6 years agoThere’s no question Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is among the elite at the position but is he still a top-three choice on draft day? It’s worth remembering a lot is going on here both on and off the field. Last season Contreras finished with similar numbers in the walk and strikeouts column, but his power numbers fell significantly short of expectations. After becoming the second Cubs catcher to hit 20 HR over the last 20 years in 2017, Contreras struggled even to halve that total last year, finishing with just 10 HR and only 54 RBI. There’s the hamstring injury, his contract situation, and the current political climate in Venezuela to consider, but there’s no denying opposing pitchers have figured out how to approach the 26-year-old. Contreras’ hard contact rate of 28.9% ranked 128th out of 140 qualified hitters last season due to his struggles against breaking balls. He swung and missed at breaking balls a career-high 52% of the time, although it is worth remembering just how dangerous he can be against fastballs. To answer the question, Contreras is still a top-three choice behind J.T. Realmuto and Gary Sanchez, and given his ADP of 139, he should be available in the later rounds. Taking into account his age, as well as the paper-thin value at the position, Contreras deserves a mulligan.--Ryan Cook