The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a special season where there is a ton to like about the current iteration of this Major League group.
While this Cubs team is led by a powerful lineup that seems capable of contending in the National League for the first time in the better part of the decade, the active crop is not the only thing to like about the organization.
Chicago has one of the best farm systems in all of baseball. They should be set up for years to come to with talented hitters throughout the pipeline.
Understandably, guys like Matt Shaw, Cade Horton and Owen Caissie get a ton of the attention, but so far this year it’s been someone else who has produced more than anyone.
Fourth-ranked Cubs prospect Moisés Ballesteros is having an incredible season right now for Triple-A Iowa, extending a hitting streak over the weekend to 13 games.
In 22 contests this year, the powerful catcher prospect is slashing an absurd .414/.475/.586 with two home runs and 12 RBI, looking like he is ready now to take the next step into the Major Leagues.
The fact there isn’t a spot for him on the big league roster barring injury could force some tough decisions to be made down the line, but for now, Ballesteros is enjoying what is the best campaign of his professional career.
Still just 21 years old, he has built on a huge 2024 and subsequent great run in the Arizona Fall League into the 2025 season.
Last year, while splitting time in Double-A and Triple-A, Ballesteros played in 124 games and slashed .289/.354/.471 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI.
His numbers after making the jump to Triple-A, while still impressive, took a bit of a dip, so to see him come into the next season and tear it up in the highest level of minor league baseball is incredibly encouraging.
The obvious next question is how long the youngster has to keep hitting like this in order to force Chicago’s hand into putting them on the MLB roster.
A decision like that seems to still be a ways away since the Cubs are getting tremendous production both from catcher and first base.
But if Ballesteros continues to do what he’s doing, the noise surrounding the possibility of him making his debut this year is only going to increase.