Moises Ballesteros is the impact bat the Cubs' lineup has needed for years

Reasonable expectations had Moises Ballesteros fitting into the Chicago Cubs lineup and serving as a productive cog that keeps the machine moving. For a rookie, or any player really, that would constitute a really good performance. Instead, the Cubs have gotten something much different out of the 22-year-old. They've seemingly found an offensive centerpiece.

Through 24 games, Ballesteros has displayed the type of well-rounded offensive attack that wins MVPs. He's slashing .397/.446/.690 with four homers. He's walking at an above-average 9.2 percent rate, while striking out at just an 18.5 percent clip.

It's been a sensational start for the top prospect, and he's seemingly given Chicago the offensive engine it has sought for some time. The Cubs' lineup is chock full of good hitters, but what they've been lacking over the years has been a true lineup nucleus.

That's what they had hoped to find in Kyle Tucker last year. Before that, they gambled on the hope that a healthy and rejuvenated Cody Bellinger could return to his 2017-2019 form when he won both an NL Rookie of the Year trophy and NL MVP honors. Neither player truly fulfilled that promise.

This, of course, isn't to say that hitters like Alex Bregman, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch, among others, aren't up to snuff. It's just that while those guys are all very good, none are truly elite. So far, Ballesteros has reached that level, even after starting out slowly.

Moises Ballesteros has shown flashes that he can be what the Cubs need, but he'll have to prove it over the long haul

As good as Ballesteros has been, it's worth noting that he's only racked up 65 plate appearances so far. The underlying metrics, such as a 97th percentile hard-hit rate and an 88th percentile launch angle sweet spot percentage, suggest that he'll continue hitting balls hard and at angles that are most likely to do damage, but that assumes that pitchers will continue attacking him the same way.

That will be the true test. The youngster has crushed fastballs and changeups so far, posting a run value of four against heaters and one against changes, but breaking stuff has given him some trouble. He's hit just .222 with a 50 percent whiff rate against curveballs, and is slugging just .286 against sliders.

Pitchers are going to start throwing him more breakers, and it will be up to him to respond. If he does, you can start to have real confidence that he can be the heliocentric force the rest of the lineup can revolve around.

The other area he'll need to prove his worth is his performance against lefties. The Cubs have other options that can handle southpaws, but ultimately, if Ballesteros is going to be the kind of force we're talking about, he'll need to be able to handle same-handed pitching with a certain degree of competence.

As of now, the Venezuelan native has garnered just five plate appearances this season against lefties, as the Cubs have essentially hidden him. To his credit, he's posted a .900 OPS in those scant opportunities, but obviously, we'll need to see a lot more.

The Cubs know what a natural hitter Ballesteros is in every aspect. It's also fair to point out that he was very good, though not quite as otherworldly as he is today, in the 66 big league plate appearances he got last September. He's on his way to being everything Chicago had hoped for, we just need a big more time to see how he adjusts and handles adversity before we anoint him.

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