"Any moments where the Cubs get Ballesteros behind the plate in real game action can be valuable for his development, but those moments also communicate two important things: (1) the Cubs feel like Moises Ballesteros is a good enough catcher at present that he's not going to bury them behind the plate, and (2) the Cubs want Ballesteros's bat in the lineup as much as possible."
"In turn, that second one is notable thanks to the resurgence of Michael Conforto this season. We'll see how long it lasts, but in a world where both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are healthy and playing well, then you can have only one of Conforto or Ballesteros in your typical lineup on any given day. If Ballesteros can catch periodically, though, then Craig Counsell doesn't have to choose."
"You no doubt have noticed his slump, which has been relatively short-term for Ballesteros, but extraordinarily deep. He hasn't recorded a hit in 10 days, and you can go all the way back to April 28 and get this almost impossibly ugly line: .051/.136/.128/-23 wRC+. (Yes, negative 23.)"
"The primary driving force behind that line? No, he's not striking out a bunch. Instead, it's the .033 BABIP. That'd be pretty hard to do over 44 plate appearances even if you were trying! It's even harder to do when you're posting a 12.9% barrel rate in that time, and a 35.5% hard contact rate. Even the groundball rate is 51.6%, which is definitely way higher than he'll want it, but doesn't entirely explain the numbers."
Moises Ballesteros caught again, adding to earlier work behind the plate and multiple mid-game substitutions. Cubs actions suggest they trust his current catching enough to avoid hurting their defense and they want his bat in the lineup as often as possible. Michael Conforto’s resurgence affects lineup construction, since healthy Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki limit typical spots, making only one of Conforto or Ballesteros likely on many days. If Ballesteros can catch periodically, Craig Counsell can rest primary catchers and build lefty-heavy lineups. Ballesteros’s urgency is increased by a slump with no hits in 10 days and a very low wRC+ of negative 23 since late April. The slump is driven by a .033 BABIP rather than strikeouts, alongside a low barrel rate and high hard contact and groundball rates that still do not fully explain the results.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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