Watching Willson Contreras grab his right hamstring in pain while hopping to first on one leg wrecked many a Saturday, but the Cubs fortunately have the depth to handle Contreras’ absence. While Victor Caratini may not be the same offensive force, he has produced 14% more runs than an average hitter this season and his defensive value alone offers comfort.
According to Baseball Prospectus’s framing runs metric, Caratini ranks 26th of 100 qualified catchers. In other words, Caratini has saved more runs than essentially 75% of the league. Baseball Savant’s catch framing metrics also speaks fairly well of Caratini, putting him ahead of 66% of catchers.