Cubs BCB After Dark: How big a factor will Moisés Ballesteros be?

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the jolliest joint for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. So glad to spread some holiday cheer with you. Come on in out of the cold. The mistletoe is over the door. The stockings are hanging by the chimney. There are still a few tables available. Bring your own eggnog—or the beverage of your choice.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you if you would have pulled the trigger on a proposed trade for Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore. You were generally against the idea, with 65 percent of you saying no to the deal. I don’t know if that’s because you don’t want the Cubs to trade for Gore or whether it’s because the deal gave up too much in return.

This is our last After Dark before we’re taking a Christmas break. We’re not doing any movies because I want some time off too. But you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic between Brazil and Ghost in the Shell. Our next matchup is between The Matrix and Gattaca. We’ll get to that on Monday.

Remember: There’s no BCB After Dark tomorrow evening. We’ll rejoin you Monday after the holidays. Go spend time with your loved ones or volunteering to help those less fortunate.

But I’m going to give you a bunch of Christmas jazz to keep you warm though the festive season.

Starting out, here’s the famous performance of “White Christmas” by Charlie Parker on the radio in 1948. He’s joined by an all-star group with Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Al Haig on piano, Tommy Potter on bass and Max Roach on drums.

Next we have pianist Christian Sands and friends playing “Jingle Bells.” This is from last year.

The Modern Jazz Quartet checks in from their “Last Concert” performance in 1974 with their version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” that they call “England’s Carol.”

Here’s Rahsaan Roland Kirk with his swingin’ Christmas carol “We Free Kings.” This is from 1961.

And finally, we have Herbie Hancock and Eliane Elias performing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music. Or who are going to come back to it over the long weekend.

Top Cubs prospect Moisés Ballesteros was fairly impressive in his short debut last year. Over 20 games, he hit .298/.394/.474 with two home runs over 20 games. He did all of this at age 21. That’s too small of a sample size to tell if that’s his real level of production, but generally players who hit that well at the major league level that young have very long and very good careers.

But you’re probably already familiar with the problem with Ballesteros. He doesn’t have a position. He’s nominally a catcher and while he’s improved at that over the past few seasons, he’s still a long ways from being even an adequate defensive catcher. The Cubs place a lot of emphasis on defense behind the plate and it was a telling sign that they only let Ballesteros catch six innings all of last year and that was in a meaningless game after playoff seeding had already been decided.

Ballesteros isn’t terrible at first base, except that he’s only 5’8”. Joe Judge was a pretty good first baseman who was only 5’8”. He also retired in 1934. Still, Carlos Santana was a good defensive first baseman for many years and he was only 5’10”. I don’t think two fewer inches makes it impossible for Ballesteros to play first base, just more difficult.

But the problem there again is that the Cubs have Michael Busch at first base already. And like Ballesteros, Busch bats left-handed and throws right-handed, so a platoon situation isn’t possible.

So basically Ballesteros is a a very good left-handed hitter who can hit for both above-average batting average and power. And the only place he’s really able to play at the moment is designated hitter. Yes, Ballesteros’ bat could be special enough that he could become a full-time DH, but the Cubs really like to rotate players in and out of the DH position to give them a kind of half-day off.

So tonight’s question is just “How many games do you think Moisés Ballesteros will play next season?” Do you think his bat is so special that the Cubs will have to find a place for him to play? Or do you think he’ll spend most of the year in Iowa in the hope that he finally learns to catch? Or maybe something inbetween?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. Go home and have a very merry holiday. Sing some songs. Get home safely. Watch out for snow and ice. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. Wish them a merry Christmas too. And join us after the break for more BCB After Dark.