Moises Ballesteros is one of the most precocious and gifted hitting prospects in the game, yet he also presents something of a development dilemma.
Ballesteros has succeeded everywhere he has gone, reaching Triple-A midway through his age-20 season in 2024 and ranking second in the International League in batting (.368) this spring as its third-youngest qualifier. But his offense is well ahead of his defense behind the plate and he's not ready to catch in the big leagues on a regular basis.
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So what to do when Ballesteros has nothing left to prove in the Minors with his bat but still needs considerable polish with his receiving, blocking and throwing skills? Ian Happ's oblique injury will give the Cubs an opportunity to see how Ballesteros' offensive game will translate to the Majors without requiring him to spend much, if any, time catching big league pitchers.
The National League Central-leading Cubs are placed Happ on the 10-day injured list before their Tuesday game against the Marlins and replaced him on the roster with Ballesteros. Usual DH Seiya Suzuki has replaced three-time Gold Glover Happ in left field, with 40-year-old Justin Turner getting extra at-bats at DH amid his worst season since becoming a big league regular in 2011. It's unclear if the lefty-hitting Ballesteros will platoon with the righty-swinging Turner or get the majority of the DH starts regardless of the opposing starter.
Ballesteros turned pro out of Venezuela in 2021 for $1.2 million, the second-largest bonus among all catchers as well as among Cubs signees in that year's international class. He immediately stood out with his control of the strike zone, ranking 12th overall and fourth among 17-year-olds in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League with a 31/24 BB/K ratio in his pro debut.
Ranked No. 61 on MLB Pipeline's freshly updated Top 100 Prospects list, Ballesteros has a sweet and quick left-handed stroke that translates into advanced bat-to-ball ability. His penchant for barreling balls resulted in promotions to Single-A at age 18, Double-A at 19 and Triple-A at 20, and he has posted a .288/.371/.459 batting line in 386 pro games despite always being one of the youngest hitters in his league. Only 41 of his 1,578 plate appearances have come against pitchers younger than him.
Ballesteros also is growing into more power as he gains experience. He's doing a better job of turning on pitches and lifting them in the air, showing the ability to drive balls to all fields and produce 20 or more homers on an annual basis. His lone weakness at the plate is his tendency to stray out of the zone against all types of pitches, especially fastballs, which doesn't so much lead to strikeouts as it does to suboptimal contact at times and reduced walk totals.
The biggest question is whether Ballesteros can stay at catcher for the long term and how to get him the needed reps behind the plate to improve when his offense is so far ahead of his defense. Listed at 5-foot-8 and 195 pounds -- he's significantly heavier -- he has soft hands but isn't an especially agile defender.
Ballesteros' bat and build earn some Alejandro Kirk comparisons, but Kirk is a far superior catcher. In 94 games as a backstop during the last two years, Ballesteros has committed 12 errors and tallied 15 passed balls while allowing 114 steals in 130 attempts (88 percent). He flashes solid arm strength, but it plays down because of his slow footwork and transfer.
Because Ballesteros has well below-average speed, first base and DH are his only other options, so he will offer much more value if he can remain at catcher. He has seen periodic action at first base, where he lacks range and reliability, and no one 5-foot-8 or shorter has played 100 games in a big league season there since Joe Judge in 1930.
Ballesteros is gifted enough to fit right into the NL's highest-scoring offense. If he gets 300 at-bats this year with the Cubs, he's capable of hitting .275/.330/.450 with 10 homers. The more productive he is, the more tempting it will be to keep his bat in the lineup and the harder it will be to give him innings to improve his defense.