Moises Ballesteros was one of the hottest stories in baseball when the Cubs called him up, but nearly a month later, it's becoming impossible to ignore the production problem sitting in the designated hitter spot. The 22 year old slugger just hasn't been slugging recently. It's a fundamental part of baseball, but this personal slump has gone on long enough, and it's possibly gone long enough to cause genuine damage to the Cubs season.
Moises Ballesteros’ hot April has completely disappeared in May
When Ballesteros was called up to be the Cubs DH, it was electric. The Cubs were hoping his at bats would immediately translate into hits and base runners, and for the most part, they were right. In the month of April, Ballesteros had 21 hits in 55 at bats, which calculates to a .382 batting average. But unfortunately for the Cubs, it didn't last. Since the beginning of May, Ballesteros has only achieved three hits in 44 appearances. That comes out to a .068 batting average. I'm sorry, but that's simply not good enough to be a DH on a big league team.
Ballesteros is listed as the designated hitter. It's his only job right now. The time has come for Craig Counsell to acknowledge that they've been entering games with only eight batters instead of nine. Going into division rivalry games with that kind of handicap can absolutely derail any sort of momentum they managed to build.
Ballesteros has a lot of potential as a DH. He gave enough evidence of that in April. But if this slump is going to last any longer, it shouldn't be done at Wrigley. It should be ironed out in Iowa. Pitchers clearly adjusted after his hot start, and its not something Ballesteros has come around on yet. The Cubs still clearly believe in his ability to do it, but belief alone cannot justify his current production.
Ballesteros is only 22 years old. He still has plenty of time to become an impact hitter that can really bring consequences with him. But the Cubs are hurting themselves and Ballesteros by hoping he's ready right now, because the numbers don't lie. If the Cubs wish to contend with the Brewers, they're not going to do it with a project taking up a valuable at bat several times a per game.
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