Moisés Ballesteros made his Major League debut on Tuesday night in a come-from-behind, walk-off win for the Cubs. For former Iowa Cubs play-by-play announcer Alex Cohen, he could see this moment coming.

“I was an Iowa Cubs broadcaster for seven years,” Cohen said on the latest episode of the Cubs Daily Podcast. “For somebody of his age, it is the best bat-to-ball skills I have ever seen from any player on any team. It is as advertised and more.”

The 21-year-old Venezuelan native got off to a hot start in Triple-A Iowa this season, despite colder temperatures in Des Moines. The Cubs’ No. 3 ranked prospect (according to Lance Brozdowski) slashed .368/.420/.522 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 34 games this season. In his last 31 games, Ballesteros notched a 19-game hitting streak, and reached base safely in 30 of the 31 games.

Cohen also mentioned Ballesteros’ low strikeout rate, cutting it from 18% to 11% over the last year. An impressive feat as Ballesteros was being exposed to new levels of pitching at the time.

“That’s insane to me as a 20-year-old,” said Cohen. “And it’s not just cutting down the strikeout rate. The walk rate is incrementally rising. His exit velos are up exponentially from last year.”

Ballesteros marks the third top prospect to make their debut in the 2025 season. Matt Shaw, the Cubs’ 2023 first-round draft pick, made his debut in Tokyo, Japan, but was then optioned to Triple-A Iowa for more development. Cade Horton, the Cubs’ No. 5 prospect, made his debut on Saturday night in an opener for the Cubs, and has stuck with the big-league squad since then.

Ballesteros’ situation was slightly different, with Ian Happ moved to the 10-day IL in correspondence with Ballesteros’ call-up.

“It’s like, ‘Mo, let’s see how you look, man. This is a cool opportunity. Take a look at Major League pitching, and we’ll recap it in a week,'” said Cohen. “It’s a really good landing spot.”

Questions have already come up as to where Ballesteros will play, and if he will catch or not for the big league club in the future.

“It’s a valid concern, but that concern’s not right now … You need a left-handed bat, and this is the best left-handed bat in the Cubs’ system,” Cohen said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does here.”

Listen to Alex Cohen’s full scouting report on Moisés Ballesteros on the most recent episode of the Cubs Daily Podcast!