possible. There is no drill when the lights go on at seven o¡¯clock every night.¡±

Contreras threw out 22.6% of base stealers a year ago, good for eighth best in the Majors, and also picked off three.

¡°He¡¯s taken a dive into making us [pitchers] better,¡± said left-hander Aaron Ashby, ¡°and that is an amazing thing for a pitcher, when he cares about you and gets out and competes with you.

¡°You have to know what everyone has and what plays best against certain hitters. Not only do you have 13 pitchers, you have 9, 10, 11 different hitters that are going to be in the game. He¡¯s done an incredible job expanding his game behind the plate.¡±

The Brewers took steps to keep Contreras around. He signed a one-year, $6 million contract Jan. 31 to avoid arbitration, and the Brewers hold a $12 million option with a $100,000 buyout for 2026.

¡°He deserves it,¡± Haase said. ¡°Pay the man. You have to pay somebody. Why not pay one of the best guys in baseball?¡±