For a couple of weeks now, William Contreras has been gaining space in the Major Leagues, and all thanks to the immediate impact he has generated in the Atlanta Braves.
The young catcher was promoted to the majors after Travis d’Arnaud and Alex Jackson were placed on the disabled list, which opened the doors for an opportunity that he has been able to take advantage of from day one.
In his first week, in early May, he had six RBIs in seven days, and has been the regular behind catching ever since.
While there have been offensive slumps, Willson Contreras’ younger brother is making the necessary adjustments to be decisive again, and it seems that in recent days he found the key at the plate.
After adding just a couple of multi-hit games in his first 17 games this season, the Venezuelan has accumulated four games of more than two hits in his last ten games. Even in that period it has given 12 of the 24 unknowable that it registers in this 2021.
His batting average has been steadily rising, rising from .237 to .264 from 26 last month.
After his short stint in the big top the previous year, Contreras has been more mature this season, and manager Brian Snitker has praised the character of his mask.
Although it is still too early to evaluate the performance of the native of Puerto Cabello, he has exceeded the expectations of many, and once the main receivers of the team are activated, it is very likely that the 23-year-old Creole will receive other opportunities by having competition in the position two of the terrain.
Contreras is one of five Venezuelans on the Braves roster, along with Ronald Acuña Jr., Ender Inciarte, Pablo Sandoval and Ehire Adrianza.
And despite his little experience and young age, the catcher has become the second most important native currently within the organization, being the most regular after Acuña Jr.
The mask just has to keep taking advantage of every moment that comes its way to continue building its name. So far the bet of a young catcher on a team with such good names has paid off.
