NEWSLETTER
Oouuuuuch. Anyone who’s watched Willson Contreras play – or has read the stories – knows that the former Cubs catcher is one of the toughest players in MLB. He always played through injuries and would hobble up to his post behind the plate no matter what was bothering him. Sometimes to his own detriment. So to see him in THIS much pain after being hit by a J.D. Martinez swing is jarring.
Willson Contreras Hit by a Swing
In the video, you’ll see Willson Contreras hit on the *front* swing by J.D. Martinez, which is incredibly rare and even more dangerous than an already decelerating backswing that comes around after a whiff. And it gets him flush on his catching arm.
Dang. I really feel for him. Even though he left town, joined the Cardinals, and said he’d rather be there because it’s a “better organization,” Willson Contreras will ALWAYS have a special place in Cubs history. I really hope this wasn’t as bad as it looked, because man … the way he shakes his leg in agony is just brutal (Update below, but yeah … it’s fractured).
For the season, Willson Contreras has been off to an INCREDIBLE start offensively, slashing .274/.394/.538 (166 wRC+) and has already been worth 1.7 WAR (t-10th best in MLB). So if he has to miss any extended period of time for this, it’s going to hurt a Cardinals team that is already in last place and among the worst offensive teams in MLB.
Update: Unfortunately for Willson Contreras, that is a fractured left forearm. Yikes.
