William Contreras is now one of coolest baseball players ever

The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions . They left no doubt. Ultimately they had no real competition as they breezed through the postseason like a buzzsaw, winning 11 of their 13 games en route to the first title in franchise history. Both of those loses were by one run. One came in extra innings. People throw around the Team of Destiny label pretty loosely. But if ever it applied, this was the case. Analysts can point in any direction at something the Brewers excelled at when it mattered most. For the layperson, it’s only important to know that they did everything right the moment they needed to do it. MORE: Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy takes shot at Yankees during World Series celebration And then there are the vibes. To say they were immaculate would be an understatement. In the dugout and in the clubhouse they were cultivated by Pat Murphy, who was everything. Friend. Mentor. Challenger. Comedian. Master strategist. It’s impossible not to like the guy. Even rival fans have to admit that they’d crawl over broken glass to have him skippering their club through the marathon journey that is a Major League Baseball season. William Contreras has now arrived On the field they were cast by William Contreras. World Series MVP William Contreras. Milwaukee’s unflappable backstop hit .381 in the Fall Classic while gunning down four would-be base stealers and showing spectacular knowledge of the strike zone (10 of 13 on ABS challenges). “I don’t want to offend any of the other catchers in the league,” he said during the postgame celebrations. “The last thing I want to do is offend any of them,” he said. “But sitting up here today, champion of the world, I feel like I’m the best catcher in the league. Again, that’s no disrespect to any of them. That’s the last thing I want to do. But today I feel like I’m the best catcher in the world.” There is no argument here. More importantly, this October cements his place in a special pantheon. One that’s a bit subjective yet no less exclusive. Contreras is one of the coolest players to ever put on a uniform. Perhaps the guy with the most swag to don a mask behind the plate. It doesn’t even feel all that necessary to back up the claim. Yet here’s the short version of the argument. Just watch him. Everything he does is so smooth. The way he sets up. The way he receives. The way he projects immense confidence with the smallest of movements. Catchers are the only player on the field all other teammates look at for most of the game. They must present accordingly and reflect the type of attitude needed. Contreras’ body language is beyond elite. You can’t watch him and not think you’re going to win. Or at the very least fight with everything you have. Contreras’ unmatched cool Then there’s the way he throws the ball back to the pitcher. It is perfectly bloopy. The perfect arc. This is only overshadowed by the absolute blimps he tosses down to third after a strikeout—ones that would sail comfortably over the BFG’s head. It’s just impossibly cool to prove that not only can you throw the ball the hardest, you can throw it the slowest as well. Point is, we get so caught up in numbers in baseball that we lose perspective of a very important and enjoyable metric. Which is: how cool is a player? Seriously, if we get baseball next season, try seeing the sport through this lens. It makes a fan appreciate all the little things and notice all that’s going on in the margins. It’s more of an art than a science but some players break through so violently that there’s no additional evidence needed. Contreras is now a champion. It might not be the only time we’ll say this. The way he does it is special and a privilege to watch.