The Chicago Cubs may miss Willson Contreras’ bat in 2023, but they won’t have trouble replacing their former catcher in this specific area.
Willson Contreras was on the trade block for what felt like forever in 2022. Oddly, the trade deadline came and went last August and Contreras remained with the Chicago Cubs for the remainder of the season.
But once the offseason began, Contreras quickly found a new home with one of the Cubs biggest rivals after the backstop inked a five-year/$87.5-million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cubbies have fortified the catcher position heading into the 2023 season by adding two-time Gold Glove Award-winning catcher Tucker Barnhart to join Yan Gomes behind the plate. While the veteran pair is unlikely to duplicate the type of results at the plate that Contreras did, they’ll definitely be better defensively.
Cubs catching tandem will be much better defensively without Willson Contreras
One relatively new statistic provided by Baseball Savant is called blocks above-average (BAA). This stat combines the number of passed ball and wild pitches saved compared to expectation of an average catcher.
Baltimore Orioles catcher and runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year Award Adley Rutschman led the league with 18 BAA last season. J.T. Realmuto was tops in the National League with 14 BAA.
The Chicago Cubs were not very good in this area during the 2022 season. Yam Gomes posted 2 BAA which was 23rd best, but Willson Contreras ranked 56th in blocks above-average with -4. Even Contreras’ younger William, now with the Milwaukee Brewers, posted a higher number (-3 BAA).
The Cubs newest catcher, Tucker Barnhart, was among the best in the league in this category. Barnhart posted 6 BAA during his lone season with the Detroit Tigers. Cubs fans will remember Barnhart as the longtime backstop for the Cincinnati Reds.
Oddly enough, Willson Contreras is replacing Cardinals legend Yadier Molina behind the plate in St. Louis. Despite being 40 years old during his final major league season, Molina ranked 12th in blocks above-average.