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Aggressive prospect promotions to the Major League level does not appear to be the mindset of the Chicago Cubs' current front office but the team made a promotion on Sunday that suggests they may be aggressive with how they are handling one of their most pressing needs at the Major League level.
On Sunday night, word first broke that the Cubs are promoting catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros to Triple-A Iowa.
If you are a member of the Ten Sixty West discord you already know, but I’ve heard from multiple sources that Moisés Ballesteros is heading to AAA. It’s well deserved after he slashed .299/.372/.495 as a 20 year old in AA. Mo Baller, enjoy Des Moines.
— Greg Zumach (@IvyFutures) June 17, 2024
pic.twitter.com/jAE0qng8ZE
Ballesteros entered the 2024 season ranked among the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and the sixth-best prospect in the Cubs' organization. At 20 years old, Ballesteros opened the 2024 season with Double-A Tennessee.
Latest prospect promotion may suggest the Chicago Cubs are preparing for their catcher of the future.
The Cubs often prefer for their top prospects to dominate at each level before earning a promotion and that was the case for Ballesteros with Tennessee this season. In 223 plate appearances this season, Ballesteros slashed .299/.372/.495 with a 155 wRC+.
Given the struggles that the Cubs have had at the Major League level this season with the catching positions, the promotion of Ballesteros could be a sign that the team is trying to expedite a solution. While Ballesteros' production has made him worthy of a promotion to Triple-A Iowa, at 20 years old, it was a rare decision for the Cubs' front office.
Fangraphs goes back to 2006 on its minor league leaderboards. In that time the Cubs have never had a 20 year old or younger hitting prospect in AAA on more than an emergency basis. Ballesteros would be the first (these were all brief stints for primarily defensive players). pic.twitter.com/dEMBlMK17z
— Brad (@ballskwok) June 17, 2024
Ballesteros's arrival at Triple-A does push up his estimated time of arrival at the Major League level. If not by the end of this season, it's not out of the question that another stretch of dominating offensive numbers, this time at the Triple-A level, will have Ballesteros in the mix to potentially be the Cubs' starting catcher. If not by Opening Day next season, then certainly within the first half.