NEWSLETTER
With Cade Horton out injured and Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks all already in Chicago, the focus of the Cubs farm system has arguably been turned to three names: Owen Caissie (Triple-A), Moises Ballesteros (Triple-A), and Matt Shaw (Double-A, but pretty much ready for Triple-A). And guess what? All three were selected to represent the National League in the 2024 All Star Futures Game!
All Star Futures Game NL Roster
Only the Nationals have as many as three players selected, so the Cubs are very well represented here, as they should be!
Owen Caissie, 21, is the No. 35 overall prospect in MLB according to MLB Pipeline. He began his season in Triple-A, and is slashing an impressive .283/.392/.450 (121 wRC+) overall with eight homers, a 14.4% walk rate, and a 27.6% strikeout rate. He could see Chicago before the season is over, especially because he’ll have to be added to the big league roster this winter.
Moises Ballesteros, 20, is the talk of the system right now, and was just recently promoted to Triple-A Iowa, where he’s managed to record 17(!) hits in his first 11 games (including seven multi-hit affairs). As I recall, he’s the second youngest player at Triple-A right now and is absolutely DESTROYING the baseball. He’s also a catcher, with some lingering questions about his ability to stay behind the plate. But if he can, the Cubs are going to have a monster prospect on their hands. If he can’t, he might be a DH-only type. That would be a disappointment, but even in that outcome, his bat might provide a legitimate impact.
Matt Shaw, 22, was the Cubs first-round pick last season and is having a really nice first full year overall. Through 68 games at Double-A this year, he’s slashed .251/.361/.428 (135 wRC+). I do expect him to finish the year out at at least Triple-A, but he hasn’t actually played since June 27 and no one really seems to know why.
I’m curious if he’ll actually participate in the Futures Game, then. And while we’re on that, I don’t really know why Ballesteros is listed as “inactive.” Maybe it’s like the All-Star game, where he gets the honor, but has told them he won’t play? Not really sure what that’s about.
It’s not like he won’t be there at all. Because according to MLB.com, Ballesteros is participating in the first-ever MLB Futures Skills Showcase. In short, eight players, four from each league, are doing a skills game-type, with three rounds: (1) Hit it Here, (2) Call Your Shot, and (3) Swing for the Fences. You can check out all the details of those three games at MLB.com.
AL Team: Brooks Lee (Twins, SS), Sebastian Walcott (Rangers, SS), Roman Anthony (Red Sox, OF), Tre’ Morgan (Rays, 1B)
NL Team: Cam Collier (Reds, 3B), Temarr Johnson (Pirates, 2B/SS), Moises Ballesteros (Cubs, C), Brady House (Nationals, 3B).
And lastly, here’s a look at the AL Futures Game roster:
