Chicago Cubs rookie could be surprising catalyst to stagnant offense

The Chicago Cubs have one urgent issue ahead of their first playoff appearance since 2020– offense. It could also be said that the team is where it’s at right now BECAUSE of their offense.

That’s what makes the team’s post-All-Star break offensive doldrums so frustrating.

In the first half of the season, the Cubs absolutely battered opposition pitching with a mix of power, speed, and high-leverage execution. The wins put on the ledger early in the season were enough to ensure a smoother run to the playoffs over the rougher patches in the latter part of the year.

At this moment, though, there is legitimate doubt when it comes to Chicago’s offense and its ability to thrash its way through the high-end playoff-caliber pitching about to come into picture. With right fielder Kyle Tucker nursing a calf strain that is not responding to therapy and has kept him out of commission since September 2, things look problematic. Add to that the recent slumps of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, and the outlook seems bleak.

The Chicago Cubs’ offensive x-factor?

However, the Cubs could have an x-factor up their proverbial sleeve, a fresh shot of juice into the vein of an inconsistently productive offense.

That x-factor is Moises Ballesteros.

The 21-year-old has excelled with the bat at every level of professional ball he’s played, and that seems to now extend to the major leagues.

Since his most recent call-up on September 12, Ballesteros is hitting .333 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. While this is only over 24 at bats, the left-handed DH is definitely giving off the vibe of someone very ready to deal with big league pitching.

Moises Ballesteros excels with the bat

Per Brandon Glick of North Side Baseball:

“Since getting the call back to the bigs on Sept. 12, Ballesteros has played in every game for the Cubs (save for Friday night’s affair against the Reds) as the starting designated hitter, batting cleanup. In those 27 plate appearances, he’s batting .333/.407/.667 to go with two home runs and a triple. In conjunction with his impressive 11.1% walk rate, Ballesteros’ 189 wRC+ in that span is the best on the team.

He’s doing the things you’d expect a quality big league hitter to do during this hot streak; his hard-hit rate (38.9%) is up, he’s deploying a solid all-fields approach, and luck has been on his side (.375 BABIP). Sure, his ground-ball rate is an alarming 61.1%, but when you’ve got the bat control and power of Ballesteros, it’s easy to punch those ground balls through the infield.”

Just what the Cubs need

The knock on the portly Ballesteros has always been centered around his lack of defensive prowess and his inability to really play any position on a consistent basis. But for the Cubs, right now, a DH-only bat is just fine. And it’ll be especially fine if Tucker isn’t able to make it back in time for the playoffs and current DH Seiya Suzuki has to remain the full-time fill-in for Tucker in right field.

Throw a hot Ballesteros into the mix with a red-hot Nico Hoerner, along with a few other offensive assets on a streak, and the Cubs may be able to push ahead without Tucker and with a cooled-down Crow-Armstrong.

“It’s not on one guy to do this,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently said, regarding the secret to reigniting the offense. “The consistent offenses take turns at being productive. Look, if we’re going to play a lot of October baseball, some of these guys are going to have to do special things. Which ones? It doesn’t really matter, but some of these guys are going to have to do some special things.

“We got a lot of candidates, and I think that’s why we’re capable of playing a lot of games in October. But we’re going to need some special offensive performances.”

Ballesteros is quickly proving himself to be one of those guys capable of pushing the team along.