Ross knows about the challenge of Contreras' workload
As a former catcher, Cubs manager David Ross has a good idea of how difficult a job Willson Contreras has. Besides handling all the pitchers from behind the plate, Contreras has been the catalyst of the Cubs offense this week, with 4 home runs in the last three games.
"It's a really hard skill set to find," Ross said. "We put so much importance on game-calling, pitch-framing, the defensive side and what you do for your pitchers. That in itself could be enough. And yet he comes out, two-time all-star, can really hit. He's got power, is a really tough at-bat, really brings us energy on a nightly basis.
"It's extremely difficult. When you're not having a good offensive day, you have to turn that off when you put the gear on and walk out there behind the plate and have to transfer into a totally different mindset and care about your pitcher, care about getting outs, care about keeping us in the game. You don't have time to focus on your swing or whether or not you're feeling good in the box."
Contreras has always had a rocket arm. There's been a lot of talk in recent years about how much he's improved with the more subtle aspects of catching/
"When you're back there catching and you care a lot about pitch-calling and your pitcher out there and maybe they're not having a nice night," Ross said. "That's kind of depressing as a former catcher when that guy on the mound is not performing to the standards you set for him or that he sets for himself.
"Then you have to turn that off as well and get in the box and be positive about your performance and focus in on your at-bat. As an outfielder, you can go out there and kind of check out for a minute. You can't do that behind the plate. It's a rare skill set and I've seen him continue to mature in so many ways in those areas."
Twitter:@McGrawDHBulls