MESA, Ariz. — Nearly four years later, Chicago Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly can still recall his first impression of catcher Moisés Ballesteros.
Kelly, then the organization’s minor-league hitting coordinator, crossed paths with Ballesteros, who was only 18 at the time, and could tell he had a special presence. It was the way the lefty-hitting backstop stood in the batter’s box before he even took a swing. That belief was highlighted one day roughly three years ago when Ballesteros was a backup player during spring camp and had been called over to take a couple of at-bats during a live batting practice.
Ballesteros slugged the first fastball he saw onto the outfield berm.
“Everybody was like, ‘Who is this kid?’” Kelly said. “He has that aura that he knows he can hit. That’s a really, really fun thing to have, especially for a young kid.”
Ballesteros, a top-100 MLB prospect, is part of his first big-league camp coming off a stellar season in which he reached Triple A at 20. His age is not indicative of his advanced feel for hitting and ability to handle more experienced pitchers. He put up a .281/.340/.454 slash line, 10 home runs and 15 doubles in 68 games at Triple-A Iowa; between Iowa and Double-A Tennessee, Ballesteros recorded just four plate appearances against pitchers younger than him.
“Offensively, he’s really proven a lot,” manager Craig Counsell said. “All the players know that he can really hit, which is credit to him. So really just gaining experience against some higher-level pitching, which he’s frankly never struggled with, and we don’t anticipate he will.”
The scary part for opposing pitchers: Ballesteros, now 21, is still improving and maturing as a hitter.
“As he gets older and starts creating a little bit more direction towards center field, you’re going to see probably some more pull-side home runs,” Kelly said. “I think he’s always going to have that left-center field kind of low line drive doubles and a couple homers. But as guys start to get older and mature, they really learn how to true backspin a ball to the pull side and that’s probably the next evolution for him.”
Ballesteros’ hit tool could get him to the majors sooner than later. The defensive side remains a work in progress, though. He will need to continue to make strides to show he can stick behind the plate. His offensive production at Iowa this year could eventually force the Cubs to give him a look against big-league pitching, but he must show he can handle the other responsibilities that come at catcher.
The best teacher is often experience, and the Cubs want to get him as many games behind the plate as possible. Through four seasons in the minors, Ballesteros has started 223 games at catcher. While his Cactus League action this spring has largely been as a designated hitter — due to higher playing time priority for Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly with the compressed schedule this year — any defensive work Ballesteros gets before and during games is important.
“Experience catching is a real goal for him and in the drill work exposure to good players, that was the goal,” Counsell said. “He’s not a finished product catching so we just want him to keep taking strides, and a lot of it’s just receiving work, receiving work, receiving work. … He has very good instincts for the game so that part of it he’s very capable, it’s not a development goal. That part he will be very good at.”
Ballesteros spent the offseason in his native Venezuela focusing on getting into better shape through Pilates, agility work and the weight room, which is expected to help pay off behind the plate. He’s trying to be a sponge in camp, watching and talking to Amaya and veteran Carlos Pérez.
Armed with a clean, power swing and the desire to continue to improve defensively, 2025 is setting up to be a big season for Ballesteros.
“I feel really good with this opportunity,” Ballesteros told the Tribune.