Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras has been named World Series MVP after powering his club to its first championship in franchise history. The William Contreras World Series MVP honor caps a remarkable postseason in which he batted .381 and won 10 of 13 ABS challenges against the Tampa Bay Rays.
William Contreras (Credits: ESPN)
Contreras delivered at the plate and behind it across all five games of the Fall Classic, slashing .381/.435/.429 with four RBIs as Milwaukee closed out the series with a 4-1 win in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. In the clincher, he drove in an insurance run in the sixth inning with an RBI double that scored Christian Yelich from first.
William Contreras World Series MVP: Bat, Glove and ABS Mastery
What set Contreras apart was his command of the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, used for the first time in a World Series. He went 10-for-13 on appeals in the series and 21-for-32 across the whole postseason, a 66 percent success rate that beat his regular-season mark and repeatedly swung momentum toward Milwaukee’s pitching staff.
His defense told a similar story. After grading out below average during the regular season, Contreras was a plus defender in October, guiding a staff that held Tampa Bay to just 2.4 runs per game in the series. Teammates were quick to credit him, with reliever Aaron Ashby noting that the team simply is not the same without its everyday catcher behind the plate.
A Dream Year for the Brewers Catcher
The MVP award is the latest milestone in a dream year for the 28-year-old. He helped Venezuela win its first World Baseball Classic title in March, earned his third All-Star selection in July, and now owns a World Series ring. He also starred earlier in the playoffs, hitting .357 in an NLCS sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers after homering twice in the Division Series against San Diego.
Contreras becomes just the eighth catcher ever voted World Series MVP, and the first since Salvador Perez in 2015. Moments after lifting the trophy, he embraced his older brother Willson, a World Series winner himself with the 2016 Chicago Cubs, and draped a Venezuelan flag over his shoulders as the celebration unfolded.
Also Read: Brewers Capture First World Series Title in Franchise History With 4-1 Game 5 Win Over Rays | Way-Too-Early 2027 MLB Power Rankings: Are the Brewers No. 1?
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
