“I used to watch a lot of the [best catchers in the game], but now I’m watching myself because I know that I’m going to be better than them. That’s my plan. That’s my [mindset],” Willson Contreras said at Cubs Convention back in January. That’s a pretty bold statement, but computers believe Contreras isn’t alone on his own roster when it comes to making good on it.
Thirty starting catchers will squat behind the dish come opening day, but 11 of those backstops are projected to create fewer runs (according to ZiPS) than a trio of Cubs catchers.