Willson Contreras calmed down Christopher Morel before hitting a walk-off

Willson Contreras didn’t lead the Chicago Cubs away Wednesday night, but he deserves an RBI for helping Christopher Morel on the plate.

To say it hasn’t been a great season for them Chicago Cubs is to dramatically undercut how awful things are.

The gentle remodeling that the Cubs front office sold to fans last year was a complete disaster — or went exactly as fans expected when it was pitched. The Cubs are one of the worst teams in baseball, which is what you’d expect from a team with no starting talent.

All is not bad at Wrigley, however. Despite the dreadful season, Wilson Contreras has been a bright spot for a number of reasons. Not only is he the last bastion of the World Series core, but you wouldn’t tell from his approach to the team that things were going so badly.

This week was a perfect example of why Contreras has become both a fan favorite and clubhouse leader during his time on the team.

When Christopher Morel stepped onto the plate in the 10th inning of a tie against the hated Milwaukee Brewers, he had a guardian angel of sorts on his shoulder. Jayson Heyward was on base and represented the tie run, which meant Morel didn’t just step on the plate, but stepped into a clutch moment.

Then he turned and looked around at Contreras on deck, who was helping him in a way rarely seen in a clubhouse manager.

Contreras take a deep breath, Morel take a deep breath, moments later the game-winning run crosses the plate.

How cool is that?

It’s a bit bittersweet, though. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that Contreras will trade at the close as the Cubs sell the last remaining piece of their World Series core to the highest bidder.

Unlike the Cubs who appear to have screwed up trades involving Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez, the return for Contreras could end up being better than anything Chicago received as of last season’s deadline. Not only is Contreras playing extremely well this season, but the appeal of a rival team acting for him lies in his leadership skills in the clubhouse.

Take a look at his interaction with Morel for everything you need to know about the impact he can have on his teammates and in clutch moments – even when he’s not the one at the plate.