North Side Baseball's Cubs Minor League Hitter of the Month: March/April 2025

[Travis Klosinski]

April is in the books, and while the Cubs’ minor-league affiliates had a mixed month in the standings, the performances from key prospects delivered plenty of reason for optimism. This month’s top hitter didn’t just stand out — he set the tone from start to finish.

Honorable Mentions
Jefferson Rojas (High-A South Bend) – 127 wRC+, .344 on-base percentage, 1 home run
Rojas continues to make mature swing decisions and handle High-A arms with poise. While the slugging numbers weren’t eye-popping, his contact and zone discipline once again laid the foundation for a productive April.

Owen Caissie (Triple-A Iowa) – 133 wRC+, 6 doubles, 3 home runs
Returning to Iowa, Caissie showed why he remains one of the most tantalizing power bats in the system. He homered off a big-league rehabber, worked walks, and improved his approach against lefties as the month progressed.

James Triantos (Double-A Knoxville) – 125 wRC+, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 9.5% strikeout rate
Triantos remains one of the toughest outs in the system and added a bit more thump in April. He may not have the loudest box scores, but his balance and bat control make him one of the steadiest performers across all levels.

North Side Baseball's Cubs Minor League Hitter of the Month: Moisés Ballesteros (Triple-A Iowa Cubs)
39 hits | 10 extra-base hits | 16 RBIs | .414 batting average | .475 on-base percentage | .586 slugging percentage | 204 wRC+ | 12 strikeouts | 10 walks

You don’t see many 21-year-olds hit .414 in Triple-A. Actually, you barely see anyone do that. Ballesteros did — for a full month.

Ballesteros didn’t simply have a good April — he strung together dominant game after dominant game, showing command of the strike zone, comfort with velocity, and maturity in his approach that’s rare even for much older players at Triple-A.

He didn’t wait to get hot either. On April 8, Ballesteros broke out with a 4-for-6 performance that included a double, a triple, two runs scored, and even a stolen base. He was named Player of the Game for that effort and didn’t let off the gas.   

By mid-month, he’d already collected multiple multi-hit games. He was again honored on April 16 and April 18 — each time stepping up in the middle of Iowa’s lineup and delivering timely, professional at-bats. 

But what made Ballesteros’ April special wasn’t the peaks — it was the absence of valleys. He compiled a 16-game hitting streak that spanned the heart of the month, reaching base in 19 of 24 total games and often doing it with authority.     

When the weather warmed, so did the contact. Ballesteros closed April with one of the most dominant stretches of his career: a 7-for-10 run with three walks and three RBIs across April 26–27, followed by another multi-hit performance and Player of the Game nod on April 29.       

And just for good measure, he left the month with a parting shot: his fourth home run of the year, hammered on April 30. 

Those who’ve followed Ballesteros’ rise through the system know the bat has always been the carrying tool — but this wasn’t just about raw skill. This was a clinic in approach. He struck out only 12 times all month while walking 10. His 204 wRC+ wasn’t inflated by luck or a brief stretch of power — it was the byproduct of plate discipline, barrel control, and swing decisions that would look at home in a big-league box score.

The numbers are loud, but the rhythm of his month was even louder. From early April through its final day, Ballesteros was the most consistent threat in the Cubs’ entire system.

April belonged to Mo.

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