Every year, or at least every year since 2012, we’ve taken some time after the season was over to look at the past 162 games through the lens of the players that played them (and the management that was in charge of them). Last year, the Exit Interview series spent less time digging into splits and finding numerical oddities and more time reflecting on the player and their season. It was a style that seemed to work so we’re going to bring it back again this year. The legendary cardinalsgifs is back to bring us excellent series art, so it’s all downhill after you see that!
Player: Willson Contreras
Stats: 84 G, 358 PA, 48 R, 17 2B, 15 HR, 36 RBI, 4 SB, 1 CS, .262/.380/.468, 3.0 bWAR
Statcast: 11.2% barrel, 32.7% sweet spot, 115.3 max exit velocity, .370 wOBA, .366 xwOBA, 26.8 K%, 12.6 BB%
Grade: A
The first two years of the Contreras contract have been chaotic, but it’s not been Contreras’s fault. In 2024, he missed six weeks when he was hit by a swing on the forearm, breaking it. He came back faster than expected and didn’t really miss a beat, hitting nine of his 15 homers in the 53 games played after his return and before he went on the IL again at the end of August when he was hit by a pitch and broke a finger. Neither of these injuries were his fault or what you’d consider chronic, but it was hard to see him miss that much time in a season where he was again making good on his five year contract.
For much of the season, Contreras was the best hitter on the team and even though the club went on their best run while he was out, the two things were definitely not related. He again was in the top 5% for maximum exit velocity, a place he’s been most of his career, and it was good to see that the forearm injury didn’t cut into that. Defensively, things weren’t perfect, catching only 23% of runners, but that was significantly better than his backups. He would be the clear MVP for the team if he’d played all season and is still in the conversation even with the missed time.
What’s in store for 2025: The days of Contreras behind the plate seem to be over. John Mozeliak announced last week that Contreras would see his playing time split between DH and first base, with the focus of that split still seemingly to be determined. Contreras only has about 50 innings at first in his career, so it’s going to be a learning curve, but it also should keep him fresher and healthier. Plus it allows Ivan Herrera to have a clear shot at the catching job and alleviates some of the backlog with Herrera, Pedro Pages, and the upcoming Jimmy Crooks. Contreras expressed his sincere desire to stay in St. Louis, which is a plus, and this is the best way to make that happen.
