Willson Contreras, off to a nightmare start with the St. Louis Cardinals, acknowledged he is going through the worst slump of his career and said he is still «looking for answers.» Contreras went hitless in three at-bats during Monday's loss to the Giants, dropping his batting average to .201 — over 50 points below his career mark.
The three-time All-Star is just 5-for-63 over his last 19 games for the last-place Cardinals. «This is my first time since I've been in the big leagues that I have struggled this bad,» Contreras told MLB.com after Monday's 4-3 loss. «I think I've lost my confidence and I lost my trust, and lost the trust that I came into the season with.
It just went away.» Contreras, 31, signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Cardinals in December after spending his first seven seasons with the rival Cubs but has struggled to replace franchise icon Yadier Molina.
Contreras said he has been «hitting the ball hard» and running into some bad luck, as evidenced by his expected batting average of .246, according to MLB Statcast.