He might only be 22-year-old, but Moises Ballesteros has quickly shown why the Chicago Cubs had so much confidence in him to begin the year as the team’s primary designated hitter. However, there’s more value in Ballesteros that is yet to be untapped, and thanks to his red-hot start at the plate, the Cubs are now changing their plans behind it.
On Monday night, Ballesteros blasted his fifth home run of the year, a grand slam against San Diego Padres starter Randy Vasquez. The 404-foot home run continued his on-base streak to seven games in a row, and 13 of his last 14, as Ballesteros is now boasting a .387/.435//.710 slash line through 69 plate appearances. More importantly, Monday’s series opener in San Diego also marked the rookie’s first start at catcher in 2026, a move that could become more frequent as the season advances.
There have never been many questions regarding Ballesteros’ hitting ability, but his staying power at a defensive position has hurt his perceived value as a prospect. Well, Ballesteros is now forcing the Cubs to change plans.
Via The Athletic.
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The club is accelerating the catching program for Ballesteros, who received his first start this season behind the plate in Monday night’s 9-7 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. And then, in front of a sellout crowd of 41,478, he showed his flair for hitting by delivering a grand slam.
To be clear, it’s not like the Cubs are suddenly going to split up their playing time at catcher evenly with Balletseros, Carson Kelly, and Miguel Amaya. However, it is notable that Ballesteros is getting a look behind the plate in April, which will help Craig Counsell optimize the DH spot and, hopefully, build more confidence in Ballesteros, who is still learning to be an MLB-caliber catcher.
If Ballesteros can eventually grow into a decent defensive catcher, then not only does that greatly benefit himself, but it also provides much more value for the Cubs. Looking ahead to next year, Kelly will most likely be a free agent as he has a $1.5 million buyout for a 2027 mutual option that’s worth $7.5 million. If Ballesteros can be serviceable behind the plate, then that’s one area the Cubs won’t have to focus on improving in on the roster.
As far as the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year picture goes, Ballesteros’ value will increase if he gets more time at catcher. Below are Ballesteros’ ranks among NL rookie hitter so far in 2026.
216 wRC+: 1st
.387 BA: 1st
.435 OBP: 1st
.710 SLG: 1st
5 HR: 3rd
16 RBI: 2nd
12 R: 4th
0.9 fWAR: 3rd
In 2025, Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin won the NL Rookie of the Year award with a 125 wRC+ and 3.1 fWAR in 124 games. Baldwin hit 19 home runs and had 80 RBI.
Yet Ballesteros not only has other young hitters to compete with for the award. New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean is one of the favorites.
Current NL Rookie of the Year Odds (via ESPN)
Sal Stewart: +130
Nolan McLean: +250
Konnor Griffin: +900
JJ Wetherholt: +1100
Moises Balletseros: +1500
So, if you believe that the Cubs will give Ballesteros more opportunities at catcher, then it might be a great time to get value on his rookie of the year odds.
