When the Braves drafted Shea Langeliers #9 overall in the 2019 MLB June Amateur draft, was that a sign that William Contreras was no longer considered their starting catcher of the future?
- Born: December 24, 1997
- B/T: Right/Right
- 6’0″, 180lb
- Signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2015 out of Venezuela.
The Numbers


It’s a chart of beauty when a player moves up each level and the skills improve each level. Then there’s the chart above which does the exact opposite…
It certainly makes sense that as the competition gets tougher, the numbers would take a step back, but we still like to see growing young men improve even as their competition improves. While Contreras has always been young for his level, and catching is the position where we are most forgiving of slow development, it hurts my eyes to see just about every skill back up. Even when he moved from High-A to Double-A in 2019, his skills regressed as he moved.
Was seeing this the reason the Braves drafted Langeliers?



But we can also see a late-season turnaround, the one thing that gives us hope for his future. To dig yourself out of that deep hole and put yourself back in respectable OPS territory by September, while playing behind the plate every day, is very, very impressive. He was so bad early in the year, the numbers don’t capture it. That graph does, and that’s why we try to learn visually!
The Scouts
- Rotowire: Not on their Top 400 prospects.
- BaseballHQ: Not on their Top 100.
- Fangraphs: #118 on their Top 120.
- Fantasy Six Pack: #136 on their Top 750 Dynasty list.
- Prospects365: Not on Ray Butler’s Top 200.
- Imaginary Brick Wall: #240 of the Top 487.
Warnings
Who is the real William Contreras, the one who cratered early in the season, or the one who dug himself out of the hole late in the season?
Can he get starting playing time in the majors without a trade now that the Braves drafted Langeliers? Is Contreras even going to be good enough to be a starter anywhere?
Or is this a case of a catcher taking time to develop?
Conclusion
But the scouts are divided between thinking he will be a starting catcher or a reserve catcher. Sounds as if the Braves are a bit divided too. Will it take a trade for Contreras to reach his full potential?