First impressions can be powerful. Just ask the Scottish football fans who partied their way out of Fenway Park Sunday night, now believing Willson Contreras is baseball's version of Lionel Messi.
Right place. Right time. Right player.
Baseball's newest fan base, the 'Tartan Army' - which descended upon Fenway Park to watch what would be a 6-4 Red Sox loss to the Rangers - had a few questions in between the singing and chanting. Why is that wall so tall? Do fans get to keep the baseballs that are hit into the stands? And who is this Contreras guy?
While the first two queries are easy to answer, the third is a bit more complicated. The existence of Contreras is, however, worth a longer conversation, both for the kilt-wearing baseball newbies and those who fancy themselves experts of this last-place Red Sox team.
Hitting two more home runs, as Contreras did in the Red Sox's latest home loss, should allow for a deeper dive into how good the first baseman has been. Thanks to the dark cloud that has hovered over the 2026 Red Sox season, it might have taken a fresh set of Scottish eyes to appreciate the season he is having. But nobody should be blind to what this player is delivering.
Contreras has now reached safely in 23 of his last 24 games, totaling a 1.238 OPS and eight homers over that span. Since that May 16 jumping-off point, only one player in MLB has a higher OPS, and his name is Shohei Ohtani.
"Everybody in the dugout knows what he’s capable of," said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy when asked about Contreras after the loss.
And after Sunday, baseball fans both in Boston and Glasgow should join the club.
While the trade deadline has Red Sox fans dreaming of what some of this team's current pieces might fetch, thanks to the desperation of those teams wanting to make a World Series run, Contreras shouldn't be part of the discourse. For starters, he is signed through next season at the fairly reasonable rate of $17 million, with a $20 million club option for 2028.
Then there is the player he has represented.
Simply put, Contreras is part of the solution.
By most metrics, he is one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball. He is a much-needed fiery, veteran voice (as his screaming at the Red Sox's dugout while running to first base late in Sunday's game reminded anyone in earshot), and there is the matter of actually being perfect for the place the Red Sox play 81 times, Fenway Park.
No player in baseball has more pull-side hits (28) in their home park than Contreras. That isn't a small thing.
Contreras has pulled the ball at Fenway 51 times. The Red Sox righty hitter with the next pull-side balls put in play is Ceddanne Rafaela at 38 (17 hits), with the drop off then going to Caleb Durbin at 30 (10 hits).
In case you didn't realize, the Red Sox have a hard time winning games and scoring runs in their home park. Contreras has not been part of that problem, a reality everyone in attendance at Fenway Sunday was smacked in the face with. It's a place where this player is hitting .348 and carrying a 1.059 OPS.
It remains to be seen if the recognition of Contreras will translate into an All-Star appearance, with Ben Rice and Nick Kurtz serving as first base roadblocks to the American League roster. But this we do know: 1. The Red Sox would be in a significantly worse place without Contreras, and 2. This Venezuelan will never have to buy a beer in Edinburgh.
