William Contreras

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William Contreras
William Contreras with the Atlanta Braves organization Extended Spring Training in 2016 (cropped).jpg
Contreras with the Atlanta Braves in 2016
Atlanta Braves – No. 24
Catcher
Born: (1997-12-24) December 24, 1997 (age 24)
Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 24, 2020, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.225
Home runs8
Runs batted in24
Teams
Career highlights and awards

William Jesus Contreras (born December 24, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his major league debut on the Braves' Opening Day in 2020. He has been with the Braves organization since 2015, when he signed a minor league contract.

Career[]

Contreras batting for the Gulf Coast League Braves organization in 2016 Extended Spring Training

Contreras signed with the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent on February 10, 2015.[1] He made his professional debut with the DSL Braves in 2015, hitting .314/.370/.413/.783 with 32 RBIs. He played for the GCL Braves in 2016 and hit .264/.346/.375/.721 with 1 home run and 8 RBIs.

Contreras batting for the Rome Braves in 2018

He played for the Danville Braves in 2017, hitting .290/.379/.432/.811 with 4 home runs and 25 RBIs. He split the 2018 season between the Rome Braves and the Florida Fire Frogs, hitting a combined .285/.347/.436/.783 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs.[2][3] He split the 2019 season between Florida and the Mississippi Braves, hitting a combined .255/.315/.354/.669 with 6 home runs and 39 RBIs.[4][5]

Contreras was added to the Braves 40 man roster following the 2019 season.[6] He was invited to summer camp, held prior to opening day of the 2020 season.[7] Contreras was activated on July 24, 2020,[8] and made his major league debut that day as a backup catcher.[9] His first career hit and run batted in came as a pinch-hitter the next day, while facing Hunter Strickland.[9][10] In 2020 he was four-for-ten with a double and an RBI.[11]

On May 5, 2021, Contreras hit his first career home run against Washington Nationals pitcher Erick Fedde.[12] In 2021 he batted .215/.303/.399 with 8 home runs and 23 RBIs.[11] The Braves finished with an 88-73 record, clinching the NL East, and eventually won the 2021 World Series, giving the Braves their first title since 1995.[13]

Personal life[]

Contreras' older brother, Willson, is an MLB catcher for the Chicago Cubs.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ "William Contreras". MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Gabriel Burns (February 25, 2019). "William Contreras might be Braves' future at catcher, and he isn't that far away". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "William Contreras keeps climbing". Baseball America. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Rob Terranova (April 28, 2019). "Contreras perfect at dish for Fire Frogs". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Chris Harris (June 5, 2019). "Braves promote No. 7 prospect William Contreras to M-Braves". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Gabriel Burns (November 19, 2019). "Braves protect Pache, 4 others from Rule 5 draft". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 18, 2020). "Contreras opening eyes at Summer Camp". MLB.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  8. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 24, 2020). "d'Arnaud, Flowers out; 2 catchers join Braves". MLB.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Bowman, Mark (July 25, 2020). "All-Star brother helping Braves C prospect". MLB.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  10. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 25, 2020). "Ozuna saves the day with his first Braves HR". MLB.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "William Contreras Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. ^ Bowman, Mark (May 6, 2021). "Ozuna extends Braves' grand slam barrage". MLB.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Atlanta Braves win 2021 World Series". MLB. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Mark Gonzales (June 20, 2016). "'Special' time shared by Cubs' Willson Contreras and family". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2019.

External links[]

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