Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

How's the Future Looking?

The major league team is going through the motions of a 100-loss season and is frankly, boring as hell right now. There's plenty to keep our eyes on if we need a baseball fix, will Castro and Rizzo rebound/improve, is Olt a legitimate starter or just a platoon-mate, can Barney, Schierholtz and Hammel do enough to get some trade value in return and what exactly will Samardzija's trade value be in June/July? But the answers to those questions aren't coming for awhile and neither are the future questions in Baez, Bryant and the rest of the minor leaguers, but I find the hope in their bats and arms far more interesting than the reality of the Chicago High Draft Picks currently playing in Milwaukee.

Javier Baez - early DL trip probably not helping, but currently at 164/207/327 with 21 K vs 2 BB's along with 4 errors.

Kris Bryant - 312/442/597 with 5 HR's, 7 2B and a surprising 5 SB vs 0 CS... 25 K  in 77 AB's about the only blemish at this point.

CJ Edwards - 20.2 IP/20 K/8 BB/0 HR and a 2.61 ERA before the injury lightning strike hit with some shoulder issues. No structural damage but in the midst of a 2-week rest period and then probably another 2-3 weeks before seeing the mound barring any setbacks. See him in June hopefully...

Albert Almora - 284/299/405 with 7 K vs. 0 BB's...kind of boring right now.

Jorge Soler - what did he have? A double of Mat Latos and immediately to the disabled list...currently shagging groupies in Arizona I think.

Pierce Johnson - late start to the season and was making his second start of the season as I write this...checking boxscore...8 BB in 4 IP...moving on.

Arismendy Alcantara - 301/310/554...6 SB vs 0 CS, but 20 K vs. 2 BB's.  Just one error so far on the season.

Jeimar Candelario - 174/296/290, not really justifying that #8 spot on the BA Top 10 list.

Dan Vogelbach - 234/314/338 - 2 HR's, 9 BB vs 10 K is encouraging.

Arodys Vizcaino - 7 IP/8 K/3 BB/ 0 HR/1.29 ERA and hitting high 90's.

Honorable Mentions

Kyle Hendricks - last outing in Colorado was a bit rough as was his first start of the season, but overall a 4.11 ERA and 29 K in 30.1 IP against just 8 BB's and 0 HR's on season. In-season call-up seems to be looming...

Corey Black - had a great start his last time out (6 IP, 8 K, 0 H) and overall with 16 K in 17 IP and a 2.65 ERA, but 12 BB's to go with it.

Overall, a bit of a disappointing start to the minor league season for the Cubs, but the path to the majors is rarely straight up.

Comments

Collin McHugh following up his unlikely 12 K performance with a 7 IP/6 K/ 1 H performance so far vs. Oakland.

#baseball

Great start by Hammel, Strop a nice inning, Rondon with 3 Ks and the save; Castro 2 HR, good ABs by Rizzo and Olt. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. If only the chances of seeing a good performance like this was better than say 1 in 5, sigh.

though he only projects for middle-end rotation at best, and he's a junkballing lefty... e.jokisch 24.2ip 24h 3bb 18k (2hr), 3.65era 1.10whip even if he finishes the season well he probably won't crack anyone's top100 prospect list and maybe not even the cubs top10 prospect list, but he's worth keeping an eye on given his years of consistent production.

Does anybody know if firstinning.com is gone for good, or are they just going through extended server problems like they were last year?

I think one thing that gets lost in all the hoopla over how great the Cubs prospects are supposed to be is that, for one thing, the product on the field is embarrassing, more so than it should be at year three, and for another thing, the Cubs are hardly the only team with interesting prospects. This franchise will survive another horrible year, but if it isn't turned around pretty drastically in year four, the franchise will start bleeding fans. Young kids aren't going to gravitate to a team with moldy ivy. I was won over in '69, despite the collapse. If there's nothing for kids to watch, they will go to the White Sox, who are at least consistently competitive, and Wrigley will become a tomb. The clock is really ticking here. We honestly could see a complete collapse of this franchise if the Jedstein plan doesn't work out. I seriously doubt there are many kids excited about this team right now. You need to grow your fan base, not depend on idiots like us who have been suckered into the whole Wrigley thing all these years. Add to the current team's woes the financial situation of the Ricketts, which seems pretty precarious, and I'm not an optimist.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Cripes, O&B... what did you expect this season? :) In the final years of the Hendry regime, the Cubs had neither a farm system nor a big-league team. The organization was in shambles. So when you talk about the hoopla over the prospects, it's not that the Cubs prospects are supposedly so much better than other systems (although many websites have the Cubs system in the top 5), it is that the Cubs didn't have a farm system in the past, but now they do. That's an interesting development. I don't think a club with a history like the Cubs is worried about their fan base. The first time they return to the playoffs, all the lukewarm fans will come out of the woodwork.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

It's a great development, but it may not be enough. As for what I expected this season? Not much, at the beginning of this year. When the gents were hired, I expected a little more progress in year 3, however. It may still come. The season is young, Starlin seems back, and Rizzo would be putting up better numbers if they weren't pitching around him so consistently. I know all about the history of the Cubs' farm system. And I'd have to disagree about the fan base. Fan bases are created at a young age. What kind of kid is rushing to his iPad to watch the Cubs on MLB.TV right now? Sure, the die hards will come out if they ever start winning, but they'll lose their future fan base if it doesn't turn around.

And, what the hell IS going on with Soler, anyway? Are they hiding him from the human traffic smugglers?

If you're looking for positive signs, here's something. At least in the last week, something has been going on down on the Cub farm. Tennessee may still be scuffling, but Iowa has won its last five games, KC its last six, and Daytona seven of its last eight. And while the big-name prospects may have started slowly, some of the second- and third-tier prospects are doing rather well--guys like Logan Watkins at Iowa and Andreoli and Rafael Lopez at Tennessee and this Rademacher guy and also Marco Hernandez at Daytona. In theory at least, the franchise is moving toward having a critical mass of guys who know how to get on base and also hit some. Watkins always has a good OBP but this April it's .433. He can play defense and he can run a little. He would be an improvement at second base over what we have now, but several players on the big-league team are being marketed, which does get in the way of putting your best team on the field. So we wait a little longer.

rain delay in Cincy...

Baez hits HR #3 in Iowa, 3-run shot in first...Jokisch pitching

C. Black goes for Smokies

Zastryzny going for Daytona, 3 IP, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 HR so far, opposing pitcher not doing well either though, tied 6-6; Candelario HR

Blackburn going for Kane County

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.