{"id":4895,"date":"2026-07-14T04:07:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T04:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4895"},"modified":"2026-07-14T04:07:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T04:07:05","slug":"willson-contreras-lifting-the-ball-in-the-air-like-hes-never-done-before-has-become-the-red-sox-primary-power-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4895","title":{"rendered":"Willson Contreras, lifting the ball in the air like he\u2019s never done before, has become the Red Sox\u2019 primary power source"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>PHILADELPHIA \u2014 When the Red Sox traded for Willson Contreras in December, most viewed the first baseman as a complementary lineup member rather than a centerpiece. Certainly, as a three-time All-Star and World Series winner, he had impressive credentials, but at 33 (he turned 34 in May), it was fair to wonder what form his contributions might take.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4893\">President Trump endorses businessman Anthony DiLorenzo in contested N.H. congressional primary<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Contreras took note of any questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cBefore this season, a lot of people doubted myself because I\u2019m 34 \u2013 which is normal,\u201d said Contreras. \u201c \u2018He\u2019s getting old. He can\u2019t hit.\u2019 I was like, \u2018OK, cool. Let\u2019s see. Let\u2019s wait and see what this season does.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>To date, the 2026 campaign has been a revelation. Despite opponents game planning for him, Contreras has been a force, hitting .285\/.379\/.542 with 20 homers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He\u2019s putting up numbers that are either near, at, or on pace for career highs in every major offensive category, earning not just his fourth career All-Star selection but also getting his first invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby. So what\u2019s allowed a breakthrough season in his 11th big league season?<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Contreras said nothing has changed in his offensive approach, but opined that he\u2019s more mature in his understanding of the strike zone and approach. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol theorized that Contreras, after three years in St. Louis, has seen his numbers explode by getting out of the power-sapping environment of Busch Stadium. He\u2019s hitting .311\/.407\/.576 with 10 home runs at Fenway this year. He never hit double figures in homers at Busch Stadium during any of his three seasons with the Cardinals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t surprise me. He\u2019s a hard worker. He doesn\u2019t take anything for granted. He doesn\u2019t take any at-bats off,\u201d said Marmol, an NL coach in the All-Star Game. \u201cPutting him in that environment there and in that ballpark, it makes a lot of sense to see what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>David Ross, his former teammate and manager with the Cubs, thought that after spending the first nine years of his career as a catcher (a position where his work was often scrutinized heavily for his framing) and the 2025 season working through a transition to first base, Contreras is now settled at a new, less taxing position in a way that has boosted his production and his reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNow he can focus on hitting a lot more, and he\u2019s turned himself into a really good first baseman,\u201d said Ross. \u201cI think the secret to him coming out and getting more recognition as an amazing hitter, he\u2019s always been able to [hit], but I think in the baseball world we tend to look at what guys don\u2019t do great rather than magnifying what they do well. I think moving him to first has really been the secret to him getting the recognition he deserves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But there\u2019s more. Contreras had been renowned for his all-fields power \u2014 particularly his ability to drive the ball out to center and right-center. It has been a signature since the first pitch he saw in the big leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4891\">Judge denounces Trump\u2019s IRS suit as improper exercise in self-dealing<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFirst at-bat, he hit a changeup out to right-center. I\u2019ll never forget it,\u201d said Ross, recalling Contreras\u2019s homer on the first pitch he ever saw in the big leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cJust an absolute stud when it comes to the big part of the field, having crazy good at-bats, using right-center.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But in the last two years \u2014 and particularly this year \u2014 he\u2019s evolved. He\u2019s hitting the ball on the ground less than ever, with a career-low 40 percent ground-ball rate, down from a career 49 percent rate. And just as significantly, he\u2019s started pulling the ball more than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Most of his contact in the air came to center and right field during the first eight years of his career. Last year with the Cardinals, he had a roughly equal distribution of fly balls to all fields. This year, his emergence as one of the best power hitters in baseball coincides with a jump in the frequency with which he\u2019s pulling the ball in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span>Of the balls he\u2019s put in play, 26 percent have been pulled in the air, almost doubling his career rate of 15 percent. The results have been spectacular: A .690 average, 1.690 slugging mark, and 16 homers on the 59 balls he\u2019s pulled in the air this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Did Contreras shift his sights to pull the ball?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNot really,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a hitter that, I don\u2019t like to pull the ball, to be honest, because once you start pulling the ball, that\u2019s when the swing comes out of the strike zone real quick, and you start hitting ground balls. My focus is [on pitches] middle, middle-away, to stay on that, and then if they pitch [inside], try to react. But the reality is that I\u2019m not trying to pull the ball.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Regardless of intention, there\u2019s no denying the outcome: Contreras has been a force, one who has at times carried a Red Sox offense that has lacked another reliable power source.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s crazy,\u201d said his brother, Brewers All-Star catcher William Contreras. \u201cIt\u2019s the best year of his life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4889\">With threats rising, Supreme Court asks Congress to increase security funds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He\u2019s hitting .311\/.407\/.576 with 10 home runs at Fenway this year. He never hit double figures in homers at Busch Stadium during any of his three seasons with the Cardinals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Willson Contreras, lifting the ball in the air like he\u2019s never done before, has become the Red Sox\u2019 primary power source - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4895\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Willson Contreras, lifting the ball in the air like he\u2019s never done before, has become the Red Sox\u2019 primary power source - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"He\u2019s hitting .311\/.407\/.576 with 10 home runs at Fenway this year. 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