The Boston Red Sox have gotten more than they could’ve asked for out of Willson Contreras so far this season.
It helps that he’s red-hot at the moment. When you’re putting up offensive numbers like he is right now, it’s much easier to see on the surface how much he’s impacting the club. The 33-year-old has played in all 15 games for Boston this season and is slashing .302/.448/.509 with a .957 OPS. That’s not all, though. Contreras has hit three homers, driven in 11 runs, walked 11 times and scored eight runs. He’s been an absolute monster offensively. So far this season, the offense has been led by him, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Contreras has also played elite defense over at first base. Through 15 games, he’s in the 93rd percentile in outs above average with two. So, he has been playing at an All-Star level both offensively and defensively. Plus, he’s brought an energy to the clubhouse that the team desperately needed with Alex Bregman out the door. In general, he has been the perfect package. On Sunday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora opened up about how big an addition Contreras has been for the club, as transcribed by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.
The Red Sox made a great move with Willson Contreras
“There’s a reason we got him, right? We needed a right-handed bat and we got more than that,” Cora said, as transcribed by Cotillo. “We got a guy who’s playing great defense at first base. He controls the strike zone. He’s becoming a leader in the clubhouse. It’s fun to have him around.”
Contreras has been everything and more that the club could’ve asked for. With Triston Casas down and out for “a while,” Contreras is needed more than ever and he has been providing. When the Red Sox acquired him, there were fans out there who questioned the move. Why go get Contreras when you could’ve made a stronger push for Pete Alonso, for example? Alonso costs much more and is slashing .190/.288/.293 with one homer and five RBIs with the Baltimore Orioles in 15 games played. He also isn’t great defensively.
What about Bregman? The Red Sox tried to retain the veteran third baseman and it would’ve been a fun pairing to have these two veterans manning the two corner spots. But even he is struggling so far this season with the Chicago Cubs. Bregman is slashing .213/.290/.328 with two homers and six RBIs in 15 games played. Plus, he’s in the 30th percentile in outs above average.
There were people questioning the move for Boston throughout the offseason. That noise should be quiet now, for sure.
