The Cubs will promote top catching prospect Willson Contreras before tomorrow’s game, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The team’s plan is to carry three catchers for the time being, he adds, though the team was already doing so with Miguel Montero, David Ross and Tim Federowicz on board.
[Related: Since the news of Contreras’ promotion, it has been reported that Federowicz will be designated for assignment. The new roster alignment is reflected at Roster Resource’s updated Cubs depth chart.]
The 24-year-old Contreras entered the season rated as one of the game’s top prospects in the eyes of ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 27), Baseball America (No. 67), MLB.com (No. 50) and Baseball Prospectus (No. 57). He’s shown full well why those outlets were so high on his skills this season with an incredible showing at Triple-A Iowa, where he’s batted .350/.439/.591 with nine homers and 16 doubles in 239 plate appearances this season.
Law called Contreras a “legitimate two-way threat behind the plate” in his scouting report, praising his 70-grade arm (on the 20-80 scale) and noting that Contreras had an unexpected but meteoric rise through the team’s farm rankings. Contreras, a converted third baseman, has taken to catching well and while he may be an offensive-minded backstop, per MLB.com’s scouting report, he does figure to stick behind the plate. His experience playing infield could make him a multi-position reserve while Montero is still in the fold, BA noted in their report, adding that his bat may yield more gap power than home run power.
From a defensive standpoint, Contreras has halted 31 percent of attempted stolen bases against him this season. Baseball Prospectus graded his pitch-framing efforts as below average in both 2015 and 2016, although considering the fact that catching is still relatively new to Contreras, it’s perhaps not surprising that there’s still some room for refinement in the intricacies of working behind the dish. Certainly, sharing a dugout with Montero and Ross — two of the game’s better framing catchers — could prove beneficial to Contreras in the long run.
Because of the timing of his promotion, the most Major League service time that Contreras could accrue in 2016 would be 108 days. Even if he’s in the Majors to stay, that will leave him well shy of Super Two designation, so he should only qualify for arbitration the standard three times. As it stands, the earliest that Contreras could become eligible for free agency would be upon completion of the 2022 season.
The exact manner in which skipper Joe Maddon will work Contreras into the lineup remains to be seen. Montero has gotten base at a reasonable clip this season but his overall .210/.333/.343 batting line hasn’t lived up to expectations. Ross, on the other hand, has exceeded expectations, batting a healthy .237/.339/.409 after turning in a combined .599 OPS from 2013-15 with the Red Sox and Cubs. However, at 39 years of age, the Cubs probably weren’t planning on giving Ross a near-equal share of the playing time behind the plate, but Ross has actually logged more games than Montero this season and tallied just 11 fewer plate appearances and six fewer innings behind the dish. Adding Contreras to the mix will allow Chicago to lessen the load for the aging Ross and perhaps deliver an offensive upgrade over Montero on days in which Contreras dons the tools of ignorance.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Cubs aren’t messing around, he’s one of the very best young young hitting prospects they’ve ever called up, like ever.
I agree Contreras is a great prospect, but he is not the best ever. Just in the past three years the Cubs have called up Bryant, Russell, and Schwarber, who at the time of their callups were top 10 prospects in the game.
He’s probably the 4th best in the last 3 years though bc of Bryant, Schwarber, and arguably Soler. Soler was just as good in the minors when healthy I think
I’d like to see him take some time from MIggy, he has struggled this year.
About time!
He has been one heck of a prospect, hope he can thrive in the lineup. If there were to be a trade with Atlanta-Chicago, he is one I would want.
Not gonna happen. The Cubs have their positions set for the future. Almora will be Fowlers replacement. Amazing young team
I am sure you are right sir, a boy can dream right? Haha. Love seeing the Cubs do what they are doing, as a Braves fan at least gives up hope.
They are taking a very different approach than the cubs though. By that I mean stocking up on pitchers instead of hitters and going more for the prep players than college ones.
Will definitely be interesting to see the outcome for the two teams. I’d toss the brewers in there too. Their rebuild is going pretty well, but they seem to have a more balanced approach to talent acquisition.
Very true, from what I can tell Atlanta seems more content getting their bats on the upcoming international period.
I haven’t paid a ton of attention to that class for this year. Aren’t most of them also 2-3 years away from legit MLB contribution?
Yeah most likely.
Nice. Says Cubs will carry three catchers so it doesn’t appear the move will affect Montero or Ross. Tim Fedorowicz must be more of an after thought than he already knew.
You’re actually happy they are carrying 3 catchers?! It drives me crazy and is the dumbest thing I think a manager can do. It essentially makes it a 24 man roster. Since Montero came back I think Clayton friggin Richard has logged more innings than Federowicz has. That’s pathetic.
Wow!
Hopefully he’s up for good. Not sure why they want three catchers unless they move Wilson around the field a bit.
Won’t happen
He could probably handle 1b if they want to stick him there instead of Baez
They kind of have a 1b and Bryant is your primary backup there I think. You don’t throw a catching prospect all over the field when he needs to be working with the pitchers.
Well duh they have Rizzo, that’s why I didn’t even mention him. I meant when they give him breaks (Baez has played first for 15 innings and Bryant 17).
He’s already not going to catch at least every 5th day because Ross always catches Lester. So that’s at least 1 day he can not be working with the pitchers. After that, it depends on how often they plan to use each catcher. Well it is important that he gets time to work with the pitchers, you also don’t want to see him sit 4 games a week and not get any at bats against MLB pitching.
Which part? That he stays up or moves around the field. Or both?
That he moves around the field. Could see him possibly getting time at first here and there
because Ross is 38 and Montero is 33 with a bad back… Neither guy can catch 70 games. So a third one becomes necessary. Hell, they’ve carried three catchers most of the year.
What about Federowicz? Third catcher, still on 25-man roster.
I wonder what the Cubs corresponding move will be. They already have been carrying 3 catchers so I assume one will be released. I could also see them try to move Montero. This kid deserves regular ABs so they shouldn’t move him up just to work with Ross.
This is my concern as well — if you believe in your top catching prospect long-term, then he needs regular playing time. Both at the plate and behind the plate. Calling him up to serve as a backup / PH makes zero sense unless there is a corresponding roster move with Montero.
I believe the Cubs goal is to first see if he makes it since no prospects are certain. He is as close to a lock as they come, so as he shows his talent he will take more and more time from Montero/ Ross and force the Cubs hand. But that is a scenario that should be celebrated by Cubs fans. Anytime you have too many options lol it can only end well.
Montero has been pretty bad both with the bat and on defense (not framing).
You know just as well as I do most big time managers will take a vet over a rookie any day, but if Contreras beats out Montero then I’m sure Theo will move him. He needs to prove it and this is step 1.
I’m actually wondering if Montero’s back is still bothering him. He has looked pretty slow moving to block balls.
Could be the case, maybe the Cubs will give him 3 weeks of real light duty. PH here and there and maybe catch a game, to see if he can heal up. Meanwhile Contreras gets an extended look to see what he’s got. Like I said no team says no to options.
Joe Maddon isn’t like most mlb managers though. He’ll play quite a bit. Montero’s days are numbered.
Yeah, numbered. Through the end of 2017.
I think it will also have a ton to do with what contreras does. If he hits, they’ll probably do their best to find him at bats, kinda like schwarber.
If he plays good defense and frames well. Maddon will not sacrifice defense for a bat. Catchers must play at least passable defense, that’s why teams will look the other way with catchers that bat 230 if they frame well and throw out runners.
I said find him at=bats. Not stick him at catcher. That’s why I said sort of like Schwarber.
I posted in wrong spot, sorry I agree with all the above lol
Montero has been pretty awful defensively this year, especially after coming off the DL with the back issues. He may be a better framer but I’m guessing Wilson will play at least the same overall defense. The game calling and staff handling see what’s to be seen and that’s best to see on the job at this point. I’m betting that he gets quite a bit of starts at catcher, more than Schwarber would.
🙂
Chester, are you speechless? Haha
Yeah, numbered in as just because he’s under contract doesn’t mean they keep him. What part don’t you get about baseball? The trading or the DFA’s????
The Cubs have been worried about a rookie’s ability to handle a veteran pitching staff. Is he going to be able to calm down a pissed-off 37-year old John Lackey in a big-game situation? Will he have the guts to tell Jake Arrieta to ‘stop being a p*ssy on the mound and just attack hitters”? That’s always the last part of a catcher’s development, and it can’t be learned in the minors. Bringing him up now to develop that repertoire, even it means he only plays 1-2 times per week, is infinitely more important to his development than catching 5 times per week in the minors.
T-Fed DFAd.
Audition for trade? I doubt cubbies trade him and Yanks have Sanchez so they would probably settle for Happ, Soler, and either a starter or Vogelbach who isn’t a big prospect but could be useful filler in Chapman deal.
Contreras > Sanchez. But both is better. If he is offered in a trade all 29 teams should be calling. Cost is the reason he will probably stay.
Zero chance the Cubs trade him… Zero….
So trout is worth it. Please rethink your comment. Anything can happen.
Sure, anything can happen. I just don’t understand this interest in a rental of Chapman. This is the year the cubs plan to compete but not at the cost of the farm we have built and are already dominating. We don’t need Chapman for a kings ransom. Especially not Contreras… I highly doubt the Cubs move either Happ or Vogelbach. Soler is the only piece I see with wiggle room, although he hasn’t be helping his value what so ever. Theo and Jed aren’t stupid, they want Miller, and the Yanks want Schwarber, sorry New York you’re not getting him.
There’s no realistic scenario. He’s the answer to their C need after this season and has immoderate all star potential while I still think other than framing he’s at least average defensively. Not sure how Joe fits him in this year but he’ll probably split time with Montero next year and take over as the full time guy getting 4-5 starts a week after that. His bat in the catching spot can be a game changer when you look at the potential lineups they can put out there with Baez, Soler, and Schwarber on the roster and healthy next year along with Bryant, Rizzo, Zobrist, and Heyward. Man I love this team…
Why do highly doubt that they would move Vogelbach for Chapman? He’s a DH that can play 1b in a pinch having a decent year in AAA. Besides not having a DH, he would be blocked and provide less power upside than Rizzo. V-bach isn’t too valuable to the Cubs outside of being an OK throw-in to an AL team in a trade.
You don’t need Chapman? Are you honestly more worried about where your farm ranks then actually finally winning? Cub fans need to taste a championship and stop worrying about blocked prospects such as Baez, Happ, Candeleria, Soler, etc….. You will most definitely have to trade some of them to get an elite closer regardless of how smart you think your GM is. This is about winning only and not about building the top ranked farm!
Chapman would be a great addition to any club. Cubs could have had him in free agency . They can also get him next year as a free agent. They shouldn’t give up future for rental. Their window isn’t closing after this year . Glad Cubs carried 3 catchers with Schwarber out Ross has saved us since montero is either hurt or struggles when he plays.
I was thinking they would DFA Federowicz and see how Contreras handles the pitching staff and if it works out well Montero’s days could be numbered.
Already being announced that TFed is DFA.
This is literally the only option.
They’re not going to have four catchers on the roster, and even without that factor, Fed is the only guy on the current 25-man who literally has zero offensive value.
Agreed. No brainer.
One other option was a DL stint. Didn’t happen.
I didn’t think he would be up until September. The bat definitely seems ready. Kinda surprised they didn’t keep him down just to get more playing time
At what point does having him *not* getting regular ABs like in AAA hurt his development? Strange to make him ride the bench for 80% of games.
I highly doubt he’s on the bench for 80% of his time. It has gotten to the point that Montero is as much as an easier out as any of the Cubs’ pitchers, and they’re lucky if his throws to 2B even make it past the mound on the fly. Montero is either going to be designated or traded in the offseason, so Contreras will get as much experience as possible.
I was going to leave this in a comment, but then I started reading comments around said comment and can’t believe the ignorance here. So here you go
In regards to someone saying Contreras can’t play 1B because Bryant is the primary backup and, “duhhh, Rizzo.” Thanks for clearing that up. We all forgot about Rizzo. As for Bryant being the backup this year. No. Baez has been the primary #2 option at 1B for Maddon this year…… glad to see you’re watching games and paying attention (in case you couldn’t tell….. sarcasm).
Then this is for pretty much a majority of the rest of the fool commenting on here who seem completely clueless and ignorant about who Contreras is and where the f*** he came from.
Cubs signed him as a 17 year old way back in 2008 or 2009……. as a third baseman. He played primarily 3B from 2009-2011 making the switch to catcher in 2012. He also has a few games logged at 1B and about just as many games logged in LF and RF combined as he does at 1B……. so yes…… if he rakes at the ML level and Maddon continue to be a tard and carries 3 catchers, Contreras has some versatility. He at least has more experience at other positions than Schwarber did when they pretty much threw him out in LF cold last year…. trial by fire if you will.
He has been a pretty mediocre to crappy prospect from 2009 all the way through the 2014 season. In 2009 and 2010 he played rookie level ball, and then from 2011-2014 he never got higher than advance single A ball. In the years prior to 2015 he was about a .250-.260 hitter with an OBP in the .310-.320 range, The most power he showed was in 2011 when he had 11 in 303 ABs. So pretty much for 6 years he looked like a nobody.
Then 2015 happened. He surprised everyone and came out of nowhere. The major thing that is noticeable in his stats (other than way higher BA) is that while he strikes out fairly low and at the same rate he did from 2009-2014, he walked A LOT more in 2015….. hence the OBP in 2015 being about 80 points higher than his BA as opposed to the 60 points in years prior. I can’t really tell you why he all of a sudden figured out how to hit. I mean I think out of pity for being in single A for 4 years the Cubs promoted him at the beginning of 2015 to double A. His numbers didn’t imply he was worthy of said promotion. Be he took off at double A. .333/.413/.478. Pretty friggin good. I am still amazed though that despite his previous 6 years of mediocrity his stock rose so high not just with the Cubs but with the national media. I mean he had 1 REALLY good year last year and that’s it, all of a sudden he was a top 50 prospect? He thankfully picked up where he left off last year, this year. And has shown he deserved such a high ranking. This year he is showing a bit more power too with 9 HRs in only 203 ABs. Last year he hit 8 in 454 Abs….. so he’s never shown impressive power numbers….. again, until this year in which he is hitting a HR every 22.5 ABs. In a 550 AB season if he were to maintain that pace he’d hit 24-25 HRs…… impressive.
Having said all this, I am pessimistic about this guy. He essentially went from a nobody for 6 years to being this rock star of a prospect in the last 1.5 years. I would’ve preferred to see more at the minor league level because I’m still skeptical of these completely different numbers he has put up compared to the rest, and majority, of his minor league career. I just don’t trust it. I want to, trust me. But my bitter, blackened, 2003 shattered Cub fan heart just won’t let me. However, Ross and Montero have been painful to watch offensively this year so I’m not too shocked he got called up. And yes, Ross is having a good year before you get on my case, but a good year for Ross is a crappy year for pretty much anyone else. I almost laughed when the article wrote how Montero has been a disappointment at the plate this year and listed his slash line…… and then praised Ross for having a good season….. and his numbers are moderately better. A good hitting Ross equates to a shi**y hitting catcher in pretty much every other case. But my Cub fan brethren love their underdogs….. it’s annoying.
And Finally, I almost forgot. To the morons who are clearly out of towners, the Cubs are just about 100% NOT going to trade Contreras. He IS their catching prospect. Sure they have Schwarber as a possibility but I honestly want to see him in LF. Unlike most I am not afraid of below average fielding from an OFer, and I really don’t put faith in the sabermetric stats on how many runs a player can save on defense….. the numbers are just laughable and don’t add up. That said, Contreras is supposed to be the catcher of the future for this team. With Montero only having 1 year left (I think he could still be DFA’d. He’s been brutal offensively and defensively this year. After the Dodger’s DFA’d Crawford I definitely think a DFA for Montero is possible) and Ross retiring after this year they NEED Contreras. So unless it is essentially a Chapman for Contreras deal straight up….. whaaaaaaa, Yankee fans heads’ are exploding in anger right now, hahaha….. I’ll be slightly more realistic, a Contreras for Miller deal straight up, it ain’t happening. Point is, Cubs would have to be greatly impressed with an offer to cough up Contreras………. unless he sucks and reverts back to his 2009-2014 performance, haha. Then they’ll cough him up.
I find it funny that at one point in this rant you say you don’t trust Contreras yet because his numbers don’t show it, but then you say you don’t trust defensive Sabermetrics. You either trust the numbers or you don’t? Also in your Contreras history lesson you neglected to mention his 2014 winter ball season in Venezuela. Jed Hoyer said that when he returned from winter ball it was like seeing a different more mature player who was now also a student of the game. Also the condescending tone of your comment was uncalled for. This forum is for discussion and debate not insults and sarcasm.
Tard? Classy
Next year I think Willson will handle Lester, Lackey, and Hendricks. Montero will be Arrietas personal catcher and Schwarber is Hammels. I think the Cubs should trade Dan Vogelbach and an outfield prospect for Chapman you know since he is pretty much just going to be a rental for postseason. Vogelbach could be yanks next 1B or DH.