Chicago Cubs Prospect Profile: Moises Ballesteros |
There are several different prospect ranking systems out there, and most of them will have Matt Shaw ranked as the Cubs top prospect. You occassionally will have an Owen Caissie sprinkled in here and there as those are the top two prospects in the Cubs system. However, one guy who was overlooked until last season not only went on to have a great season but was named the Cubs offensive player of the year in the Cubs Minor League system.
That alone has gotten him more attention, but at this point, he is still being overlooked. If I had to pick the Cubs' best overall prospect, Shaw would be my choice, but Moises Ballesteros would be a very close second and could have the biggest upside of all the prospects. Checking in at No. 4 on the Cubs' top 30 list, Ballesteros has been around for a few years as an International Free Agent pick-up in 2021. At that time, Ballesteros was just a young teenager looking to find his way, but few could argue the upside he had at such an early age. Seen as one of the best prospects in his class, the Cubs nabbed him for $1.2 million, making him the second-highest-paid catcher and second-highest Cub in the International Free Agent class. Typically, most teams are careful when moving teenagers through the system, but Ballesteros's bat was so advanced at such a young age that the Cubs have been very aggressive with him. You saw some of his potential in his age-18 season when he played 48 games for the DSL Cubs and batted .266. Ballesteros added three homers and 25 RBIs and took more walks (30) than strikeouts (24), as his plate discipline has been a massive part of his game. One year later, Ballesteros was stateside, where he began the season with the ACL Cubs before quickly moving to Myrtle Beach. As expected, there were some struggles, but with a .257 average across 63 games, Ballesteros could minimize those struggles as he quickly adapted to full-season ball. His ten homers and 33 RBIs were also very promising, as was his good eye at the plate. Once the 2023 season began, Ballesteros started to turn the corner. He went from Low-A Myrtle Beach to AAA, where he finished the 2024 season. After hitting a combined .285 in 117 games during the 2023 season, Ballesteros bumped his average to .289 this season while playing in 124 games. To go with that, he has started to tap into his power and has hit 33 homers in the past two seasons, with a career-high of 19 in 2024. He's also added 142 RBIs in the past two seasons, with 78 in 2024, as the advanced bat continues to be his calling card. After watching him continue to mash in the Arizona Fall League, there is no question that his bat is MLB-ready right now, but there are some significant hurdles to clear. The most obvious hurdle is finding a position for him, as Ballesteros has been primarily a catcher with some first base sprinkled in. Given the rise of Michael Busch, there is no way Ballesteros makes the move to first, and once he can get better defensively, he would be a liability behind the plate. That means should the Cubs want to call him up at any point this season, they will need to figure out how to get him at-bats; otherwise, you're wasting his development. His keen eye and plate discipline will always be helpful, as he can take close pitches and work counts. Ballesteros also has a smooth and compact left-handed swing, capable of producing 30-plus homers, which you started to see last season. As things sit, he may be the most MLB-ready hitter in the entire Cubs system. If anything, he is the most advanced hitter, and that is telling when you look at some of the prospects this team has acquired. Since Ballesteros is only about 5-8 and weighs nearly 230 pounds, playing catcher long-term could be an issue so that a permanent DH role may be his best path to success. For that to happen, guys like Seiya Suzuki and potentially some others would have to get moved, as the Cubs need to figure out their plan of attack for Ballesteros. Of all the prospects in the Cubs system, he will be one to watch this spring, as there are plenty of questions surrounding his situation in Chicago.
