4 observations about the Brewers' catching situation entering the 2023 season
PHOENIX – While some might argue the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t do enough to augment their team in the offseason, there’s no denying they did address the biggest area of weakness with the acquisition of William Contreras.
For the price of only outfielder Esteury Ruiz – acquired last August in the Josh Hader trade – Milwaukee landed a catcher who at only 25 years of age is yet to enter his physical prime, under team control through 2027 and coming off his first appearance in the All-Star Game.
“He's 25 years old. He's coming from a great organization that teaches catching really well (Atlanta Braves). I'm excited for his future, man,” said Walker McKinven, Brewers associate pitching, catching and strategy coach.
In addition to Contreras, Milwaukee also landed right-handed reliever Joel Payamps and minor-league righty Justin Yeager in what was ultimately a three-team deal involving Atlanta and the Oakland A’s.
“Twenty-five is young for catcher, especially in the big leagues, especially with a year under your belt and an All-Star Game under his belt,” McKinven continued. “The whole thing is in front of him, really.
“Skill set-wise, I think he’s super-talented.”
Whereas Omar Narváez and Victor Caratini essentially split time behind the plate last year, Contreras enters 2023 as the unquestioned No. 1 poised to blow well past the career-high 97 games he played last season (57 starts at catcher) with the ability to also make starts at designated hitter.
More:Brewers sign lefty Justin Wilson, but he won't be able to pitch until July
Here is a look at what you need to know about the Brewers behind the plate:
Job No. 1 for Contreras is learning the pitching staff
Considering Contreras is coming off a season in which he hit .278 with 20 home runs and 45 runs batted in while compiling an OPS of .860, there is little worry about his bat.
And that’s a great thing considering the cumulative batting average posted by Milwaukee catchers (.202) ranked 25th in the major leagues and second-worst in the National League with its OPS of .609 ranking 22nd and 11th, respectively.
“That’s kind of my reputation right now, that I’m more of a hitter,” Contreras said through translator Carlos Brizuela. “But I try to work 50-50 and I want to be as good a catcher as I am a hitter. Right now people are saying I’m 70% hitter and 30% catcher, but I want to even that out and I’m good on both sides.”
To that end, Contreras jumped in with both feet after being traded on Dec. 12 by watching plenty of video of the Brewers’ returning pitchers.
In that regard he’s already way ahead of where projected backup Pedro Severino was last year coming into camp with the lockout having cut off communication between clubs and players.
Then when Severino was suspended at the end of camp, Caratini joined the Brewers at Wrigley Field on opening day and had to quite literally begin learning his new pitchers on the fly.
It was a process that Caratini said took several weeks.
“We've still got a lot of meat on the bone here in terms of things we wanted to do with him and him getting to know our entire staff, but it's helped having a returner in Vic,” McKinven added. “Those two have a prior relationship and already have a very, very strong relationship, it would seem. Those two are kind of co-piloting this pretty well.”
Contreras then set about talking with and catching pitchers as they began trickling into Maryvale.
“We're already talking about how I like to pitch. I'm getting a feel for his setup and everything,” said starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff. “It's just super-important. I feel like we go through this transition about every couple of years with you know, with Yasmani (Grandal) coming in and then Omar coming in and then Victor.
“It's just, communication is key. So for me, it's going up and embracing the new catcher, William, and just saying, ‘Hey, man, this is what I like to do. I like your setup here.’ And we just start talking and you just form that relationship and go from there.”
Added Contreras: “Obviously it’s challenging. But that’s why you have camp, to work through those things. That’s part of it and why we’re here – getting to know each other. It’s just another obstacle in my career and you’ve just got to go through it and try to be the best at it as you can.”
Defense will be an ongoing process for Contreras
Narváez arrived in Milwaukee with the reputation as an all-hit, no-field catcher and left having completely flipped the script with his pitch framing in particular becoming his calling card.
He finished last season with a strike rate of 49.9%, ranking him seventh in the majors. Caratini was 19th, at 48.4%.
Contreras, meanwhile, ranked 48th at 45.1% while accounting for minus-four defensive runs saved and throwing out only 14% of would-be basestealers.
There’s no question the Brewers will be expecting major improvement in all categories moving forward.
“I think time is probably his biggest ally,” said manager Craig Counsell. “He's very gifted and he's very talented and he has the ability to do these things. So, we'll get there. We're very confident that all the small tweaks that we’ll make, they'll happen.
“I'd say defensively yeah, it's there. Our job is to bring it out, and that takes time and consistent work. And that's what we have.”
Contreras, listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds, is considered a good overall athlete, which should help him in his quest to improve.
“I’m excited to get to work. That’s part of it,” Contreras said of improving defensively. “That’s part of being a major-league player; every year you’re trying to improve. Working here, they have a reputation for that and you’re excited to continue to work and improve in all aspects of your game.”
Brewers have some decent depth in reserve
Caratini agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal to avoid arbitration on Jan. 12, locking the Brewers’ top two backstops in place.
He hit only .199 last season but in fairness was thrown into a tough situation early on and probably played more (95 games, 73 starts at catcher) than expected coming in.
Caratini is a switch-hitter and did hit nine homers while driving in 34 runs. Combined with his defense he makes a solid backup for Contreras, with whom he’s familiar thanks to the relationship Caratini developed with Willson Contreras – William’s older brother – when the two played for the Chicago Cubs.
“We're in a very good situation with a duo,” Counsell said. “We're getting a young, new catcher, and for him to have somebody that he knows, that he trusts, that is embracing what his job is, who knows our staff, knows the league, it makes this a lot easier, I think, for everybody.
“So, Victor's going to be important on the field and off the field.”
Behind Caratini the Brewers moved on from former prospect Mario Feliciano and in early November traded for another former organizational prospect in Payton Henry, Milwaukee’s sixth-round pick in 2016 who’d been sent to Miami in 2021.
Henry broke into the majors with the Marlins later in 2021 and has 20 games under his belt.
Milwaukee also brought back Alex Jackson, who played five games for the Brewers early in 2022 when Caratini was sidelined by COVID-19, and has minor-leaguer Brian Navarreto in camp.
Navarreto made a good impression at Class AAA Nashville last season, and had a two-game cup of coffee with the Marlins in 2020.
“We're in a good spot,” Counsell said. “Navarreto is a player that we really like, that performed really well and was very highly complimented by the Triple-A staff.”
A glimpse into the future
Back in 2019, Henry was a wide-eyed newcomer in his first major-league camp and with the likes of Grandal, Manny Piña and Jacob Nottingham ahead of him he took advantage of the opportunities presented him and soaked up all the knowledge he could.
This spring, Jeferson Quero finds himself in a similar situation.
Ranked as the Brewers’ sixth-ranked prospect by the Journal Sentinel, Quero is coming off a strong season that saw him hit a combined .286 with 10 homers and 57 RBI in 95 games split between Class A Carolina and advanced Class A Wisconsin.
Quero, whose defensive skills – particularly his throwing arm – are even further along than his bat, capped off his 2022 with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League.
“He's 20 years old but he's a very exciting player and he's kind of mature beyond his years, and he's capable of being here. He should be in this camp,” said Counsell.
“It's an ‘eyes and ears’ camp for Quero. That's what he's going to get out of it. Being around big-league players, catching big-league pitchers, that's important. Just the consistency of your day-to-day from Vic and William will be helpful for him.”
By the numbers
.354 – Batting average against left-handed pitching for William Contreras in 2022.
5 – Players to start at catcher last season (Narváez 80 games, Caratini 73, Severino four, Jackson three, Feliciano two).
690⅔ – Innings caught by Caratini in 2022, a total that led the Brewers.
2 – Defensive runs saved credited to Caratini in 2022, a marked improvement from the total of minus-6 he logged with San Diego in 787⅓ innings in 2021.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 4 observations about Milwaukee Brewers' catching situation 2023 season
