The Cubs intend to advertise catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros for tomorrow’s sport in opposition to the Marlins, reviews Bruce Levine of 670 The Rating. Ian Happ is headed to the 10-day injured record, Levine provides. Happ has missed the previous three video games with indirect discomfort. Ballesteros will not be on the 40-man roster, so the Cubs might want to make one other transfer in that regard.
Ballesteros, 21, is among the high younger offensive gamers within the minors. He’s a profession .288/.371/.459 hitter over 5 skilled seasons. His manufacturing has remained remarkably constant as he has climbed the ladder. Ballesteros has posted an OPS above .800 at every cease. That features a ..311/.368/.477 slash for Triple-A Iowa over the previous two seasons.
The lefty-hitting Ballesteros has been on fireplace to start this 12 months. He’s out to a .368/.420/.522 begin over his first 34 Triple-A contests. He has related on 4 homers, seven doubles and one triple whereas limiting his strikeout fee to a minuscule 10.7% clip. Amongst hitters with 100+ plate appearances, he’s second within the Worldwide League in batting common and ranks among the many high 11 hitters in each on-base proportion and slugging. He’s seventh within the league in OPS, and each different participant within the high 10 is at the very least 24 years outdated.
Unsurprisingly, Ballesteros’ bat has at all times been his calling card on scouting reviews. He was seen as a complicated hitter when he signed for $1.5MM out of Venezuela through the 2021 newbie signing interval. He climbed in direction of the highest of a superb Chicago farm system as he continued to show himself in opposition to higher-level pitching.
Ballesteros ranked among the many league’s Prime 100 prospects on offseason lists from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, Keith Regulation of The Athletic and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had him outdoors his offseason Prime 100 however ranked him sixth within the Cubs’ system in December. He’s as much as thirty seventh total on BA’s in-season replace.
The reviews are fairly related throughout the board. He’s praised for his well-rounded offensive capability however faces questions on his defensive match. Ballesteros is listed at 5’8″ and has a heavyset construct (although he’s reportedly slimmed down a bit in recent times). He’s drawn comparisons to Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk in consequence. Kirk has developed right into a stable defensive catcher however confronted questions on his glove as a prospect. There are maybe even higher considerations about Ballesteros’ receiving acumen and talent to manage the operating sport. Opponents have gone 27-31 in stolen base makes an attempt in his 191 1/3 innings as a catcher this season.
It’s unlikely that he’ll get a lot work behind the dish within the brief time period. Carson Kelly has obliterated opponents to a .303/.443/.671 slash over his first 25 video games. Miguel Amaya has a powerful .286/.309/.506 line over 22 contests. They’ve been the Nationwide League’s best catching tandem. Ballesteros can sometimes spell Michael Busch at first base, however his clearest path to at-bats would come as a chosen hitter. Seiya Suzuki has drawn into left discipline whereas Happ has been day-to-day. Suzuki ought to play left frequently for the extent of Happ’s IL stint.
Happ has been out to a sometimes productive begin on the high of Craig Counsell’s batting order. He owns a .269/.364/.381 line by way of 187 plate appearances. His energy numbers are a bit lighter than normal, however the on-base mark can be the most effective of his profession. He’d been amidst an 0-14 skid main up the harm however had collected hits in seven straight video games earlier than that. His IL stint might be backdated to Could 10, that means he’ll be eligible to return subsequent week.
It stays to be seen if Ballesteros will stick to the massive league membership as soon as Happ is wholesome. He’s previous the purpose the place he can accrue a full 12 months of service time by way of the normal means, although he meets the prospect standards to doubtlessly earn a bonus service 12 months by way of the Prospect Promotion Incentive. He’d get a full service 12 months if he finishes high two in Rookie of the Yr voting. The Cubs would not obtain an additional draft alternative in that occasion as a result of they didn’t promote him early sufficient within the season. If this can be a everlasting promotion, Ballesteros can be well-positioned to qualify for early arbitration as a Tremendous Two participant through the 2027-28 offseason even when he doesn’t earn the total service 12 months.
Picture courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Pictures.
