The probability of three-time National League All-Star Willson Contreras getting traded by the Aug. 2 deadline remains chilling for Cubs fans, but there is some catching help in the future.
Moises Ballesteros, 18, who signed for a $1.5 million bonus last summer on the first day of the international signing period, has hit five homers with an .938 OPS in 24 games in the Arizona Complex League.
The left-handed hitting Ballesteros, a native of Venezuela, has 14 RBIs to go with a .379 on-base percentage.
“His feel for understanding the strike zone at such a young age is impressive,” Jared Banner, the Cubs’ vice president of player personnel, wrote in an email.