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The St Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in baseball. They are 13-4 in their last 17 games and second in the National League Central. The Cardinals have gotten solid production from new first baseman Willson Contreras, who is a converted catcher. But it is his play in the field that has garnered his teammates' attention. ESPN's Jeff Passan asked about his aggressive bunt defense and got great reactions from the St Louis players.
“Contreras is in his first season as a first baseman, and even if the situation called for him to crash toward the plate — eighth inning, 1-0 lead, runners on first and second with no outs and Kansas City's Jonathan India squaring to bunt on the first two pitches — Contreras stationed himself 51 feet away, like a bunt scarecrow, as if to invite a swing from someone who routinely hits baseballs more than 100 mph,” Passan wrote.
Nolan Arenado told him to, “Scoot back a little.” Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas thought, “I was afraid [India] was going to take a swing and kill him.” Lars Nootbarr picked up on it from the outfield, “He's a savage.”
While all of his Cardinals teammates thought he was nuts, Contreras channeled his inner Ivan Drago. “I don't care. I'm not afraid. If I'm gonna die, I'll die right there.”
Contreras signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Cardinals before the 2023 season. He broke in with the Cubs, picking up three All-Star nods in seven years. Since joining the Cardinals, he has been an above-average hitter and a solid defensive catcher. After an injury last year and Paul Goldschmidt's offseason departure, Contreras moved to first base.
The Cardinals are going all-in on defense through their rebuilding years. Nolan Arenado is the perfect player to build around with that mentality. And with a first baseman willing to go all in, the Cardinals are playing strong defense.
