2025 Fantasy Baseball: Willson Contreras Profile, Preview, Predictions
The switch to first base in 2025 for Willson Contreras should lead to the best at-bat opportunity of his career. Injuries have been a factor in his fantasy output for multiple seasons. On the positive side, his fantasy value remains under the catching umbrella for another year.
C – Willson Contreras, STL (ADP – 81.0)
After researching the first five catchers ranked by NFBC ADP, Contreras is the clear drop off in playing time, based on his previous years. He has never had more than 475 at-bats in his nine seasons in the majors. Last year, the Cardinals had him on the field for 84 games due to two lengthy stints on the injured list (forearm and finger issues). His draft momentum is tied to St. Louis moving Contreras to first base in 2025 while expecting some time at DH, pointing to the best opportunity in his major league career.
His stats (.262/48/15/36/4 over 301 at-bats) projected over 550 at-bats last year came to 88 runs, 27 home runs, 66 RBIs, and seven steals. Based on this data, the case can be made to rank him fourth at catcher in 2025.
Last season, Contreras posted the highest fly-ball rate (37.1) of his career while continuing to have a high floor in his HR/FB rate (19.7 – 20.3%). His exit velocity (91.6 mph) improved in back-to-back seasons. Over his final 171 at-bats, he hit .263 with 25 runs, nine home runs, 23 RBIs, and two steals. Contreras doesn’t have a middle-of-the-order RBI rate (11.7 in 2024 and 14.7 in his career). The Cardinals gave him 87.7% of his at-bats (301) hitting second and third in the batting order.
Fantasy Outlook: There’s something to be said for a catcher earning more playing time by starting at another position. Contreras checks the power box with some help in speed for a catcher. At the very least, he should offer value in runs and RBIs with 500 at-bats. Possible 30+ home runs with career-highs in the other three counting categories. I do see some batting average risk.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.