There was a point, amidst the disappointingly-insouciant doldrums the 2021 Braves endured in May and June, that William Contreras was a positive glimmer adrift in a lagoon of blah. Thrust into the starting catcher role despite not making the Opening Day roster due to a bunch of backstop injuries, Contreras hit the ground running. He reached base twice in both of his first two starts of the year, and then went 2-for-4 with a homer in his third game. He had a 153 wRC+ through his first 10 games of the season, and it was still above-average at 117 after 20 contests.
William Contreras and the oddly-specific short-lived issue
