Willson Contreras cites batting stance change as to why he’s mad at Brewers

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras even changed his batting stance, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Brewers from plunking him.

Willson Contreras has been hit 15 times by the Brewers in just the past few years.

Even he acknowledges that some of those HBPs may have been exaggerated due to a batting stance that took away the inside part of the plate for pitchers. But as of 2022, Contreras changed his batting stance to leave that area exposed. Unfortunately, it didn’t make much of a difference, and Contreras was still hit with two pitches against Milwaukee to open the season.

“Last year, I get I was on top of the plate. This year, I’m farther back off the plate and still getting hit. Big league pitchers know how to command the fastball. I get it, it’s cold, they don’t have the same grip. But just realizing if I was a pitcher and I don’t have the command of the fastball to go in, I just don’t go in,” Contreras said.

Cubs: Willson Contreras unhappy with Brewers pitchers

The Cubs took two out of three from the Brewers to start the season, and Contreras didn’t play on Sunday to avoid further drama. The benches cleared on Saturday after the Cubs hit Andrew McCutchen in the back.

Contreras knows that the Brewers aren’t hitting him on purpose. But as a pitching staff that likes to claim the inside part of the plate, they’re playing with fire.

“Being hit that many times is not fun,” Contreras said. “I know they’re not trying to but if you don’t have the command to go in, just don’t go in because you’re gonna get somebody hurt. I’m not trying to get hurt by a hit-by-pitch.”

Hopefully, the Brewers can fix their control issues before the next series against the Cubs, or else we’re bound to see more fireworks.