It’s another Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents nd Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us. New friends or old, all are welcome. The dress code is casual. We’ve still got a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.
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.
The Cubs won their seventh-straight game, beating the Phillies 7-4. For all the early-season nail-biting, this team looks pretty darn good right now. Let us hope they stay that way.
Last night I asked you what the Cubs should do with Jordan Wicks after he returns from the injured list. The majority of you said “Leave him in Iowa” as 56 percent voted for that. Another 34 percent thought he should go into the Cubs depleted bullpen.
On Tuesday nights I don’t normally do a movie essay, but I always have time for jazz and that time is now. You can skip ahead if you wish.
Today we’re continuing our series on Chicago jazz in anticipation of International Jazz Day in Chicago on April 30. This is Chicago’s own saxophonists Clifford Jordan and Von Freeman at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1988. This sax battle features Willie Pickens on piano, Dan Shapera on bass and Robert Shy on drums.
Welcome back to those of you who skip all that jazz.
Since Moisés Ballesteros, also known by the nickname “Mo Baller,” was called up to the majors for good last September, he’s done nothing but hit. So far in his career, he’s hitting .333/.405/,529 with five home runs in 39 games. When you throw out his numbers from his first stint in the majors last May, the numbers are even better.
This year, Mo Baller is hitting .378/.420/.600 with three home runs in just 50 plate appearances. I don’t need to tell you that’s elite production. Those are the kinds of numbers where you don’t care whether or not he ever learns to be a catcher. You just stick him in the lineup at designated hitter and let him do his thing.
The problem with this, of course, is that the Cubs aren’t just sticking him at DH and letting him do his thing. Ballesteros is being strictly platooned, playing only against right-handed pitching. So far, manager Craig Counsell’s strategy has been to start Ballesteros against right-handers and then pull him for a pinch-hitter (usually Matt Shaw or one of the other two catchers) if the other team brings in a left-handed reliever to face Ballesteros. Then Counsel goes to Michael Conforto as the DH if a right-handed pitcher comes in later.
So far, this strategy has worked. Saturday’s game was the best example, and I know some of you grumbled when Counsell pinch hit for Ballesteros in the sixth inning. Of course, everyone who did happily reversed themselves when Carson Kelly hit a pinch-hit three-run home run, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it was the right call in the situation. Sometimes in baseball, the wrong call works out and the right call fails.
So far, Ballesteros is hitting .405 with a .447 on-base percentage against right-handers and .000 with the same on-base percentage against lefties. Of course, that’s only three at-bats against lefties. Counsell has been pretty strict about not letting Mo Baller face a lefty.
Ballesteros has mixed success facing left-handed pitching in the minor league. Last year in Iowa versus left-hnaded pitching, Ballesteros managed to hit just .230/.296/.281 in 152 plate appearances. That would argue that Counsell is doing the right thing by sitting him. But in 2024, between Iowa and Tennessee, Ballesteros was actually better against left-handers than right-handers. He hit .302 with a .356 OBP against lefties in 2024 and “just” .285 with a .354 OBP versus right-handers. So there is some evidence that Ballesteros can hold his own versus left-handed pitching if given the chance.
Should Counsell let Ballesteros face more left-handed pitching? No one is arguing Ballesteros should be starting everyday, against both lefties and righties. At least not at this stage of his career. What I am asking is whether you think that Counsell should be less aggressive in pinch-hitting for Ballesteros mid-game. Letting him get some at-bats against lefties would serve two purposes. The first is that it would give him more experience facing lefties, which he needs if he’s going to be an everyday DH. The second would be that it would leave Ballesteros in the lineup for the late innings if the opposing team goes to an right-handed reliever later on.
Of course, the argument against this is that what Counsell is doing now appears to be working. Having Michael Conforto on the bench lessens the risks of pinch-hitting for Ballesteros.
So what would you do with Mo Baller? Would you let him at least get his feet wet against lefties? Or would you just stick with what Counsell is doing now? Again, we’re not asking if Ballesteros should start every game, just whether or not Counsell should not automatically pinch-hit for him mid game. Maybe get a rare start against a left-handed pitcher.
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re always glad to see you stop by. Please get home safely. Don’t forget anything around your table. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.
