The Chicago Cubs have a deep and talented farm system and it has the accolades to prove it.
Jon Hoefling of USA Today recently ranked the Cubs farm system no. 3 in all of baseball. There are some experts who rank it even higher.
Still, there appear to be only a handful of players in the system who could be seen as true impact players, capable of making an explosive major league mark.
One of those young prospects is Moises Ballesteros.
Moises Ballesteros Is For Real
The 21-year-old catching prospect is already, by many scouting assessments, ready to excel with the bat at the major league level. The question is where he’s at defensively and whether catcher is even the right spot for him.
At any rate, where he is now, “as is,” is enough to earn him some major recognition.
Big-Time Recognition
Brandon Glick of North Side Baseball recently named Ballesteros the no. 2 Chicago Cubs player asset in the entire organization.
Per Glick:
“This ranking isn’t necessarily contingent on Ballesteros sticking at catcher– I don’t think he will, long-term– but it would certainly help his case to remain in this top five moving forward.
Regardless, Ballesteros can hit. I mean really hit. My personal comparison for him is Kyle Schwarber (with maybe a little less prodigious power) as a patient hitter who derives a lot of his pop from a thick lower half. He made it to Triple-A as a 20-year-old last season, and though he didn’t dominate the level like he had all previous stops, he still slashed .281/.340/.454 (106 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 68 games in Iowa. His strikeout numbers did increase, but that’s bound to happen to a young hitter as he faces the improved pitching of the upper levels of the minors.
That Ballesteros has been this prolific at the plate despite focusing on being a catcher– a position notorious for its slow-developing offensive traits– should have everyone salivating at the potential in his left-handed bat. He should be a lock as the team’s designated hitter of the future, with any defensive contributions behind the plate serving as a bonus.”
Where Ballesteros Stands Within The Chicago Cubs Organization
Ballesteros’ bat will keep him around as a viable prospect, no matter what position he plays, although his portly 5-foot-8 frame could keep his options limited.
Between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, he registered a career-best .289 average in 124 games, with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs. In the Arizona Fall League, he also crushed the ball, hitting .317 with 5 home runs in 93 total plate appearances.
Given his young age, rate of development, and general aptitude, many feel that the Venezuela native could develop into a consistent .300 hitter, eschewing some of the natural comparisons to the similarly built former Cubs star and one-time catcher Kyle Schwarber. While Ballesteros has pop, he appears to be a much more well-rounded offensive threat than the power-only “Schwarbs,” with his .230 lifetime average.
Still, there’s the question of where to put him.
This year, the Cubs seem set with the catching tandem of Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly. Barring injury to either, there won’t be room at catcher. Ballesteros also plays some first base, but as a backup to Michael Busch (and a backup to DH Seiya Suzuki), there wouldn’t be many at bats for him.
So, for now, the best place for Ballesteros is in the minor leagues, where he can further develop and maybe become a better catcher so that he can force his name into the major league roster in 2026.
But he IS coming. Everybody agrees on that.
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