After last night’s grand slam, the Cubs 22-year-old DH, Moises Ballesteros, is up to a truly absurd .387/.435/.710 slash line. That’s offensive production so strong that, despite stepping up to the plate just 69 times (while offering zero defensive or base-running value), Ballesteros’ 0.9 WAR is third-most among all NL Rookies, fifth-most among all rookies, third-most among all DHs, and tied for 33rd-most in all of MLB.
Because of all that, he’s firmly in the running for NL Rookie of the Year. And the only thing that seems to be holding him back is, well, not playing a position.
Except last night, he did.
Last night in San Diego, Moises Ballesteros played the most valuable defensive position in the game, catcher. And just like we saw in the spring, he didn’t look half-bad. As it turns out, that wasn’t just a one-time thing because of Randy Vasquez’s lefty/righty splits (though that was certainly part of the calculus). Instead, it appears to be the start of a process that will see Moises Ballesteros catching more often as the season goes on.
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