Cubs' Willson Contreras: Showing rapport with Jon Lester
In his second full spring training working with Jon Lester, Contreras is drawing high marks from the veteran left-hander, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Last spring, there was some uncertainty over who would catch Lester after the retirement of David Ross, who had served as the lefty's personal catcher. While Lester's ERA did jump from 2.44 in 2016 with primarily Ross behind the plate to 4.33 last year, Contreras was able to catch 12 of the 31 runners who tried to steal against Lester. Contreras also tied for the MLB lead with six catcher pickoffs. "As far as working with him and the way he goes about it, I love everything he does back there," Lester said. This bodes well for the young catcher's playing time outlook, as he won't be sitting every time Lester starts, though the team will no doubt still look to find regular rest opportunities for Contreras to keep him fresh.
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