Cubs vs. Nationals NLDS Game 5: 3 X-factors for Chicago

3. Willson Contreras

The Cubs have a deep and talented group of position players. Guys like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and even Javier Baez get the most attention, but Willson Contreras is arguably the most important piece of this lineup.

Contereas is an extremely gifted catcher who has had a great offensive season. In his first full big league season, Contreras hit .276/.356/.499 with 21 home runs. When Joe Maddon inserted Contreras in the fourth spot of the Chicago lineup, the offense really took off. Contreras offers elite protection to Bryant and Rizzo in the Cubs lineup and makes their offense drastically more dangerous.

While it is not for sure, I expect that the left-handed Gonzalez will take the mound for the Nationals on Thursday. Contreras hit lefties at an impressive .279/.394/.523 clip this season. In the first four games of this series against the Nationals, Contreras only has two hits in 15 plate appearances. That being said, one of those hits was a long home run in Game 2 against, you guessed it, Gio Gonzalez.

Anything can happen in a one-game sample size. But the Cubs know they can count on guys like Bryant and Rizzo. An explosive Contreras really takes their entire offense to the next level, and this likely matchup against Gonzalez is ideal.

When Contreras is going strong, he balances out the Cubs lineup extremely well. With an ideal matchup against Gonzalez, if Chicago comes away with a Game 5 victory, I expect that Contreras is a major part of it.