Brewers Spotlight: William Contreras

The Brewers’ Backbone Behind the Plate

In this instance, the headline doesn’t say it all. It’s not just his steely resolve.

If you’re looking for the heartbeat of the Milwaukee Brewers as they gear up for the 2025 season, you don’t have to search beyond the squat of William Contreras. The 27-year-old catcher isn’t just the guy calling pitches and framing fastballs—he’s the engine driving a Brewers club that’s won the National League Central two years running and harbors ambitions of a deeper postseason run. With a bat that sizzles and a work ethic that’s become the stuff of legend, Contreras has cemented himself as one of baseball’s elite backstops. As spring training unfolds in Phoenix, all eyes are on the two-time All-Star to see how he’ll build on a 2024 campaign that turned heads and raised expectations in Milwaukee.

Before the Brew Crew

Before landing in Milwaukee, William Contreras carved out his early career with the Atlanta Braves, where he was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2015 at age 17. He steadily climbed through their minor-league system, showing flashes of power and plate discipline—highlighted by a .293/.360/.463 line with 11 homers in 2018 across Low-A and High-A. His big-league debut came in 2020, a brief 10-at-bat cameo during the shortened season, but it wasn’t until 2021 that he started turning heads, splitting time between Triple-A Gwinnett and Atlanta. In 2022, he broke out as Atlanta’s primary catcher, hitting .278 with 20 home runs and a .860 OPS in 97 games, earning his first All-Star selection at age 24.

That season, he also contributed to the Braves’ NL East title, though his postseason role shrank as Travis d’Arnaud took the reins. Atlanta traded him to Milwaukee in December 2022 in a three-team deal involving Oakland, a move that sent Contreras—and his burgeoning star power—to the Brewers, where he’s since blossomed into one of baseball’s premier catchers.

A Rising Star’s Statistical Climb

Contreras didn’t sneak up on anyone last year—he stormed into the spotlight. Since arriving in Milwaukee via that 2022 trade from Atlanta, he’s transformed from a promising talent into a cornerstone. His stats tell the story of a player hitting his stride. In 2020, his debut season with the Braves, he managed a .400/.400/.600 line across just 10 at-bats—a small sample, sure, but a hint of what was to come. By 2022, his first full year as a starter, he posted a .278/.354/.506 slash line with 20 home runs and 45 RBI in 97 games, earning his first All-Star nod.

Then came 2024, his second season with the Brewers, and Contreras kicked the door down. He hit .281 with a .365 on-base percentage and a .466 slugging mark, smashing 23 homers, 37 doubles, and driving in 92 runs across 155 games. His 131 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) ranked fifth among catchers with at least 400 plate appearances, and his 5.4 fWAR (FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement) underscored his value on both sides of the ball. Since entering the league in 2020, Contreras boasts the highest OPS (.831) among catchers with at least 1,000 plate appearances. For context, only his older brother Willson—now a first baseman in St. Louis—outpaced him in wRC+ among catchers with 50+ games caught last year.

The numbers don’t just pop—they scream durability. Contreras logged 679 plate appearances in 2024, the fifth-most ever for a primary catcher in a single season. He started Milwaukee’s first 64 games, 52 of them behind the plate, before finally taking a breather. That kind of workload isn’t for the faint of heart, and it’s a testament to the grit he brings to the diamond every day.

Defining Moments of 2024

If you’re a Brewers fan, a few snapshots from last season are etched in your memory. Take May 28 at American Family Field against the Cubs: Contreras caught a foul tip that jammed his left middle finger, leaving it swollen and ugly. Most guys would’ve called it a day—or a week. Not Contreras. He caught the next game, started as DH the day after, then strapped on the gear for two more. Manager Pat Murphy called it “a warrior moment,” and it’s hard to argue.

Then there was September 12 in San Francisco. With the Brewers clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, Contreras smoked a 110-mph double off Giants reliever Tyler Rogers, plating two insurance runs in a 4-2 win that helped lock down the division. His bat stayed hot all year, but it was his clutch performances—like that night in Oracle Park—that made him a fifth-place finisher in NL MVP voting and earned him a second straight Silver Slugger Award.

Oh, and let’s not forget July 16 in Arlington, when he became the first Brewers catcher since Jonathan Lucroy in 2014 to start an All-Star Game, going 1-for-2 with a single off Corbin Burnes.

Spring Training 2025: Signs of More to Come

Out in the desert this March, Contreras hasn’t slowed down. Through eleven games as of today—March 19—he’s hitting .385 with a couple of extra-base hits, including a scorcher up the middle clocked at 110 mph against the Giants on March 14. His swing looks as sharp as ever, and his presence behind the plate has pitchers like Freddy Peralta raving about his leadership.

But here’s the twist: Contreras, the iron man of 2024, hinted he might ease off the gas just a touch this year. “I could probably benefit from a few more days off,” he admitted earlier this month, a statement that stopped the presses for a guy who’s made a career of playing through anything. Murphy and the Brewers haven’t mapped out his exact workload yet, but expect more catcher-manager powwows to balance his health with his hunger to stay in the lineup. Backup Eric Haase, who impressed in limited action last year, and Jorge Alfaro, who’s turning heads this spring, give Milwaukee some flexibility to spell their star.

Contract Talk and Team Expectations

Contreras is under team control through 2027, thanks to the Brewers’ arbitration structure, with his 2025 salary still TBD but likely in the $10-12 million range after earning $8 million last year. There’s no rush for a long-term extension—he’s locked in for three more seasons—but don’t be surprised if talks heat up next offseason. For now, the Brewers are thrilled to have him at a bargain rate for a player ranked No. 28 on MLB Network’s Top 100 list heading into 2025, a massive leap from No. 81 a year ago.

The Brewers’ expectations for Contreras in 2025 are sky-high, and why wouldn’t they be? With Willy Adames off to San Francisco and Christian Yelich working back from surgery, Contreras is the offensive linchpin alongside Jackson Chourio. The club sees him as a 20-25 homer, .280-plus hitter who can anchor a lineup that needs to offset the growing list of pitching question marks. Defensively, he’s no slouch either, with a cannon arm and improved framing that’s made him a pitcher’s best friend.

The Intangibles That Define Him

Murphy calls him “special,” and it’s not just lip service. Contreras rolls into camp at 6:20 a.m.—two hours before the call time—honing his craft with a routine he learned from big brother Willson. “His commitment to being great is high,” Murphy said last month, “and he’s got the mental piece coming along too.” Teammates echo that. Reliever Jared Koenig marvels at how Contreras “wants to win, leads by example, and he’s the first one here every day.”

That’s the William Contreras the Brewers lean on—a grinder who’s turned raw talent into stardom and isn’t done climbing. As Opening Day looms on March 27 on the road against the Yankees, Dairyland’s faithful can rest easy knowing their catcher’s ready to carry the load, one pitch, one swing, one grueling day at a time.