CHICAGO (104.3 The Score) — Cubs manager Craig Counsell doesn’t enjoy discussing the details of his lineup construction. He has often kept his philosophies close to the vest over three seasons writing out a batting order in Chicago.
But it’s plenty clear that Counsell prioritizes a tone-setter in the leadoff spot and wants to stack his best hitters in premium spots. That much has been showcased in the club's growing confidence in rookie slugger Moises Ballesteros.
Ballesteros batted seventh in the Opening Day lineup. By late April, he was slotted second in the order – often considered the lineup position for a team’s best hitter. There’s certainly a case to be made that Ballesteros is indeed the Cubs’ top performer at the plate.
In 31 games this season, Ballesteros boasts a slash line of .306/.375/.576 with six home runs and 18 RBIs. The success is no accident. When Ballesteros hits the baseball, he hits it hard. His hard contact rate is 49.3% this season. He has done that with a selective eye at the plate, posting a walk rate at 10.3%, a chase rate of just 35% and a zone contact rate of 87.7%.
Ballesteros waits for the right pitch, hits it and does so with force. That's why the Cubs coveted him along his rise through the minor leagues – turning away trade interest along the way – and opened a place for him as the team’s designated hitter in this season with great expectations.
But there’s still a runway necessary for a young player to take flight.
“He’s handled it obviously well,” Counsell said. “Sometimes, I think Moises does a good job of not worry about the stuff that’s kind of stupid to worry about that a lot of other people worry about. ‘That’s easy to do' — well, that’s not easy to do. We all worry about stuff we shouldn’t worry about. And I think Moises has a really good ability to just, like, keep it simple, do what he’s good at, focus on what he’s good at and focus on the things he can control.
“He’s a young player doing really good things in this league.”
The Cubs have still had caution in letting Ballesteros develop against left-handed pitching. He's 1-for-6 with a walk against southpaws this season. Ballesteros was held out of the Cubs’ lineup Tuesday evening against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott.
Ballesteros' production changes the calculus of this Cubs lineup. They certainly expected results from him as a rookie, though not at this level. He has earned the second spot in the lineup between top-level hitters like Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman as part of a first-place team.
Ballesteros is hitting in the lineup spot previously held by All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker, who posted a slash line of .266/.377/.464 while primarily batting second last season. The next evolution for Ballesteros will be earning the trust to face left-handed hitters – and ultimately producing consistently against them.
What the Cubs can count on is that Ballesteros is a mature player with a plate approach well beyond his years, one whose work at the plate ranks among the best players in baseball. That in its own right elevates the expectations of this team.
The Cubs won 92 games a year ago while advancing to the National League Division Series. They've started 23-12 this season, winning 16 of their last 19 games entering Tuesday.
Ballesteros’ continued emergence offers reason to believe the Cubs have even higher potential than once imagined.
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
