In the absence of Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers, Alex Jackson continues to prove that he is merely an AAAA player right now, someone who thrives on AAA but cannot hit the water in the ocean at the major league level. He is currently a 0-17 career hitter with 9 Ks in the majors. I haven’t given up on Alex, but under the circumstances, William Contreras needs to start most days and should take over as the third receiver when Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers return.
Contreras gained a lot of attention in his early days in the minor leagues by being the brother of Willson Contreras, the All-Star receiver for the Cubs, and is slowly showing that he may not be in his shadow for much longer, hitting .667. with a 1,500 OPS in his first major league series. Even though it’s only six at-bats, Braves fans are legitimately ecstatic. He had a clutch hit in additional innings against New York on Saturday and followed with three singles on Sunday in his first start. And as good as he has been with the club, he has been as efficient behind the plate, calling the game and keeping the balls in front of him. After his fiery start, many Braves fans call him to stay on the roster when d’Arnaud and Flowers are ready, but is that a possibility?
To be frank, probably not. As fantastic as William has looked, he has never played above the AA ball, and in a 60 game season, you have to put your best foot forward. Contreras oozes with potential, but unless he goes nuclear in this next series before the Braves return to Atlanta, I hope he is chosen for the minor league camp. He is not the first player to get off to a good start after being called. Do you remember Austin Riley? He seemed to be on his way to hitting 40 bombs in 120 games last year, but after ripping off the top of the ball, he ended the season in a mega depression. And Riley was exponentially more advanced in his development than Contreras at the time. It has been fun to watch the young prospect thrive on his first contact with the big league ball, but his success at the plate is probably not sustainable. While that may sound disappointing at the moment, it has given us some insight into his bright future, and he should certainly be increasing the prospect charts.
