William Contreras' latest home run milestone is a testament to his unparalleled consistency

Reaching individual milestones at the plate is inevitably more difficult for catchers than other position players, with the simple explanation being that catchers play fewer games than their peers.

Starting catchers, who man the most physically demanding position on the diamond, typically play 110-120 games per season, earning a day off roughly once every four games. Milwaukee Brewers' All-Star catcher William Contreras is therefore something of an anomaly as he's played more than 141 games in each of the last three seasons, and is on pace to do so once again this year. During the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, the iron-man Contreras started more than 150 games, which is almost unheard of for a big-league backstop these days. Yes, Contreras earns the occasional start at DH, but even still he's leading all of MLB with 117 starts at the catcher position already this year.

The result of this impressive ability to stay on the field and start nearly every game despite battling minor injuries and fatigue throughout the grueling 162-game season, is that Contreras earns more plate appearances than the average big-league catcher. To this point in his career, the 28-year-old Contreras has made excellent use of those additional opportunities. So much so, that with a home run on Wednesday night against Chicago Cubs' starter Kevin Gausman, Contreras reached the 100 career homer mark, despite having just five full seasons in MLB to his name.

William Contreras' iron-man mentality is a big reason for his quick path to 100 career home runs as a catcher

"The consistency comes from being able to stay healthy," said Contreras via team translator Daniel de Mondesert after Wednesday night's victory. "All the work I put in during the offseason to help me stay healthy and be able to reach [100 home runs]. I'm just trying to go out there every day and give whatever I can. Give the best that I can to the team."

It doesn't happen simply by chance, Contreras' ability to play upwards of 155 games in a season despite the physically demanding nature of being a big-league catcher that is. Rather, it takes hard work, especially during the offseason, as the Brewers' All-Star backstop noted last night. That hard work has certainly paid off.

In each of his first four full seasons in the major leagues, three of which came with the Brewers, Contreras crushed between 17 and 23 home runs, proving that it's not just his consistency in regard to playing time that's allowed him to reach this impressive milestone, but also his consistency at the plate that's led to 100 career longballs. With 14 homers to his name this year, Contreras will need a strong finish to the season to continue his four-year streak of crushing 17 homers, but it's by no means out of the question.

The next milestone that Contreras is chasing is becoming the Brewers' franchise leader for the most homers by a catcher. With 72 homers in a Brewers uniform, Contreras is just seven home runs shy of current leader Jonathan Lucroy. If the Brewers' All-Star backstop is back for his final season before free agency next year, he will almost certainly pass Lucroy, but if Milwaukee trades him this offseason, he may come up frustratingly short.

Regardless of the next milestone, the one Contreras reached last night is beyond impressive. Reaching 100 home runs in just five full seasons is undoubtedly a testament to Contreras' toughness and his consistency. His ability to show up for his team day in and day out doesn't just make him a good teammate; it gives him a unique ability to continue racking up impressive milestones throughout his MLB career.

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