New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was left impressed with Team Brazil pitcher Joseph Contreras, who is only 17 years old. The teenager went 1 1/3 innings for the Brazilians and impressively got Judge to ground out into a double play with the bases loaded.
Furthermore, two of the first three pitches he delivered were strikes, and both fastballs topped 97 mph. He issued three walks, allowed two hits, and one earned run while working through command issues during his outing.
Contreras, who is the son of former major league pitcher José Contreras, made a name for himself in his brief appearance as he became the youngest player to appear in a WBC game since 2013.
After the 15-5 win by Team USA over Brazil, Judge shared his true thoughts on the teenage pitcher.
“Impressive,” Judge told reporters (h/t FOX Sports). “I know I wasn’t doing that at 17 years old, that’s for sure. Just great stuff. I feel like he had some poise on the mound. He’s throwing up to 100 miles an hour.
“He’s facing Team USA, a lot of guys he’s probably seen on TV. But it was just impressive. Impressive to see him control himself out there and get out of a big jam. Yeah, some good stuff.”
It will be interesting to see if the teenager uses his outing against one of the tournament favorites to settle in and help Team Brazil avoid finishing in last place, as they have a couple of winnable games, with the first being on March 7 against Team Italy.
Joseph Contreras Draws More Praise Apart From Yankees Star
Moreover, it’s not only Judge who is impressed with Contreras, so are his teammates on Team Brazil.
“He is like 7-foot-8 or something, so it’s funny to see him or look at him as a 17-year-old,” Dante Bichette Jr. said (h/t The Athletic). “But he’s confident — and that’s hard to teach at a young age. Maybe it’s ‘nothing to lose‘ energy, but I hope he maintains that for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa also had major praise for Contreras and noted one pitch that reminds him of the player’s father.
“It’s a big heater,“ DeRosa told FOX Sports during the game about the young pitcher’s fastball. “You see it’s 95, 97. He’s got his dad split, obviously, as well. I mean, what a position for him to be in right there. Bases loaded, Aaron Judge, and he’s able to get out of it. I would like to see another ball go over the fence, but definitely impressive what he’s able to do.”
Joseph Contreras Talks Advice From Father
Before the game against Team USA, Contreras shared the advice his father gave him, as The Athletic learned that the teenager is transforming the former big leaguers’ signature forkball into a “vulcan forkball” he’s getting more comfortable throwing.
“He just told me, ‘The game does not change. Your job is still to execute the pitches. Take deep breaths. Don’t let the game speed up,‘” Joseph said (h/t The Athletic). “He just said, ‘Do what you do best, attack hitters.‘”
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Gets Blunt About Brazil’s Joseph Contreras