With the best record in baseball at 81-50, you would think it would be difficult to find areas where the Milwaukee Brewers have struggled or need improvement.
Milwaukee’s roster has been completely dominant on both sides of the ball this season. The Brewers’ pitching staff has a 3.42 ERA, ranking second-best in the league, while the offense has managed to score the fifth-most runs in the league, despite mashing the fewest home runs in baseball.
Even with all the Brewers’ success, one player who’s faced their share of struggles this season is William Contreras. Contreras, 28, was named an All-Star for the third time in his career this year, but fell into a slump throughout most of July and early August, slashing .186/.245/.291 in 22 July games and .109/.255/.196 in 46 at-bats across 13 games to begin August.
Luckily, the veteran catcher appears to have taken a step in the right direction recently, slashing .448/.485/.621 in 29 at-bats through his last seven games. Amid this promising stretch, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he believes Contreras has been more disciplined and is back “on track.”
Contreras has been hot over the past week
“I think William knows he’s being way more disciplined,” Murphy said on Saturday, per MLB.com’s Adrian Garro. “Just look at his ball-strike recently. That is the key — discipline. Swinging at the right pitches with a simple swing, trying to stay in the middle of the field. That’s what William’s gotta do, and he’s executed pretty well. William is a very emotional guy, he loves baseball and he has very high standards for himself. Players go through this. You look at the kid that just came to town from Seattle [Cal Raleigh]. Look at the change in his seasons. Now, William is pretty much on track, and he’s done amazing things, but he’s so hard on himself.
“So I don’t think he’s having a brutal year. I think he’s having a really good year. But results are the key for him, and that’s trying to get him more involved in the process. Understanding that, ‘Hey, this is a good at-bat.’ When you leave the zone, no, but when you hit the ball on the screws, that’s a good at-bat with good ball flight. I think he’s doing better than he gives himself credit for, but again, his expectations are really high.”
Contreras getting hot could not have come at a better time for the Brewers. Though the team holds the top record in baseball now, the Los Angeles Dodgers are hot on their trail. Having an All-Star like Contreras playing to his full potential down the stretch could have a major impact on Milwaukee’s playoff outlook.
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