Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch at Wrigley Field

Willson Contreras a factor behind the plate

When you look back to that June series between these two teams, the Cubs player who showed the most power was Contreras. Even when Maddon used him in the leadoff spot, the power showed up when he was 4-for-12 with two home runs and four RBI’s in four games.

At the deadline, the Cubs went out and acquired Alex Avila in that Wilson deal, but Avila is going to be the backup catcher since Contreras has proven he can handle catching almost everyday.

Since July 1, the 25-year-old has nine home runs and has driven in 22 runs. Out of those 21 RBI’s, 18 of them have been driven in since the All-Star break. Yesterday, he hit two home runs and drove in six runs in a loss against the Diamondbacks.

This year, Contreras is hitting .258 at Wrigley Field with six home runs. Meanwhile, on the road, he is hitting .291 with 11 home runs and has an on-base percentage of .389.

The bat stands out when you watch Contreras, but he also does a good job of controlling the running game. True, the Nats haven’t stolen many bases since Trea Turner went on the disabled list, but Contreras has thrown out 20 of the 47 runners trying to steal bases on him this year.

Yes, the Cubs offense has a lot of big names such as Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Kyle Schwarber (just to name a few). However, don’t sleep on Contreras behind the plate due to his power, speed, and Maddon can find a way to put him in any spot in the batting order.