Counsell to Cubs hitting coaches: Don’t mess with Ballesteros

Posted March 20, 2026 12:10 am

By Patrick Mooney

MESA, Ariz. — As Craig Counsell addressed members of his coaching staff, the Cubs manager gave them specific instructions regarding Moisés Ballesteros, a naturally talented 22-year-old prospect from Venezuela. This way, nothing would be lost in translation.

Counsell has a poker face and a big-picture view of the organization. He stays involved in all aspects of baseball operations without coming across as a micromanager. He used his dry sense of humor to make a point about Ballesteros, who’s only scratching the surface of his vast potential.

“I’ve suggested to the hitting coaches that they stay away from him,” Counsell said. “I did have a meeting with the hitting coaches at one point this spring. I called them all together, and they got a little nervous. I said, ‘You guys should stay away from Ballesteros.’

“Joking, you know, but they got the message.”

The temptation, of course, would be trying to do more with Ballesteros, giving him extra information and different ideas in hopes of speeding up his learning curve. Between advancements in technology and the expansion of major-league staffs, every swing in the batting cage can be measured and dissected.

Cubs officials lobbied Mesa politicians for nearly $17 million worth of upgrades to their Arizona training complex, and a large building that houses the club’s new hitting and pitching labs now stands in the middle of their sprawling campus.

After about a decade of hiring and firing hitting coaches on a seemingly annual basis, the Cubs have found a stable group of instructors to provide continuity, which helped Pete Crow-Armstrong develop into an All-Star. Chicago’s coaches have established individualized game-planning routines and emphasized a team-wide offensive approach to counteract Wrigley Field’s unpredictable conditions.

Ballesteros has shown more than enough flashes — the left-handed hitter launched two homers off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Alek Manoah on St. Patrick’s Day — that Counsell wants to remain patient and temper expectations. Even, apparently, among his own coaches.

“It was a joke,” Counsell said, “but he’s so young and he does a lot of things well. He’s going to improve. I think someday Moisés will hit a lot of home runs. I don’t think it’ll be this year, but I think someday he’s going to hit a lot of home runs.

“Because when you hit two balls like that, you see it’s in there. With his gifts, and as he gets more experience and learns pitchers and learns his swing and things like that, he’s definitely capable of doing that.”

Although Ballesteros is listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 225 pounds in the 2026 media guide, he’s surprisingly athletic. A Cubs scout remembered him as a teenager in Venezuela running the 60-yard dash in 6.8 seconds, an above-average speed. Five years ago, his knack for understanding the strike zone, combined with his long-term potential as a catcher, landed him a $1.2 million signing bonus.

Counsell declined to directly answer questions about whether Ballesteros will be the club’s Opening Day designated hitter next week or whether the Cubs might pair their third catcher with a particular starting pitcher to ensure he gets regular time behind the plate.

Privately, Cubs officials rave about Ballesteros’ feel for hitting in a way that suggests he will get the chance to prove himself. That will likely come as the primary DH in the multipart plan to replace Kyle Tucker, the All-Star who signed a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya essentially viewed as co-starters, Ballesteros doesn’t have an immediate opportunity at catcher, but the Cubs are keeping that possibility open.

“Moisés is a very instinctual baseball player,” Counsell said. “He really feels the game and understands the game. That’s probably a product of catching a lot. That’s going to be a strength.”

The Cubs gave Crow-Armstrong a long runway to figure things out because he provided great defense in center field. Right now, it’s hard to see how Ballesteros will make much of a defensive contribution, which will put even more pressure on him to produce offensively for a big-market team with high expectations.

At some point, it could make sense to send Ballesteros back to Triple-A Iowa so that he can work on his defense and solidify himself as the catcher of the future. But he has already conquered minor-league pitching (.829 OPS over 1,900-plus plate appearances). And his strong audition last September — while Tucker was sidelined — earned him a spot on Chicago’s roster for both playoff rounds.

Now, in the final days of spring training, Ballesteros is living up to his reputation as a guy who simply does not stop hitting.

“It’s just a little bit of everything,” Counsell said. “The thing that we were so impressed with last year was the ball just went all over the field — hard all over the field. The power, the exit velocity indicate that the home runs will come at some point. There’s just a lot of ingredients to like.”