Ballesteros is batting .402/.459/.619 with four homers and just 12 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances for Iowa. He still has defensive issues behind the plate, and the Cubs’ catchers are thriving anyway, so he’s not in line for a promotion at this point. Maybe the team would bring him up to DH if Seiya Suzuki or an outfielder got hurt, but the preference would be to have him keep working on his defense.

Ballesteros is among a handful of true offense-oriented backstops in the upper minors and figures to arrive in Chicago at some point later this season. The 21-year-old was one of the youngest hitters at the Triple-A level last year where he displayed strong bat-to-ball skills for hitter capable of driving the ball to all field. He’s off to an exceptional start this year, batting .368 (21-for-57) with two homers through 14 games.

The AFL is loaded with catching prospects this season, and Wednesday’s game between Peoria and Mesa featured three of baseball’s best in Ballesteros, Drake Baldwin and Ethan Salas, who drove in four runs as Peoria’s DH in this one. Ballesteros is 11-for-26 with a 3/3 K/BB in six games to date. It’s going to be interesting to see what the Cubs do at catcher this winter, as there have been reports that the team would like to bring in some competition for Miguel Amaya in the starting role. Ballesteros is probably still a year away, and his struggles throwing out basestealers are a problem behind the plate, but there’s a lot to like about his bat.

Ballesteros is one of the more well-known prospects in the Arizona Fall League this year and has a chance to push for a spot in the Cubs’ lineup in 2025. He finished the 2024 season by playing 68 games at Triple-A, slashing .281/.340/.454 line with ten home runs. As a prospect, Ballesteros makes plenty of contact in the zone and hits the ball incredibly hard, but he also chases out of the zone a lot, which is something he’ll need to rein in if he’s going to succeed in the big leagues.