For the second consecutive year, Contreras wins team MVP
We’re concluding our rankings of the Brewers’ 10 most valuable players in 2024 with catcher William Contreras. Contreras finished the season with 4.9 bWAR and 5.4 fWAR, both good for best on the team.
The selection of Contreras as the team MVP shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Contreras led the team in not only WAR, but also hits (167), runs (99), doubles (37), batting average (.315), on-base percentage (.365), and slugging (.466) among qualified hitters.
All of that led to Contreras being named an All-Star for the second time in his career, his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award, an All-MLB First Team selection, and a fifth-place finish in NL MVP voting, behind only Shohei Ohtani, Francisco Lindor, Ketel Marte, and Marcell Ozuna.
Like Adames, Contreras’ Baseball Savant page is also filled with a whole lot of red, as he ranks in the 80th percentile or better in most batting categories. He’s in the 90th percentile in xwOBA (.358), the 83rd percentile in xBA (.269), the 86th percentile in xSLG (.471), the 94th percentile in average exit velocity (92.8 mph), the 91st percentile in hard-hit rate (49.5%), the 86th percentile in bat speed (74.7 mph), and the 90th percentile in walk rate (11.5%).
Overall, Contreras’ batting run value grades out to the 92nd percentile, a step up from his 84th percentile finish in 2023. Contreras also stole a career-high nine bases, breaking his 2023 mark of six stolen bases. And while his defensive metrics took a step back, he improved enough at the plate to more than make up for it.
On a team-friendly contract that will keep him from hitting free agency until after the 2027 season, Contreras figures to remain a cornerstone of Milwaukee’s roster for years to come.
Contreras concludes our 2024 MVBrewers series but be sure to check out the honorable mentions below.
- William Contreras (4.9 bWAR, 5.4 fWAR)
- Willy Adames (3.1 bWAR, 4.8 fWAR)
- Jackson Chourio (3.8 bWAR, 3.9 fWAR)
- Tobias Myers (2.7 bWAR, 2.2 fWAR)
- Brice Turang (4.7 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR)
- Freddy Peralta (2.6 bWAR, 2.3 fWAR)
- Christian Yelich (2.2 bWAR, 3.0 fWAR)
- Joey Ortiz (2.7 bWAR, 3.1 fWAR)
- Trevor Megill (1.3 bWAR, 1.0 fWAR)
- Sal Frelick (2.1 bWAR, 1.5 fWAR)
Honorable Mentions (sorted by bWAR): Bryan Hudson (2.5 WAR), Garrett Mitchell (2.0 WAR), Blake Perkins (1.8 WAR), Jared Koenig (1.5 WAR), Devin Williams (1.4 WAR)