4 observations about the Brewers catchers heading into the 2024 season

In 2023, the Milwaukee Brewers pulled off a feat quite rare in this day and age of baseball.

They got through the entire season using only two catchers.

William Contreras and Victor Caratini combined to catch all 1,470 regular-season and postseason innings for the Brewers. That's something that since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season has happened only five other times.

The Brewers, most likely, will not be as fortunate in 2024 and will have to rely on more than two bodies to put on the tools of ignorance.

While Contreras returns for his second season in Milwaukee, Caratini, his reliable backup last year, signed a two-year, $12 million contract with Houston this winter. The Brewers enter camp with a handful of options to replace Caratini, from Eric Haase to Austin Nola to Brian Navarreto to top prospect Jeferson Quero.

Milwaukee also reached a tentative agreement with Gary Sánchez last week, but the team has yet to announce the deal as it has not been officially agreed upon yet.

No matter who is ultimately lines up next to Contreras on the depth chart, much will be expected out of the position in 2024. The Brewers led all of baseball in Wins Above Replacement from their catchers last year, and given the questions surrounding other areas of the team heading into this spring, they will need arguably their greatest strength to remain a bright spot.

Coming off a superb season, William Contreras can still get better

Former Brewers manager Craig Counsell raved about Contreras’ potential toward the end of last season in a way that made you take notice, saying that he might just be scratching the surface on offense.

If that's the case, then Contreras, who won a Silver Slugger and finished 11th in MVP voting last year, has a real chance to be one of the best players in the game.

To do so, though, Contreras will need to continue making strides. What might be some of those areas?

It probably starts with his batted ball profile. The only Brewers hitter with a higher ground ball rate than Contreras’ mark of 55% was Christian Yelich at 57.3%. Coincidentally, Yelich and Contreras also had the two highest OPS figures on the team on balls hit in the air last year, according to Statcast. It's a simple equation: more balls in the air for both equals more damage.

Contreras has the power potential for 25-plus homers and marries it with an all-fields approach. But to tap into that fully, the Brewers will need some more elevation out of Contreras.

Aside from that, there’s nothing to fret about in Contreras’ batting profile. His plate discipline is solid, belied by league-average plate discipline numbers across the board. Contreras took a step forward in that area last year.

On defense, Contreras excelled as a pitch-framer and blocker, while the Brewers also lauded his preparation for games. The area for improvement behind the plate is throwing out runners, which Contreras did at only a 17% clip as base stealers were successful across the league at record rates.

Gary Sánchez not with the Brewers yet

The Brewers still have not announced the signing the veteran Sánchez, which was first reported Feb. 7.

The Brewers had no comment on the situation to the Journal Sentinel when pitchers and catchers reported Wednesday, and, though intent from both sides is still to work through a deal, it’s unclear whether the 31-year-old backstop will wind up with Milwaukee.

If Sánchez does sign, it would be a great fit for the Brewers.

Backup catcher and third base remain the team’s two greatest areas of need. Given the lack of a market at third base remaining – aside from Matt Chapman – it makes all the sense for Milwaukee to shore up its backup catcher position.

Sánchez not only had a .792 OPS in 72 games with San Diego last year and carries a .779 career OPS but also plays solid defense. That combination of bat and glove would allow the Brewers to be comfortable giving Contreras plenty of rest from catching while keeping his offense in the lineup at designated hitter.

The backup option behind the backup option

The status of Sanchez’s contract affects Eric Haase more than anyone else in the Brewers clubhouse.

Signed to a split contract worth $1 million in the majors in 2024, Haase would be the Brewers' No. 2 catcher if Sanchez is not around. If the Brewers do sign Sanchez, Haase would have to clear waivers to remain in the organization. If he did – which would seem likely at this point – Haase would receive an agreed-upon minor-league rate, as per his split contract.

Haase, 31, was excellent for Detroit in 2021-22, mashing 36 homers in 208 games and recording a .748 OPS while playing primarily in pitcher-friendly Comerica Park.

His offense took a nosedive last year, driven by a heavy downturn in power production as he batted .201 with a .247 OBP and .281 slugging percentage in 89 games between Detroit and Cleveland.

Haase’s history certainly makes him a viable backup candidate, but given the questions about his power and plate discipline after a trepidatious 2023, it’s not difficult to see why Milwaukee’s front office continued to seek more catching help late into the off-season.

Jeferson Quero is waiting in the wings

The reports on Quero this off-season have been almost exclusively nothing short of glowing. The Athletic’s Keith Law called Quero “a future two-way star” as he ranked him the No. 12 prospect in all of baseball. Quero is generally seen as a consensus top 50 prospect in the league by other prospect outlets, as well.

The Brewers made the no-brainer decision to protect Quero from the Rule 5 draft this winter by placing him on their 40-man roster. This puts Quero on the doorstep of the majors, but there also will be no rush to push him before he’s ready.

Unlike his counterparts last season at Class AA Biloxi, Jackson Chourio and Tyler Black, Quero may not debut in 2024 – and if he does it likely would be later in the year, barring a series of injuries at catcher.

Quero’s defensive skills are elite, but offense is often slower to progress in young catchers. Quero, who doesn’t turn 22 until October, has made huge strides at the plate, improving his pitch selection and contact rates, but has yet to see a single pitch at Class AAA. Milwaukee wisely will want to get Quero fully acclimated at Nashville, both in terms of handling a more advanced pitching staff and getting a healthy dose of at-bats at that level.

Once Quero is ready for the majors, the Brewers will have an incredibly talented catcher tandem.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 4 observations about Milwaukee Brewers catchers for 2024 MLB season