William Contreras’ journey from Venezuela to World Series MVP
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William Contreras’ journey from Venezuela to World Series MVP originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
William Contreras’ World Series MVP story began nowhere near a major league stadium. It began in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, where he played baseball with his brothers using balls made from wadded paper and tape.
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As a kid, Contreras was an infielder. He played shortstop and second base, positions where he could stay involved in every play. Then, at 17, he signed with the Atlanta Braves for $10,000 and moved behind the plate. The change became the defining decision of his career.
Contreras came to love catching for the responsibility it carried. “I love being in the middle of the field,” he said. “I love being the only person who has everybody in front of you.” For a young player who had spent years focused on hitting, learning to manage pitchers and control a game from behind the plate demanded a new kind of work.
A catcher’s job is bigger than the box score
Contreras made his major league debut with Atlanta in 2020. Two years later, he became an All-Star, sharing the field with his older brother, Willson, who was already an established major league catcher. William was there as a designated hitter. His career was still moving toward the job that would define him.
WILLIAM CONTRERAS IS THE 2026 WORLD SERIES MVP! https://t.co/I8lsWuAE8d
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2026
Milwaukee acquired Contreras in a three-team trade after the 2022 season. At the time, his bat was ahead of his defense. The Brewers believed he could become more than an offensive catcher, and Contreras embraced the challenge. He worked to build relationships with the pitching staff and improve behind the plate, determined to be a complete player.
The work paid off. Contreras won Silver Slugger Awards in 2023 and 2024, made the All-MLB First Team in 2024 and earned Brewers team MVP honors in consecutive seasons. Milwaukee’s pitchers came to rely on his preparation, his game-calling and his ability to keep a game under control.
That full skill set mattered in the World Series. Contreras hit .381 with four RBIs and an .864 OPS, and he added a crucial RBI double in Game 5 as Milwaukee pulled away from Tampa Bay to clinch its first championship. His value was not limited to the runs he drove in. He was working through every pitch, helping guide a staff that held the Rays to one run in the deciding game.
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The move to Milwaukee changed everything
The trade from Atlanta surprised Contreras. He had spent his entire professional career with the Braves organization, and leaving meant starting over with a new club, a new staff and a new set of expectations. He said the change was a shock, but he quickly focused on earning the Brewers’ trust.
Milwaukee gave him the chance to grow into the catcher he wanted to be. Contreras gave the team a middle-of-the-order bat and a steady hand behind the plate. Over time, the player who once thought of himself primarily as a hitter became the person responsible for taking care of the pitchers.
Now he has a championship and the World Series MVP distinction to go with the years of work that made him an All-Star catcher. His path was not a straight line from prospect to star. It ran through a position change, a long apprenticeship in Atlanta and the demands of becoming the person Milwaukee’s pitchers trusted most.
The boy from Puerto Cabello who once played with a ball made of paper and tape became the catcher at the center of the Brewers’ biggest season. In the World Series, Contreras showed why the position fit him: he could help shape the game from behind the plate, then step up and change it with his bat.