Surprising Cardinals Slugger Among Baseball's Best Hitters Since Tumultuous Start
The St. Louis Cardinals have had a roller coaster of a season, to say the least.
St. Louis at one point seemed poised to be among baseball's World Series contenders this season but instead are in last place in the National League Central with an abysmal 50-65 record. The Cardinals have dealt with a plethora of injuries, inconsistent plays, and even a few unforced errors like the very public benching of catcher Willson Contreras and then eventual change of plans.
Contreras -- who signed with the Cardinals as a free agent this past offseason -- had to deal with plenty of outside noise early on this season as it was announced the club was moving him away from catcher. He eventually made his way back behind the plate, but the mixed messaging certainly had an impact on him. The three-time All-Star struggled early on but has turned things around in a major way. Contreras has been statistically one of the best hitters in all of baseball since July 1.
Since July 1, Contreras is leading all of baseball in on-base percentage (.483), tied for first in doubles (14), third in hits (45), fourth in OPS (1.127), and fifth in batting average (.384) across 24 games played.
Contreras has had a roller coaster of a year but certainly shows that he can be an impact player for the Cardinals. He is under contract through the 2027 season and then St. Louis has a club option for the 2028 campaign. Although there were rumors that the Cardinals were thinking of trading Contreras, it sounds like he's sticking with the club and if he can continue to hit like this, he could play a major part moving forward.
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