Moises Ballesteros Proving He’s Got an Advantage Over Other Chicago Cubs Catchers
Moises Ballesteros made it up to the big leagues as a 21-year-old because of his incredible hitting skills, but the No. 1 prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization is still trying to prove that he can an MLB catcher. Ballesteros has the path cleared to get the majority of DH at-bats in 2026, however, improving behind the plate continues to be a priority for the catcher and he’s already beginning to change the narrative on his defense.
The ABS challenge system has arrived in MLB this year and although it’s new in the majors the ball/strike review process has been around for years in the minor leagues. Ballesteros, who made his pro debut stateside in 2022, is very familiar with the system and during Wednesday’s spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers Ballesteros showed off his impressive eye for the strike zone.
We’ve seen this guy hitting rockets to all fields with his amazing bat-to-ball skills, while also producing a double digit walk rate in the minors. Yet, on Wednesday, it was his eye behind the plate that stood out. In the second inning, Ballesteros successfully challenged not one, not two, but three different ball calls that were all overturned.
This had to especially annoying for Brewers’ prospect Luis Lara, who was hitting against Edward Cabrera and had two balls turned into strikes in the same plate appearance. The second reversal came on what ended up being strike three from the Cubs’ starter.
Ballesteros made it 3-for-3, later in the second inning with two outs. A 2-1 count changed to 1-2 and the at-bat finished with a lazy fly ball to right field.
It’s those little things that turn out to be huge and I guess now that balls and strikes can be reviewed, it’s actually really important for catchers to have the ability to not only know the strike zone, but to have the conviction and confidence to challenge a call.
Ballesteros is well aware that he has to prove his naysayers wrong and there are many in the scouting world that do not believe he will be able to stick at catcher. For now, being a weapon challenging bad balls might give him an edge over other Cubs catchers and hopefully Ballesteros can grow from that confidence to be a suitable option for this team behind the dish.
Not only does Ballesteros have the pressure to perform offensively in 2026, but he also has a chance to prove to the coaching staff that he belongs as a catcher in MLB. Veteran Carson Kelly is likely to be a free agent after 2026, which would leave Miguel Amaya as the main shareholder at catcher. That opens up a huge opportunity for Ballesteros to get more playing time at catcher, which would not only benefit the Cubs, but would raise his overall value as a player as well.
Excited to see the next steps in Ballesteros’ development on defense.