The Brewers won both games, so William Contreras’ missed blocks never became the headline. But they were there, three times in two nights, and each one had enough juice to matter.
In Game 1, Jacob Misiorowski bounced a curveball that was so sharp it looked more like a slider. Contreras couldn’t smother it, and a strikeout stayed alive instead of ending the inning. That ball could have opened the door to a bigger problem, but Misiorowski shut it down anyway with a ground ball and a double play.
The very next inning brought another escape attempt. Aaron Ashby snapped off a breaking ball, Contreras didn’t get in front of it, and two runners moved up.
Again, the Brewers survived. Ashby did his part, and Contreras helped earlier by throwing out Dustin Harris trying to steal, which kept the situation from getting worse.
Then came Game 2, and Logan Henderson’s changeup fooled everybody, catcher included. That wild pitch pushed a runner into scoring position, and the runner later scored, making the game tighter for Milwaukee the rest of the way.
Officially, all three pitches were wild pitches, which means the box score puts the blame on the pitcher. But catching is never that clean. When the ball gets away, there’s usually some shared responsibility.
That’s what makes Contreras’ current stretch so worth watching. For most of his career, he has handled the blocking side of the job well.
Statcast credited him with 7 blocks above average, worth 2 runs in runner advancements denied, from 2023 through 2025. This season, though, the numbers have taken a hit: -7 Blocks Above Average and -2 Blocking Runs, with only six other qualifying catchers posting worse marks.
The decline shows up in the details. Contreras is missing balls he used to corral, including ones to his glove side that he handled more cleanly last year.
On the Ashby pitch, his setup looked different than it did in the comparison from last season, with his shoulders more square to the pitch. That may sound minor, but in his usual right-knee-down stance, the earlier angle gave him more room to glide toward the ball without rising too much.
That stance is a demanding one to begin with. From there, a catcher has to shift his weight smoothly, stay low, and move with control instead of lunging.
Right now, Contreras doesn’t seem to have that same gear. He’s not getting to those balls quickly enough, and the smaller movements that add up to a block just aren’t as crisp as they were before.
Fatigue has to be part of the picture. Contreras has caught more innings than anyone in the majors since the start of 2025, including regular season and postseason, and he also caught innings in the World Baseball Classic.
That kind of workload would wear on anybody. But technique matters too, and there are adjustments he can make.
The Brewers have already gotten away with it in these two games. They may not be so lucky if it keeps happening.
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