The Cubs already trust Moisés Ballesteros’ bat, but the top prospect enters 2026 determined to prove he can be a reliable catcher at the Major League level.
There is little doubt among Chicago Cubs fans and baseball pundits about whether catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros will be able to hit at the Major League level.
Ballesteros forced the issue and earned an MLB call-up during the 2025 regular season when he was still just 21 years old. He made his debut on May 13 and split time between the big leagues and Triple-A for the rest of the season. It didn’t matter where he was — he hit.
In 114 games for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, Ballesteros hit .316 with 29 doubles, 13 home runs, 76 RBIs, and an .858 OPS.
In 20 games at the big league level, Ballesteros logged 57 at-bats and posted a .298 batting average with two home runs and an .868 OPS.
That performance instilled so much confidence in the Cubs’ front office that Ballesteros even found himself on the team’s postseason roster. Chicago’s bullish outlook on his offensive future also helped shape the organization’s decision-making this past winter.
The Cubs traded outfielder Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins as the headlining prospect in a package for right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera. Caissie wasn’t just the top prospect in the organization at the time of the deal — he also represented the Cubs’ long-term future in right field.
With Kyle Tucker departing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, the simplest on-paper solution would have been for Caissie to take over in right field while Seiya Suzuki shifted into everyday duties as the designated hitter.
Instead, the Cubs plan to keep Suzuki in the outfield — a decision that speaks just as loudly about their belief in Ballesteros’ bat as it does about their trust in Suzuki. The Cubs believe Ballesteros can be a formidable run producer for years to come.
But Ballesteros isn’t content with the idea that he’ll be a designated hitter long term. He views the 2026 season as his first opportunity to prove people wrong.
See, while there’s very little doubt about Ballesteros having an MLB-caliber bat, many scouts still question whether he has an MLB-caliber glove.
Despite being ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Cubs organization in the latest MLB Pipeline rankings, Ballesteros carries a 40-grade fielding tool on the 20–80 scouting scale.
According to FanGraphs, that translates to even below the "below average" label for a 45-grade tool.
“Ballesteros is much heavier than his listed 195 pounds and limited in terms of athleticism and quickness, so he may not be able to remain behind the plate. He has soft hands and solid arm strength, but his receiving needs a lot of polish, and his footwork and transfer could use more quickness. He allowed 92 steals and committed 10 errors and seven passed balls in 71 Triple-A games last year,” reads his prospect profile on MLB Pipeline.
It’s also clear the Cubs don’t yet have full confidence in that area of his game. Out of his 20 MLB appearances as a rookie, Ballesteros caught just one game, logging six innings behind the plate. Most of his time came as the designated hitter, with two additional appearances at first base.
In 2026, catching opportunities will likely be few and far between for Ballesteros, as the Cubs still have Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya on the active roster. But this could also be the developmental year he needs if he hopes to eventually take on the role full time.
Ballesteros would become exponentially more valuable to the Cubs if he could provide the offensive production of a designated hitter while also contributing defensively behind the plate. Whether he can do that, however, remains to be seen.
He’s off to a pretty strong start this spring.
Ballesteros has shown a good feel for the strike zone, and on Wednesday he went three-for-three on strike zone challenges while catching Edward Cabrera. All three came in the second inning. If your catcher knows the strike zone, stealing strikes and pitch framing become far less necessary.
As for the rest, Ballesteros is preparing to silence criticism about his body and conditioning during the upcoming season.
“It motivates me to prove people wrong — to prove that I am a good catcher and not just a hitter,” Ballesteros said Wednesday, via Bruce Levine.
It would be in the Cubs’ best interest to give Ballesteros at least a few occasional looks behind the plate in 2026.
The team holds a mutual option on Carson Kelly for $7.5 million for the 2027 season, and whether the Cubs ultimately need to retain Kelly may depend heavily on Ballesteros’ ability to develop into a full-time catcher.