Willson Contreras has ‘a feeling’ this is not his last All-Star Game in a Cubs uniform
Maybe it’s just a hunch for Willson Contreras.
“But to be honest I don’t feel like this is gonna be my last [All-Star Game] with a Cubs uniform,” Contreras told reporters at media day for the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. “I don’t know why. I haven’t had talks with the team, I haven’t had anything, but it’s just a feeling that I have that this is not gonna be my last one with the Cubs. It’s something that I’ve been feeling throughout the year.”
Regardless, Contreras is trying his best to not look at it that way. He knows what the Cubs mean to him — the organization where he has spent half his life.
“They were the first team that gave me the opportunity to become a pro baseball player,” Contreras said. “I will always be thankful with them no matter what happens. No matter what the future holds, no matter what the outcome is.
“I feel like Chicago will always be my home even if I end up playing in a different city. I’m just proud that everything that I did, that I’ve been doing for the Chicago Cubs for the last 14 years.”
That’s what’s been important to Contreras. He wants to be somewhere where he’s valued, where he feels at home — like Chicago has felt.
“It’s more where am I gonna be happy,” Contreras said. “Where I’m gonna be, where my family’s gonna be happy. I know that we all want to win, and I want to win. I love to win, but I also wanna be somewhere that I feel happy about it, that I know that the fans are gonna have my back and everything.”
Contreras is taking in every moment of his All-Star experience. It’s the third time he’s participated in the Midsummer Classic but it doesn’t feel like a run-of-the-mill moment for the Venezuelan.
“It feels like it’s the first time here,” Contreras said. “Especially that I get to spend time with my brother, it’s just even better. I’m really enjoying every single second of this amazing experience. Hopefully we can make it more than 3 times.”
Contreras and his brother William will be hitting back-to-back in the NL lineup on Tuesday — another memorable moment the pair have had this season. Willson said that seven of his family members made the trek to L.A. — his parents, his brother Willmer, his sister-in-law, his niece and William and Willson.
“I’m really happy,” Contreras said. “This is something that I think they deserve more than I do everything that we go through as a family and we are just enjoying the moment.”
That’s what he’s relishing in this week. He’s not too concerned about the future. He’s focused on living in the moment and soaking it all in — like he’s done all season.
“The moments that I had in Chicago, it’s just a lifetime and everything that I’ve experienced there it’s just amazing,” Contreras said. “No matter what the future holds, no matter what the outcome is, I will always feel that I will always be able to come to Chicago and play there or even live there. Who doesn’t love Chicago, right? I just have a feeling that this is not gonna be my last time with the Chicago uniform.”