Next to Cade Horton…..this may have been one of the most exciting days that I’ve had as a Cubs fan, in recent memory. Setting aside the 2016 World Series, and all of the major milestones that lead up to it; there hasn’t really been a “defining situation” that has made me as excited as I was yesterday.

Why is that, you may ask? Well…..it’s because Moisés Ballesteros is in the Majors!

Moises Ballesteros received a loud ovation in his first MLB at-bat 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/O4MxDdFD6D

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) May 14, 2025

The sweet-swinging Venezuelan has been putting on a clinic in the minors to start the season, slashing .368/.420/.522 with four home runs and 16 RBIs for the Iowa Cubs. His sensational play had fans clamoring, asking; “when are they going to call this kid up?” But after an injury to Ian Happ sent the OF to the 10-Day IL……it became Moisés’ time to shine!

Moisés Ballesteros is a two-time Minor League Player of the year for the Cubs, and has become a main fixture of a very impressive farm system. The 21-year old lefty was poised to make a huge splash against the struggling Marlins, but sadly…..he did not come up with anything substantial in front of the home crowd.

It was a rough sight to see. In his first two at-bats of the game, the Rook would end up grounding out to the second baseman, with one of them resulting in a double play. He would then ground out again in the 7th inning to the third base side, bringing his line for his first game to a disappointing 0-3.

But in his fourth attempt of the night, he would reach safely on a fielder’s choice that put Dansby Swanson out at second. This would lead to Ballesteros being replaced by Vidal Brujan at first, so the team could have a little extra speed on the base paths.

Now, was this the outcome that we were all hoping for? Obviously…..no! Most (if not all) of us Cubs fans were hoping for a “story book moment” of sorts, kind of like when Willson Contreras hit a BOMB in his first Major League at-bat back in 2016…

✔️ 1st MLB game
✔️ 1st MLB at-bat
✔️ 1st MLB pitch

OTD in 2016, Willson made his Major League debut with a bang 💥@Prevagen | https://t.co/4wsEkgUqsy pic.twitter.com/CkzkAFthyW

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 19, 2021

But you know what? There are a lot more positives to this kid, than negatives. The fact he was able to make contact each at-bat, and put the ball in play, shouldn’t be a “knock” on his first ever game. The kid has all of the intangibles to be a great ball-player in this league. It’s just going to take a bit of time. Let him shake the “first game jitters” off, and get back to it!

I’m on the ‘Ballesteros Bandwagon’ until the very end, regardless of Game 1! But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.