Young slugger Ballesteros leads Cubs' AFL contingent

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Moises Ballesteros is getting accustomed to playing on loaded teams.

The Cubs catcher began 2024 at Double-A Tennessee, the lone club in the Minors with four Top 100 Prospects on its Opening Day roster: right-hander Cade Horton, infielder Matt Shaw, outfielder Kevin Alcántara and second baseman James Triantos. Ballesteros cracked the Top 100 himself early in the season and earned a promotion to Triple-A Iowa, which finished the year with a Minors-best six Top 100 guys in him, his four former Tennessee teammates and outfielder Owen Caissie.

Now Ballesteros (who finished the regular season ranked No. 44 on the Top 100) is playing with the Arizona Fall League's Mesa Solar Sox, who have a deep lineup that also includes Rays first basemen Xavier Isaac and Tre' Morgan and Athletics outfielders Henry Bolte and Denzel Clarke. In Connor Phillips (Reds) and Grant Taylor (White Sox), the Solar Sox also boast two of the starters with the best stuff in a hitter-friendly environment.

Horton missed the last four months of the season with a lat strain, but Ballesteros along with Caissie and Shaw should push for big league jobs early next season. Alcántara and Triantos need more Triple-A time but could be ready by midseason. Ballesteros said playing with such talented teammates helps them all get better.

"That was an amazing group," Ballesteros said. "A couple of the guys talked to me about my approach in the box. It was a really good experience with those guys."

Ballesteros batted .409/.462/.591 in his first five games with Mesa, which should come as no surprise because he has hit everywhere he has gone in pro ball. Signed for $1.2 million out of Venezuela in January 2021, he made his full-season debut the following summer at age 18. He earned promotions to High-A and Double-A at age 19 last year and to Triple-A at age 20 this summer.

After slashing .289/.354/.471 with 19 homers in 124 games at the upper levels of the Minors in 2024, Ballesteros owns a .279/.366/.452 line in four pro seasons despite repeatedly being one of the youngest players in his league. The average Triple-A pitcher he faced this summer was seven years older than him.

Ballesteros has had no trouble dealing with advanced pitching because he has a smooth left-handed swing and an advanced approach at the plate. He works counts, makes contact to all fields with ease and his power continues to grow. Only eight players 20 or younger exceeded his 19 homers this season, and all of them spent most of 2024 in the lower levels of the Minors.

The Cubs do need help behind the plate and Ballesteros' bat may already be big league-ready. But because he's much heavier than his listed 195 pounds and lacks quickness and agility, some scouts question whether he can stick at catcher for the long term. His biggest backers liken him to Alejandro Kirk for his hitting ability and soft hands, and he'll flash solid arm strength at times.

Ballesteros committed 13 passed balls and seven errors in 72 games at catcher this year while surrendering 87 steals in 99 attempts (88 percent). Getting him more reps behind the plate as he handles a wide variety of pitchers -- the Solar Sox have 25 on their roster -- is his main focus in Arizona. He said he feels good about the progress he's making defensively.

"I'm trying to separate the difference when I play defense and when I go hit," Ballesteros said. "They're different, so I've got to focus different when I play defense and when I hit. My gameplan is to work on my defense and hit like I normally do."

Cubs hitters in the Fall League

Ben Cowles, INF (No. 29): Cowles led AFL shortstops with a .956 OPS last offseason as a Yankees farmhand, then came to the Cubs in a trade for Mark Leiter Jr. this July. Featuring average-ish tools across the board, he batted .286/.372/.457 with nine homers and 14 steals in 92 games in Double-A.

Jonathon Long, 1B/OF/3B (No. 30): A 2023 ninth-round pick from Long Beach State, Long has a quick right-handed swing and solid raw power. He slashed .283/.391/.461 with 17 homers in 114 games between High-A and Double-A.

Cubs pitchers in the Fall League

Grant Kipp, RHP: A 2022 nondrafted free agent from Yale, Kipp uses a low-90s fastball to set up his best offering, a low-80s slider. He compiled a 5.50 ERA, .212 opponent average and 38 walks in 36 innings in High-A.

Shane Marshall, RHP: Primarily a backup catcher in four years at Georgia, Marshall pitched just 1 2/3 innings in college before the Cubs drafted him in the 14th round in 2022 and took his bat away. Armed with a 92-95 mph fastball and a fringy mid-80s cutter/slider, he logged a 2.52 ERA, .206 opponent average and 42 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings in Single-A.

Vince Reilly, RHP: Reilly went undrafted in 2022 after three years of college at Hawaii and Grand Canyon, then signed with the Athletics and pitched just 4 2/3 innings before getting released in June 2023. Picked up by the Cubs this March, he displayed a 93-98 mph fastball and promising slider and splitter while posting a 3.88 ERA, .213 opponent average and 52/16 K/BB ratio in 53 1/3 innings.

Luis Rujano, RHP: A slightly over-slot ($210,000) 13th-rounder in 2022 from a Florida high school, Rujano works with a 91-95 mph fastball that touches 97 and an average low-80s slider. He recorded a 5.40 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings in Single-A.

Sam Thoresen, RHP: Thoresen can run his fastball into the upper 90s and flash a plus slider, but he has battled repeated injuries and control woes. Signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Minnesota, he registered a 1.63 ERA, .144 opponent average and 40 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings between Rookie ball, Single-A and High-A.