Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Willson Contreras Gets 'Special' Endorsement

The Cardinals clearly made the right decision...
Patrick McAvoy|
May 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) at bat in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
May 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) at bat in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals made the big decision this past offseason to move on from former first baseman Paul Goldschmidt but the move has paid off for the team so far in 2025.

It was tough to see Goldschmidt go and even tougher to see how well he is doing as a member of the New York Yankees. But, the Cardinals have had success themselves. Moving on from Goldschmidt opened the door for Willson Contreras to move over to first base and open up more playing time for Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés.

Specifically when it comes to Contreras, it was a tough start to the season offensively. But, he has turned things around and has been significantly better than expected defensively. ESPN's Jeff Passan shared an in-depth column on the Cardinals' seasaon so far and everything that has led to the success and one nugget that stood out was the fact that starting pitcher Miles Mikolas said that Contreras may be one of the best first basemen he's ever seen.

"With catching duties going to Pagés and 24-year-old Ivan Herrera, whose bat has been a revelation, Contreras' shift to first to replace four-time Gold Glove winner Paul Goldschmidt was a risk the Cardinals needed to take," Passan said. "And it has rewarded them handsomely.

"He might be one of the best first basemen I've ever seen," Mikolas said. "I knew he'd be bodying it up, and I knew he'd be picking it, but his range and his arm -- he's doing something special there at first base. I think he's surprising a lot of people. Probably not himself. He knows how good he is."

Now that's a stamp of approval. Contreras is slashing .250/.332/.397 with six homers, 28 RBIs, and nine doubles in 49 games played. On top of this, he is in the 88th percentile in outs above average at three and is sporting a clean .994 fielding percentage right now.

More MLB: State Of Cardinals: Where Things Stand Through 50 Games

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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