By my estimation, the Chicago Cubs have two top prospects in the upper minors that are most likely to come up and make an impact in the second half of the 2016 season.
The first is center field extraordinaire Albert Almora, and the second is the top catching prospect in all of baseball – and top BN Cubs Prospect overall – Willson Contreras.
Today, we’ll talk about the latter, because yesterday, Contreras smacked two home runs in the I-Cubs’ 11-0 stomping of the Albuquerque Isotopes (including a grand slam).
The two homers were part of a 4-5 night that included five RBI and raised Contreras’s slash line considerably (more on that in a bit). First, let’s check out the home runs.
Starting with the grand slam to right center field:
Your browser does not support iframes.
That was a deep shot the other way, and it gave the I-Cubs a 10 run lead over the Isotopes.[adinserter block=”1″]
But, just for good measure, Contreras added a second solo shot later in the game. You can never be to comfortable with a lead, right?
Your browser does not support iframes.
Another opposite field shot, and, as you can probably tell, offense will not be the thing that keeps Contreras in AAA. In fact, Epstein recently discussed his skill-set, expectations and future with Patrick Mooney here at CSN Chicago, and it revealed quite a bit about how and when Contreras will get that final promotion.
To begin, Epstein repeats a mantra we’ve heard many times before. “We think it’s really important that our best prospects spend as close to a full year as possible at the Triple-A level.” Of course, in the past that’s been an extremely flexible truism, depending on the organization’s needs (for example: Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber), but Contreras might be a little bit different. For one, the Cubs have a (more than) capable big league catching tandem in Miguel Montero and David Ross. And for another, it would be unreasonable to expect Contreras to come up and immediately handle a staff with a Cy Young Award winner (Jake Arrieta) and multiple two-time World Series Champions (John Lackey and Jon Lester).
Epstein later confirms as much, claiming that AAA is especially valuable to catchers, because it’s as close to the difficulties and dynamics of Major League Baseball as one can get. In AAA, Contreras (a converted, non-native catcher) will learn how to handle pitchers, call games and maintain his disposition even at the most critical moments of a tight game. If there’s any position on the field that requires a maximum amount of experience, it is undoubtedly the guy behind the plate.
[adinserter block=”2″]
And although some things are different for catching prospects (as opposed to any other positional type), some of it is the same. Specifically, making mistakes, learning from them, making adjustments and finding success once again is still crucial. Contreras, however, has had a pretty straightforward and successful stretch of baseball over the past year and a half. Indeed, he went from relative obscurity to the single best prospect in a still quite strong Cubs minor league system. A little bit of struggles, exposure might do him more good in the long run than a continued stretch of dominance.
But, don’t get me wrong, Epstein is well aware of how well Contreras has been doing so far in 2016, telling CSN: “He’s a really talented hitter … he hits the ball hard, sprays line drives from line to line, drives the ball through the gaps, doesn’t strikeout a lot, [and] has a pretty good feel for the strike zone.”
Yeah, uh, what he said. So far this season, Contreras has kept a head-shakingly-awesome .333/.421/.562 slash line with a strikeout rate (11.6%) that is less than his walk rate (13.2%). His BABIP has been a tad high (.351), but that’s really picking nits for a catcher that hits the ball as hard as he does and has a 165 wRC+ (.431 wOBA). The truth is, Contreras has been an offensive force, and that kind of goes double, because he’s a catcher.
So, as you can imagine, Contreras’s time spent at AAA Iowa right now is far less about improvements or adjustments at the plate and more about continuing behind it. As far as Epstein is concerned, AAA is the perfect place to do that, because of the mix of pitchers – veterans and youngsters alike – that Contreras will have the opportunity to work with.
Indeed, Epstein flat out says that Contreras is really working on “the nuances of running a pitching staff,” down in Iowa, as that appears to be the last remaining piece of the puzzle. Apparently, that’s not quite something he was entirely capable of doing in AA Tennessee last year, for one specific reason: scouting reports.
[adinserter block=”3″]
According to Epstein, AAA is really the first place where advanced scouting reports become apart of the calculus. Of course, at the Major League level, that is a hugely important factor, so becoming extremely comfortable with using scouting reports to their fullest potential is something that Contreras will needs to practice in Iowa every single day.
You’ll be pleased to know, though, that the intangibles of handling a pitching staff and utilizing a scouting report are among the last things Contreras needs to work on. According to Epstein, Contreras is already a fantastic defensive catcher.
So, it would seem, that like us, Cubs President of Baseball Operation Theo Epstein is a big fan of Contreras. Although he may still have some time yet at AAA Iowa, Contreras, who is already on the 40-man roster, may yet find himself in the majors this season.
Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy.
You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami
*The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...
The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...
Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...
The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...
Even with tonight's rainout, the Chicago Cubs are still making some roster moves. When Patrick Wisdom was removed (perfectly healthy) from the I-Cubs game in the 4th inning on Wednesday, we had an idea of what was coming next. When...
The weather wasn't going to cooperate for Jameson Taillon's season debut, and tonight's Cubs-Marlins tilt has been postponed. The game will instead be part of a split-doubleheader this Saturday, with the first game at 1:20pm CT and the second at...
If you're into tracking young pitchers with star potential like I am—as I watch Jack Leiter's debut while typing this column—then you're probably itching to see Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes make his way to Pittsburgh sooner than later. While...
Cubs vs Marlins — Whew! The Cubs got through their first West Coast road trip of the year, and did so with a winning record (5-4) against the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks. They definitely let a couple games slip out...
As the father of a toddler who was sick for an entire week — the same week Brett was out from his back surgery and the Cubs were playing almost exclusively late-night ballgames on the West Coast — I was...
Kevin Alcántara hit his first home run of the season for the Tennessee Smokies last night, and Owen Caissie hit his first Triple-A home run for the Iowa Cubs as Iowa and Tennessee secured victories. The same can't be said...
Alex Caruso could be missing a foot and would probably still suit up for a do-or-die game. The Chicago Bulls' defensive anchor told ESPN's Jamal Collier that he expects to play in tonight's Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat....
The St. Louis Cardinals (9-10), led by Willson Contreras on an 11-game hitting streak, will meet the Milwaukee Brewers (11-6) Friday at Busch Stadium. The Brewers are -122 favorites for the matchup, which starts at 8:15 PM ET on BSMW.Milwaukee's...
Two of the league's top power hitters meet Friday when the Baltimore Orioles (12-6) and Kansas City Royals (12-7) take the field at 7:40 PM ET, live on BSKC. Gunnar Henderson has six home runs for the Orioles (-139 favorites...
The Minnesota Twins (6-11) are -151 favorites to break their four-game losing streak when they face the Detroit Tigers (10-9), losers of two in a row. The game begins Friday at 8:10 PM ET on BSDET, live from Target Field.Joe...
On Friday at 7:00 PM ET, the Chicago Bulls meet the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Coby White's 3-pointer prop for this clash requires three trifectas.Coby White's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the HeatCoby White's over/under for three-pointers...
Nikola Vucevic's Chicago Bulls face the Miami Heat on Friday at 7:00 PM ET in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and to beat his 3-point prop, he needs to make two from beyond the arc.Nikola Vucevic's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the...
At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the Chicago Bulls against the Miami Heat -- with DeMar DeRozan needing to connect only once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer prop.DeMar DeRozan's Three-Pointer...
At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the Miami Heat versus the Chicago Bulls -- with Bam Adebayo needing to score just once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer prop.Bam Adebayo's Three-Pointer...
Following a stretch of three consecutive wins, the Seattle Mariners (9-10) play the Colorado Rockies (4-15) at 8:40 PM ET on Friday.This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Mariners will send Emerson Hancock (1-2) to the mound, while Dakota...
The Cincinnati Reds (9-9) will try to put a stop to their current three-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Angels (9-10) at 6:40 PM ET on BSOH Friday. Bookmakers consider the Reds to be -126 favorites to...
NEWSLETTER
