Chicago Cubs’ Moisés Ballesteros is always on the attack: ‘He’s just incredibly confident’

Moisés Ballesteros carries a mantra with him into the batter’s box.

The Chicago Cubs’ 22-year-old designated hitter always wants to try to put himself in the best position. Sometimes that means fouling off tough pitches to keep the at-bat going. He always wants to avoid striking out.

“I always say to myself, no one’s better than you,” Ballesteros said to the Tribune through an interpreter. “There’s nobody that’s better than you.”

Ballesteros’ hot first month has helped the Cubs sit at the top of the National League Central. He entered their four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds slashing .317/.380/.598 with six home runs, 18 RBIs and a 180 OPS+. As much as Ballesteros is willing and able to work counts, he’s shown no hesitation swinging at the first pitch.

Ballesteros’ 12 hits on the first pitch of an at-bat are tied for the most in the majors, while his 11 RBIs rank second. His first-pitch .600 average is fourth-highest in MLB (minimum 10 plate appearances). One of his biggest moments of first-pitch damage came April 27 in San Diego when he connected for a grand slam off Padres starter Randy Vásquez.

“He’s just incredibly confident when he steps in that box knowing that if he gets a good pitch to hit, that he’s going to be ready to hit it,” hitting coach Dustin Kelly told the Tribune. “He doesn’t need to get into the flow of the at-bat, like, he is ready as soon as he steps in. … Most pitchers want to get ahead early and some guys do that by getting some chase, some guys get that by pounding the zone, and he’s able to handle pitches in the zone, and he’s also able to go up and out of the zone a little bit or even away.”

Ballesteros hasn’t feasted on just one pitch type in those spots, either.

For those 12 first-pitch hits, he connected on six different pitch types: three curveballs, three cutters, two sliders, two four-seam fastballs, one sinker and one changeup.

His ability to attack regardless of pitch type can create a challenge for opposing pitchers. Ballesteros can crush mistakes, especially at the beginning of an at-bat, and his contact ability allows him to spray the ball around the field. But he’s willing to draw a walk.