Chicago Cubs: Moises Ballesteros is hitting .500 in April, ROY chatter has begun

The Chicago Cubs always had faith in Moises Ballesteros. From the first moment their scouts saw him, they felt that the kid was something special with the bat. That’s why they offered him a $1.2 million signing bonus at the young age of 17.

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So far, in his first full season in the majors, the 22-year-old is living up to his promise.

Through 17 games and 46 plate appearances, the left-handed hitting DH is hitting .381 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs and an OPS of 1.032. And that’s factoring in a slow start in his first 8 games of the season where he batted a lowly .150.

Regarded as a hitting savant by many, Ballesteros made adjustments after that slow start and has been absolutely killing it since then. In his last 9 games, he’s 13-for-22 (.591) with all 3 of his home runs and 8 of his RBIs coming during that stretch. Overall in the month of April, he’s raking with a .500 average.

While it’s true that he’s been kept away from tough left-handed pitching by manager Craig Counsell—as evidenced Saturday when Carson Kelly hit a 3-run home tun after replacing Ballesteros as a pitch-hitter—his ability to generate quality contact and make hitting decisions on the fly is evident.

Ballesteros as a hitting savant

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Ballesteros, at a pudgy 5-foot-8, most definitely wasn’t the typical blue-chip prospect targeted by the Cubs, who have a preference for thoroughbred multi-tool athletes with Adonis frames. But the kid had a serious gift when it came to hitting.

And the Venezuela native proved the Cubs’ faith in him warranted. Since making his pro debut at 18, Ballesteros has hit at every level of the organization—usually as the youngest player on each roster—earning Cubs Minor League Player of the Year award in both 2023 and 2024 primarily on the weight of his bat, alone.

In 66 major league plate appearances last season, he hit .298 with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs while posting a superb .394 on base percentage. His poise at the plate and ability to get solid hacks at just about everything impressed those in the organization and beyond. His late-season run, in a lot of ways, made up for Kyle Tucker’s extended slump at the time and he often saw at bats higher up in the lineup than many had anticipated from him.

“We kind of asked a lot of him,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters during January’s Cubs Convention. “You saw where he was hitting in the lineup at times. I think that is a sign of a lot of confidence in a young hitter. He showed us a lot.”

Rookie of the Year chatter

Ballesteros’ early run of success this season has already produced some Rookie of the Year chatter.

The NL rookie class this year is especially deep and he already has knocks against him as a slow-footed DH with no on-field position to call home. But, offensively, he currently ranks among the top rookies in most categories. His ability to process opposition pitching and make adjustments already gives him a leg up on many young talents.

Whether he takes Rookie of the Year honors or not, Ballesteros seems to be the real deal. It’ll be exciting to see where he fits into the team in the years ahead.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-moises-ballesteros-rookie-of-the-year-hot-streak/