'A professor of baseball': Despite accolades, Contreras wants more

PHOENIX -- William Contreras is already one of the very best catchers in baseball. Really, he's one of the most valuable players in baseball, period. But that's not how the Brewers catcher looks at it as he enters his second season in Milwaukee.

"I try to come in and not be overconfident in myself," Contreras said in Spanish. "I know I am one of the best catchers, but it’s always on my mind that I haven’t achieved anything. I haven’t done anything. And I come to work hard every day."

Of course, the 26-year-old has several accolades that he won't mention. Contreras, who went 1-for-4 in the Brewers' 3-3 tie with the Guardians on Wednesday at American Family Fields, is an All-Star, a Silver Slugger Award winner, one of Milwaukee's most important players and a true all-around star at the catcher position -- where few such stars exist.

Think of catchers who can do it all: Adley Rutschman, J.T. Realmuto, Will Smith, Sean Murphy. Then, there's Contreras. He's firmly in that top tier of backstops -- but for him, it's not enough.

That drive, in the mind of manager Pat Murphy, is what makes Contreras great.

"When you say, 'He's already so good,' I agree: He's an upper-echelon player in the world," Murphy said. "And I believe he can be the best in the world. But that's what those guys do -- they love practicing, getting better. It's not like you just get to a level and stay there. Excellence is Every ... Freaking ... Day. In some way, shape or form. And he's that. He wants more."

There's an argument that Contreras is entering the 2024 season as the No. 1 catcher in the Major Leagues. He led the position in Wins Above Replacement last season, per FanGraphs, his 5.4 fWAR putting him just ahead of Rutschman (5.1 fWAR). In fact, by fWAR, Contreras was the top player in the entire NL Central division.

But if you watched Contreras every day during Spring Training, you'd see he's not a player who's comfortable sitting at the top.

Contreras has already played in seven of 11 possible Cactus League games during a time of the year where plenty of fellow stars take things slow with the long season ahead. But that's not who Contreras is. You can't keep him off the field.

Why does Contreras feel the need to play all these Spring Training games? The answer, to Murphy, is self-evident.

"It's like asking a professor why he continues to read," Murphy said. "He's already a professor of baseball. That's why he wants to play. Because he just wants to continue to get better."

Contreras has looked as good as advertised this spring, popping a home run in his debut and throwing out multiple would-be base-stealers so far. For Contreras, getting these extra spring reps is important toward his goal of becoming the most complete player he can be.

"I don't feel superior to anyone. I came here to train; I came here to work," Contreras said. "I'd like to play all the games this year like we did last year, and during Spring Training we make the adjustments."

Last season, Contreras played 141 games, tied for fourth-most among catchers, with 108 of those games coming behind the plate. In those 141 games -- Contreras' first time playing a season start to finish -- he established himself as a two-way force.

As a hitter, Contreras batted .289 with 17 home runs, 78 RBIs and a 125 OPS+. Defensively, he was one of the Majors' best pitch framers and pitch receivers, skills the Brewers organization prides itself on developing among its catchers. By Statcast's metrics, Contreras was one of three catchers in 2023 who ranked in the top-10 in framing and blocking.

"I don’t force myself. I don't try hard to show off," Contreras said. "I am a player who wants to enjoy the game, enjoy every moment playing ball and the results will come on their own."

They certainly did last season. Contreras' appearance on 12 of the 30 National League Most Valuable Player ballots at the end of the season was well-earned. And now, he has more lofty targets to shoot for in 2024.

"I have my own goals. I would like to be in the All-Star Game, win the division again with the team," Contreras said. "I'm going to compete for the Silver Slugger, which I want to win again after last year, and the Gold Glove."

Contreras has, as Murphy put it, the intense energy and elite drive to do all that and more.

"He knows no other way," Murphy said. "So it's gonna be hard to stop him."

-- MLB Digital Content diversity fellow Melanie Martinez-Lopez contributed reporting to this story.