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Atlanta Braves: William Contreras promoted – what this means for Shea Langeliers

By Clint Manry

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 01: The Atlanta Braves stand prior to the National Anthem before facing the Chicago Cubs April 01, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 01: The Atlanta Braves stand prior to the National Anthem before facing the Chicago Cubs April 01, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: The mask of catcher Brett Hayes #9 of the Florida Marlins (not pictured) is shown between plays against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 28, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves promoted their 7th ranked prospect, William Contreras. What does this mean for him and the recently drafted Shea Langeliers?

The Atlanta Braves have been busy the past couple of days. Just a day after top-30 prospect, outfielder Trey Harris, was promoted to Florida, the Fire Frogs catcher, William Contreras, earns a move to the next level.

The Rundown

The 21-year-old and younger brother of Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, William Contreras signed with the Atlanta Braves as a teenager and played with the Braves Single-A team (Rome) last season for 82 games, before being promoted mid-season to the Florida Fire Frogs (High-A).

Contreras played 23 games with Florida in 2018, batting .253 with seven doubles.

His time in Rome was the best stint of his professional career, as he belted 11 home runs, 17 doubles, finishing with a career-high .463 SLG%.

As far as 2019 goes, Contreras so far had stayed put in Florida, producing mixed results at the plate. He’s lacking last year’s power in Rome, only managing three home runs this season for the Fire Frogs.

Overall, here’s what Contreras tallied while with Florida in 2019 (50 games):

  • .263/.324/.368
  • .692 OPS
  • 11 doubles
  • 3 home runs
  • 22 RBI
  • 7.3 BB%
  • 23.1 K%

Contreras’ Background

In his first taste of pro ball, Contreras had an outstanding debut for the Braves Dominican Summer team. He hit .314 with a .783 OPS in 49 games for the DSL Braves in 2015, showing the organization that he was ready to move to the next step.

The following year he made his Gulf Coast League debut, playing 30 games in 2016. While in the GCL, Contreras played well, once again showing plenty of promise with the bat and hit .264 with one home run.

His defense was mixed, lacking the elite skills to consistently keep balls in front of him from behind the plate; though, it was reported that he had an excellent move to second on would-be base stealers.

In 2017 and at 19-years-old, Contreras played 45 games for the Danville Braves (rookie ball). There he hit four home runs and batted .290 with an .811 OPS.

The young catcher wasn’t just a young player in the organization, he was now a prospect and potential future big league catcher.

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