Rachel Folden bonding with prospects while rising in Cubs coaching ranks

MESA, Ariz. -- Moises Ballesteros has enjoyed the in-game conversations he has experienced with Cubs Minor League hitting coach Rachel Folden. They will go over what the pitcher that day is featuring and discuss what she saw in his swing or approach. That is how Ballesteros likes to operate.

Owen Caissie prefers to keep things simple. In his time working with Folden, the feedback during a game has been minimal. Maybe she would offer a quick insight here or there, but the conversations about approach or swing were more reserved for the work done behind the scenes in the cage.

“She knows her stuff, man,” Caissie said on a recent morning. “And there’s no nonsense with her. She just calls it the way it is, and I love that about her.”

Since Folden joined the Cubs’ coaching ranks in November of 2019 -- when Chicago overhauled elements of its player development department and processes -- she has moved up the organizational ladder, alongside a group of the team’s top prospects. Those years together have helped her build a strong rapport, knowing how to adapt her coaching style to each player.

Now one of the hitting coaches for Triple-A Iowa, Folden will continue to work with Ballesteros (No. 68 on Pipeline’s Top 100 list) and Caissie (No. 53) as they sit on the cusp of the Majors. Top 100 prospects James Triantos (No. 72) and Kevin Alcántara (No. 89) will also see time with the I-Cubs, where Folden will team with hitting coach Rick Strickland.

Ballesteros was excited to know Folden would be with him in Iowa.

“She’s good,” he said. “She’s really good. I liked to hear she’ll be together with me at Triple-A. She’ll be working with me every single day. That made me happy.”

After initially being hired as a lead hitting lab tech and Rookie-league hitting coach, Folden has been a hitting coach in the Arizona Complex League (2021-22), worked as a Minor League hitting coordinator (‘23) and took on a hitting coach role at Double-A Tennessee (‘24).

Folden downplayed the idea that she is also one promotion away from the Major Leagues, pointing out that moving up to Triple-A for ‘25 allowed the Cubs to hire hitting coach Guillermo Martinez at Double-A Knoxville. Maybe joining an MLB staff will be in Folden’s future, but she would rather focus on the task at hand.

“I’m where my feet are,” Folden said. “I know the possibility’s out there, but I’m not in a hurry. I really, really enjoy the Minor Leagues. I really enjoy player development. If the opportunity comes, it comes.”

Often during these spring mornings, Folden’s feet are on a portable mound behind an L-screen for batting practice.

With one baseball readied in her right hand and another two waiting in her left, that is where the work can turn into play. This is a space for some friendly smack-talk, but also for immediate feedback. And Folden is armed with a full arsenal.

“She throws great BP -- literally, the best in the world,” Caissie said with a laugh. “She throws gas, bro.”

Caissie said Folden will fire fastballs with precision, while keeping hitters on their toes with changeups, curveballs and sliders during mixed BP. Asked about her skills as a BP thrower, Pete Crow-Armstrong smirked and rolled his eyes -- the kind of eye roll that serves as a compliment due to the challenge she presents.

“She’ll get me to check swing,” Crow-Armstrong said. “She blows it out for BP. People love it.”

Folden smiled when told some of the reactions to her BP style.

“It’s fun. It’s a good connection piece for me,” she said. “I can kind of try to get under their skin a little bit, and it gets a little extra focus during BP. And there’s other guys that love it, because I throw a lot of strikes. If they're like, ‘I just want to keyhole a certain zone,’ I’m like, ‘All right. Cool.’

“I think when guys are feeling well, they probably love hitting off me. And when they’re not feeling well, they probably don’t.”

Count Cubs manager Craig Counsell -- entering his second season at the helm -- among those who have been impressed with Folden’s abilities on the player development and coaching front. Beyond her ability to get to know the players at such an individual level, Folden’s insights have stood out for Counsell on multiple occasions.

“I really enjoy coaches who, when they say something, it’s impactful,” Counsell said. “In my experience, her observations have been very impactful. I think for hitters, that means her cues can be very impactful. Her observations have been very accurate. She’s displayed an excellent ability to evaluate players. That’s exciting to see.”

When Crow-Armstrong joined the Cubs via trade late in the ‘21 season, Folden was a hitting coach with the ACL Cubs. He was rehabbing from a right shoulder injury and -- restricted with swinging at the time -- engaged in many conversations with Folden in the cages about hitting.

Crow-Armstrong raved about Folden’s ability to help him with the mental side of the game, too.

“I think she’s really good for development -- I really do,” Crow-Armstrong said. “She’s been a nice shoulder for me to kind of lean on when stuff wasn’t really going my way.”

Caissie echoed that sentiment.

“She’s a great person to talk to,” he said. “She really gives insight and from a different perspective. Sometimes, it’s nice to have that.”

Alcántara agreed as well.

“She’s helped me a lot with the mental part,” he said. “She’ll say, ‘Chill out. Stop thinking about a lot of things. You’re a good player.’ She’s so nice. She’s a really good coach.”

Folden’s ability to connect with players, combined with her knowledge, has helped her continue to advance in the organization.

“It’s got to be interesting being a woman in this space,” Crow-Armstrong said. “She has shown me that there’s no issue for her being an outlier, you know? I appreciate that from anybody -- their originality and authenticity in their space. … If she does get up to the big leagues, I would just hope that that’s what she wants to do.

“And I think she’d be good. I think her skill-set would translate really well to big league baseball.”