Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Willson Contreras

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Willson Contreras made an impact.

Willson Contreras is a Venezuelan professional baseball player currently playing first base and catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB. Before joining the Cardinals, he played for the Chicago Cubs.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2009: Signs with Chicago Cubs

In 2009, Contreras signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent and made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Cubs, batting .205 in 29 games at age 17.

2010: Dominican Summer League

In 2010, Contreras played in the Dominican Summer League and batted .313 in 17 games at age 18.

2011: Boise Hawks

In 2011, Contreras played with the Boise Hawks.

2012: Boise Hawks

In 2012, Contreras played with the Boise Hawks.

2013: Kane County Cougars

In 2013, Contreras played with the Kane County Cougars.

2014: Daytona Cubs

In 2014, Contreras played with the Daytona Cubs.

2015: Tennessee Smokies and Minor League Player of the Year

In 2015, Contreras played with the Tennessee Smokies and was named the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after batting .333/.413/.478 with eight home runs.

June 17, 2016: MLB Promotion

On June 17, 2016, the Cubs promoted Contreras to the major league team.

2016: MLB Debut and World Series Championship

In 2016, Willson Contreras made his MLB debut and was a member of the World Series champions.

2016: National League Division Series and World Series Win

In Game 4 of the 2016 National League Division Series, Contreras had a pinch-hit two-run single. The Cubs later won the 2016 World Series.

2016: Ranked on Baseball Prospectus' top 101 prospect list

Prior to the 2016 season, Contreras was rated 57th on Baseball Prospectus' top 101 prospect list.

April 2, 2017: Opening Day Starting Catcher

On April 2, 2017, Contreras was the Cubs' opening day starting catcher against the St. Louis Cardinals.

October 18, 2017: Longest Postseason Home Run

On October 18, 2017, in Game Four of the NLCS, Contreras hit the longest postseason home run, at 491 feet (150 m), since Statcast started recording such data in 2015.

2018: All-Star Game Selection

In 2018, Contreras was voted as a starter in the MLB All-Star Game.

2019: All-Star Game Selection and Injury

In 2019, Contreras had a fast start to the season and was named an All-Star. On August 3, 2019, he strained his hamstring and was placed on the injured list.

2020: 60-game season

In the shortened 60-game season in 2020, Contreras played in 57 games with a batting line of .243/.356/.407 with seven home runs and 26 RBI.

2021: Season Stats and No-Hitter

In 2021, Contreras slashed .237/.340/.438 with 21 home runs and 57 RBIs. He also caught the first combined no-hitter in Cubs history against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 24.

May 16, 2022: 100th Career Home Run

On May 16, 2022, Contreras hit a grand slam off of Bryse Wilson for his 100th career home run.

December 9, 2022: Signs with the St. Louis Cardinals

On December 9, 2022, Contreras signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

2022: Free Agent Signing and All-Star Game Selection

In 2022, Contreras was voted as a starter in the MLB All-Star Game. After the 2022 season, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent.

May 6, 2023: Shift to Designated Hitter/Outfield

On May 6, 2023, the Cardinals announced that Contreras would begin to see less time at catcher and more time at designated hitter and in the outfield due to pitchers' performance concerns.

June 5, 2025: 1,000th Career Game and 500th RBI

On June 5, 2025, Contreras played his 1,000th career game against the Kansas City Royals where he hit a game-winning single and recorded his 500th career RBI.