ST. LOUIS — The newest event for prospects as part of All-Star festivities will include a Cubs minor-leaguer whose bat has turned heads inside and outside the organization.
Catcher Moises Ballesteros, 20, is one of eight hitters set to participate in the Futures Skills Showcase on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, site of the All-Star Game. The new event puts prospects through three rounds of hitting challenges.
“His consistency really stands out,” Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner said. “He continues to control the strike zone really well and find his barrel very consistently. So we’ve been really impressed with that and his diligence on the defensive side of the ball, continuing to work at the craft of catching and getting better at that every day as well.”
Ballesteros began the season in Double-A but earned a promotion to Triple-A in June. His production has remained strong. Between the two levels, he entered Friday batting .300 with 11 home runs.
His left-handed bat has some fans dreaming about his eventual call-up, especially considering the Cubs’ lack of offensive production from their catchers. But Ballesteros’ lack of experience at the position — 199 professional games behind the plate — will factor into the discussions on his timeline and could hurt his case for a 2024 debut. Even Miguel Amaya, who battled injuries in the minors and was called up straight from Double-A last May, had 285 minor-league games at catcher before his debut.
“When we break down catching, it’s mainly blocking, throwing and receiving,” Banner said. “And I think [Ballesteros has] improved in all three areas.”
For the Futures Game itself, which precedes the skills showcase, the Cubs are sending infielder Matt Shaw and utility player James Triantos. Slugger Owen Caissie was originally selected but has been out the last week with a sore back, creating a spot for Triantos.
Draft incoming
The Cubs have the No. 14 pick in the MLB Draft, one spot later than in 2023, when they selected Shaw.
The first two rounds will be held Sunday, followed by Rounds 3-10 on Monday and 11-20 on Tuesday.
“I think the thing that stands out the most might be the depth of talent between our picks,” said Dan Kantrovitz, vice president of scouting. “When you pick No. 14 overall, and then not again until 54, it’s a challenge to identify who are the quote-unquote ‘betweeners,’ or the players that go between us, so we don’t allocate too much of our scouting resources to them throughout the spring.”
Davis’ timeline unclear
Banner expressed sympathy for minor-league outfielder Brennen Davis, formerly the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, who was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back and is considered day-to-day with no estimated recovery time.
“Brennan is a great kid, works exceptionally hard, and to see him have to go through this adversity time and time again is tough for all of us as an organization,” Banner said. “But we know he can handle it, and we know he’s going to come out better on the other side.”
Davis has an extensive injury history, which included back surgery to address a vascular malformation midway through the 2022 season, followed by a stress reaction in his back that fall.
This and that
Top pitching prospect Cade Horton (strained subscapularis) is in the flat-ground portion of his throwing program, Banner said.
• Reliever Yency Almonte (strained right shoulder) had labral repair surgery, the Cubs announced.
• Reliever Adbert Alzolay (strained right flexor) has advanced to throwing live batting practice at the Cubs’ Arizona complex.