Minor League Hot or Not: Can Anyone Stop Moises Ballesteros?

[Jason Ross]

Another week in the bag, and the Cubs' top minor-leaguers continue to perform. Moises Ballesteros put up video-game numbers, the pitching looks good, and a few under-the-radar players had some knocks. Who's hot and who's not this week?

Image courtesy of © Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

April enters into it's final full week, and the Cubs' minor-league affiliates are chugging along so far. Iowa got a big boost with the addition of Matt Shaw mid-week (trying to look at the positive side of things), as the third baseman is headed back to the I-Cubs for timing work. Not to be missed, the Iowa Cubs set a record for home runs hit. Our very own @Travis Klosinski explored how they did that and who went yard.  The Cubs have changed how they are using their farm arms (make sure you read my explanation and theories behind it here). The weather is hopefully warming up as well. 

Overall System Rating: 🤷‍♂️
From a purely wins-and-losses standpoint, it was not a great week. Iowa was the only .500 or better team; South Bend managed to lose all six. But from a prospecting standpoint, the guys you'd hope to do well, did, and there were no obvious injuries. Owen Caissie made his return (and hit a homer against rehabbing Twins starter, Pablo López). It's hard to be terribly upset at the tradeoff. Frankly, I'd rather it be this than the reverse (wins, but the top names struggling). 

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Iowa Cubs, Triple A (3-2)
Up next: @ Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds)

🔥 Cade Horton, SP - 5 IP, 6 K, 3 BB, 1 ER: I really thought Cade Horton had a strong outing. It wasn't a perfect outing, but I loved how many strikes he threw (55% in the zone) and how the Cubs gave him extra rope after he looked a little gassed. He's getting closer and closer to being capable of helping the Chicago Cubs. 

🔥 Moises Ballesteros - 290 wRC+, 4.2 K%, 16.7 BB%, 2 HR, 2 XBH: Video. Game. Numbers. The Cubs' top catching prospect currently sports a 172 wRC+ on the season; is striking out around 13% of the time; sports a 90th-percentile exit velocity in the 85th percentile among Triple-A batters; and has an 84th-percentile hard-hit rate. If the Cubs weren't leading the league in offense and didn't have excellent production from first base, catcher and the designated hitter spot right now, Ballesteros would probably be a lot closer to taking a spot than he is right now. 

🥶 Jack Neely, RP - 1 2/3 IP, 2 K, 4 BB, 6 ER: Oh, that's bad. The Cubs acquired Neely last year at the trade deadline, and he's struggled for command and consistency this year. He's either piping things to avoid walks or throwing poor strikes. The stuff is there, and it's a bummer that he's not settling in as much as you'd hope. The Cubs still have a need in the bullpen at the next level, but Neely is not currently in contention for any of those innings.

🔥 Tyson Miller, RP, 2 1/3, 4 K, 0 BB, 0 ER: This is cheating a bit, because Miller is on a rehab assignment, but I'm going to highlight him anyway. Whereas Neely is squandering a chance to up his positioning in the pecking order, Miller is coming back from a hip impingement and (likely) forcing his way back into the plans. With Eli Morgan down for a bit and Jordan Wicks struggling, seeing Miller back with the Cubs shortly feels like a real possibility.

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Knoxville Smokies, Double-A (3-3)
Up next: @Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins)

🔥 BJ Murray Jr., 3B - 200 wRC+, 16.7 K%, 4.2 BB%, 3 HR: Murray is probably too advanced for Knoxville, but will likely be stuck here for a bit longer. With the Cubs sending Matt Shaw back to Iowa, there really isn't much of an opportunity for Murray to crack the Iowa lineup over other prospects. Still, Murray can state his case for a second shot at Iowa by continuing to hit in Knoxville. 

🔥 Pedro Ramirez, INF - 179 wrC+. 8 K%, 12 BB%, 1 2b. 1 3b: I'm not sure the power is there for Ramirez to really ever enter "starting upside" territory, but he just keeps hitting, and at some point, he's going to force his way into a conversation. Ramirez, 21 years old, is looking great so far in Knoxville. His .093 ISO suggests that eventually, this will catch up to him in some form, but he's certainly making himself interesting enough and refusing to go away. It wouldn't be surprising to see him in Iowa at the end of the year. 

🔥 Grant Kipp, SP - 5 IP, 6 K, 1 BB, 1 ER: Grant Kipp is 25 years old, so we're not talking about the youngest arm in the system. However, there have been some real leaps forward concerning Kipp's slider, and he's put himself on the radar. I think the profile is more of a reliever at the next level, but that's not a knock. I wouldn't be surprised to see him moved to Iowa, and Kipp getting middle-inning looks in Chicago late this summer seems plausible.

🥶 Will Sanders, SP - 3 2/3 IP, 2 K, 0 BB, 5 ER: Sanders had been having a nice season, but this was not his best stuff. Struggling to get hitters out, Sanders gave up seven hits (though a double was his only extra-base hit surrendered). Sanders still has enough going for him that a back-of-the-rotation starting role is possible, and with his season's start, you can chalk this up as a blip—for now. 

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South Bend Cubs, High-A (0-6) 
Up next: vs Beloit Sky Carp (Miami Marlins)

🔥 Jaxon Wiggins, SP - 5 IP, 7 K, 2 BB, 1 ER: The High-A Cubs went winless, but Wiggins did everything in his power to help deliver a victory. He looked great, and was afforded the chance to go five strong frames. This is the kind of outing you hope your next wave of arms has relatively often, and Wiggins is off to a good start. There's a good chance that by the end of the season, he's widely viewed as a top-5 Cubs prospect.

🔥 Ivan Brethowr, OF - 148 wRC+. 28.6 K%, 19 BB%: I have a feeling I'm going to stump for this kid all year. He's still not getting to his power, but I think that's because of how he's being pitched, more than anything. I asked Eric Longenhagen in his most recent prospect chat about Brethowr. Longenhagen mentioned the swing is still a bit long and that he had a lot of opposite-field contact, but I think pitchers are afraid to come in on the behemoth right now. We'll see if that changes.

🥶 Cristian Hernandez, INF - 44 wRC+, 12.5 K%, 12.5 BB%: Hernandez, who was off to a torrid start and named Player of the Week, came back to Earth a bit. No one is going to have a banner week every week, though. I'm not really worried, and think he should rebound shortly.

🥶 Luis Rujano. SP - 3 1/3 IP, 1 K, 4 BB, 2 ER: Rujano had some juice at one point, but has really struggled so far in 2025. There's some stuff there, but he's just unable to make it work. The starting pitcher struggled to throw quality strikes and was through 60 pitches in the third when his day was over. The scoreline in total was bad in this one, and it's not all Rujano's fault, but not a great start to his High-A career, either.

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Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Low-A (2-4)
Up next: vs Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox)

🔥 Nazier Mule, 4 2/3, 5 K, 2 BB, 1 ER: It's fair to note that he did surrender more than just the single earned run (five in total), but a few of those were let in by his relievers. He also contributed to the runs with two throwing errors and a balk. But ignoring the need for pitchers fielding practice, I thought he looked really good. The stuff sat 94-95 mph, and he commanded it way better than before. 

🔥 Cole Mathis, DH - 177 wRC+, 19 K%, 9.5 BB%, 2 HR, 5 XBH: Good to see Mathis settle in a bit. In theory, he should move quickly, being an advanced bat with previous Cape experience. Both home runs came in the same game, but he managed three doubles, too. A few more good weeks and he could see South Bend quickly. 

🔥 Lionel Espinoza, OF - 128 wRC+, 26.8 K%, 0 BB%, 2 HR: Espinoza has been making loud contact in Myrtle all year. Given that he's 22 and a bit of a repeater at the level, I'm not fully convinced as to what to make of him, but it's enough that he's a name that should probably be on the radar. Espinoza is the rare case of a mid-season call-up from the Dominican Summer League. last year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in South Bend later this summer.

🥶 Christopher Paciolla, 3b - 10 wRC+, 13 K%, 8.7 BB%: There was some post-draft hype coming from the third baseman, but that's essentially dried up. His contact rate is much better, but he's doing nothing with it on the season, sporting a 70 wRC+. This is his third taste of Low A. I don't want to kick anyone when they're down...but the runway on Paciolla is starting to end quickly.

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