The Cubs intend to advertise catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros for tomorrow’s recreation towards the Marlins, stories 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 shouldn’t be on the 40-man roster, so the Cubs might want to make one other transfer in that regard.
Ballesteros, 21, is among the prime 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 yr. He’s out to a .368/.420/.522 begin over his first 34 Triple-A contests. He has linked on 4 homers, seven doubles and one triple whereas limiting his strikeout charge 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 prime 11 hitters in each on-base share and slugging. He’s seventh within the league in OPS, and each different participant within the prime 10 is a minimum of 24 years previous.
Unsurprisingly, Ballesteros’ bat has at all times been his calling card on scouting stories. He was considered as a sophisticated hitter when he signed for $1.5MM out of Venezuela throughout the 2021 novice signing interval. He climbed in direction of the highest of a wonderful Chicago farm system as he continued to show himself towards higher-level pitching.
Ballesteros ranked among the many league’s High 100 prospects on offseason lists from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, Keith Legislation of The Athletic and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had him outdoors his offseason High 100 however ranked him sixth within the Cubs’ system in December. He’s as much as thirty seventh general on BA’s in-season replace.
The stories are fairly comparable throughout the board. He’s praised for his well-rounded offensive means 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 lately). 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 even perhaps better considerations about Ballesteros’ receiving acumen and skill to manage the operating recreation. 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 formidable .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 delegated hitter. Seiya Suzuki has drawn into left area whereas Happ has been day-to-day. Suzuki ought to play left usually for the extent of Happ’s IL stint.
Happ has been out to a sometimes productive begin on the prime of Craig Counsell’s batting order. He owns a .269/.364/.381 line by 187 plate appearances. His energy numbers are a bit lighter than typical, however the on-base mark can be one of the best of his profession. He’d been amidst an 0-14 skid main up the damage however had collected hits in seven straight video games earlier than that. His IL stint may be backdated to Might 10, that means he’ll be eligible to return subsequent week.
It stays to be seen if Ballesteros will keep on with the massive league membership as soon as Happ is wholesome. He’s previous the purpose the place he can accrue a full yr of service time by the normal means, although he meets the prospect standards to probably earn a bonus service yr by way of the Prospect Promotion Incentive. He’d get a full service yr if he finishes prime two in Rookie of the Yr voting. The Cubs wouldn’t obtain an additional draft alternative in that occasion as a result of they didn’t promote him early sufficient within the season. If it is a everlasting promotion, Ballesteros can be well-positioned to qualify for early arbitration as a Tremendous Two participant throughout the 2027-28 offseason even when he doesn’t earn the total service yr.
Picture courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Pictures.
