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

Draft and Follow

David Price? Matt Wieters? Josh Vitters? Max Scherzer, maybe? The Rule 4 Draft (AKA "June Draft", or "First-Year Player Draft") is just about a month away (June 7-8), and the Cubs are preparing their list, and checking it twice. Thanks to their lousy 2006 season, the Cubs will have the 3rd overall pick in the draft, as well as the #48 overall pick as compensation for losing Type "B" FA Juan Pierre to the Dodgers. However, in addition to players selected in the draft, the Cubs will be able to sign more players... With a change in MLB Rule 4, this is the last year that MLB clubs will be able to sign the so-called "Draft and Follow" (D+F) player. A "Draft and Follow" is a player selected by a club in the previous June Draft who does not sign before enrolling or re-enrolling in college, but who is eligible for selection in the next June Draft. This would be any player who enrolls or re-enrolls in a junior college, or any player who has completed three years of eligibility at a four-year college, or any player who is 21 prior to the draft. The only players who are ineligible as a "Draft and Follow" are high school players who enroll in a four-year college (they are "off-limits" for two years), or JC players who transfer to a four-year school after their freshman year (they is "off-limits" for one year), or any player whose college team (JC or four-year school) is still active in post-season play as of a week prior to the June Draft. Last year at this time, the Cubs signed 3B-OF Cody Gilbert (2005 34th round pick) and 1B Luther Murphy (2005 46th round pick) as "draft+follow" players (both were attending junior colleges). Murphy has been released, but Gilbert is at EXST and will likely be assigned to Boise next month. Beginning with the upcoming June Draft, a club has until August 15th to sign a player who under the previous rules would have been a Draft+Follow candidate. If a drafted player is not signed by August 15th, he goes back into the draft the next year. Last year the Cubs selected 47 players in the Rule 4 Draft, and signed 28. Two have subsequently been released, but the other 26 are currently active in the Cubs organization. Of the 19 players who did not sign, 18 remain eligible to be signed by the Cubs as a "Draft+Follow" (again, this is the last time for "Draft+Follow") as long as their teams are not involved in post-season play as of the cut-off date a week prior to the draft (May 30th). The number listed is the round in which the player was drafted by the Cubs last June. 17. Keoni Ruth, 2B, Concordia University (CA) NOTE: A Hawaiian native who was a star infielder at the University of San Diego when drafted by the Cubs last June, Ruth transferred to NAIA Concordia (CA) after the 2006 season. He will be eligible to be signed by the Cubs as long as #33 ranked Concordia is not playing in the NAIA post-season tournament on May 30th. 18. Jose Hernandez, RHP, Manatee CC (FL) NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Edgewater HS in Orlando, FL, Hernandez enrolled in a JC, so he is fair game as long as Manatee CC's season is over by May 30th. 22. Jovan Rosa, INF, Lake City CC (FL) NOTE: Attending the same JC he was at a year ago, Rose can be signed as long as Lake City CC's season is over by May 30th. 25. Jamie Bagley, RHP, San Jacinto JC (TX) NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Hargrave HS (TX), Bagley enrolled in a JC, so he can be signed as long as San Jacinto's season is over by May 30th, except San Jacinto is the #12 ranked JC team in the country, and the NJCAA World Series is the last week in May. 27. Cedric Redmond, RHP, Oakton CC (IL) NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Joliet Township HS (IL), Redmond enrolled in a JC, so he can be signed as long as Oakton's season is over by May 30th. 28. Brett Summers, RHP, South Suburban CC (IL) NOTE: Still attending the same JC he was at a year ago, Summers can be signed as long as SSCC's season is over by May 30th. 29. Jordan Latham, RHP, College of Southern Idaho NOTE: Still attending the same JC he was at a year ago, Latham can be signed as long as CSI's season is over by May 30th, except CSI is the #13 ranked NJCAA team in the country, and the NJCAA World Series is the last week in May. 31. Bryan Collins, RHP, Central Missouri State NOTE: Was a sophomore at Alvin CC (TX) when drafted by the Cubs last June, Collins transferred to Central Missouri State for the 2006-07 school year, but as a junior at a four-year college, he can be signed as long as his team (NCAA Division 2 #5 ranked CMS) is not playing in a tournament on May 30th, which is unlikely since the NCAA Div 2 World Series is the last week in May. 35. Marquez Smith, 3B, Clemson NOTE: Teammate of Tyler Colvin at Clemson, Smith can be signed by the Cubs as a D+F as long as #19 ranked Clemson's season is over by May 30th (which is very unlikely) 37. David Francis, RHP, Walters State JC (TN) NOTE: A native of Mississauga, Ontario, and a member of Canada's National Junior Team while in high school, Ross "David" Francis enrolled at a JC in Tennessee, and so he can be signed by the Cubs as long as his team is not still playing as of May 30th. 38. Ben Feltner, OF, Texas A+M NOTE: Was a sophomore at Temple JC (TX) when drafted by the Cubs last June, Feltner transferred to Texas A+M for the 2006-07 school year, but as a junior at a four-year college, he can be signed as long as A+M is not playing in a tournament on May. However, Feltner is a star player at A+M, so he would probably be a "tough sign," and that's only if #18 ranked A+M is not still playing as of May 30th (which is very unlikely). 39. Marcus Hatley, OF, Palomar JC (CA) NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Mission Hills HS (CA), Hatley enrolled in a JC, so he can be signed by the Cubs as long as his team is not still playing on May 30th. 41. Jonathan Negron, RHP, Baseball Academy of Puerto Rico NOTE: I have no information about Negron's current whereabouts, so I do not know his status as a D+F. He might be playing at BAPR post-HS. 42. Ben Ornelas, OF, Cypress JC (CA) NOTE: Ornelas is still at the same JC he was at a year ago, so he can be signed as a D+F as long as his team is not still playing on May 30th. 43. Anthony Morel, SS, Riverside CC (CA) NOTE: Morel is still at the same JC he was at a year ago, so he can be signed as a D+F as long as his team is not still playing as of May 30th. 44. Daniel Berlind, RHP, Cal Poly NOTE: Was drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Calabassas HS (CA), Berlind enrolled in a four-year college, so he is "off-limits" until June 2009 and cannot be signed as a D+F in '07. 46. Ryan Shook, LHP, Solano CC (CA) NOTE: Was drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Valley Christian Academy (CA), Shook enrolled in a JC, so he would be available to be signed as a D+F as long as Solano CC is not still playing as of May 30th. 48. Wally Goodline, RHP, Santa Rosa CC (CA) NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from North Monterey County HS (CA), Kenneth "Wally" Goodline enrolled in a JC, so he would be available to be signed as a D+F as long as Santa Rosa is not still playing as of May 30th. 50. Ryan Davis, LHP, Columbia Basin CC (WA) NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Eastlake HS (WA), Davis enrolled in a JC, so he would be available as a D+F if his team is not still active on May 30th. In addition to Draft+Follow candidates, MLB clubs can sign any "fifth-year college senior" who was not selected in last June's draft, any time after the player's season is over and prior to a week before the next June draft. Last year, the Cubs signed RHPs Rocky Roquet (Cal Poly) and Matt Maradeo (Kutztown), OF Jeremy Williams (York College), and catcher Blake Lalli (Gardner-Webb) as fifth-year seniors priot to the draft. And then after the June Draft, any player eligible for the draft who was not selected can be signed as a Non-Drafted Free-Agent (NDFA). International players can be signed at any time, but if a club waits until July 2nd to sign a player, the club can sign the player to a contract for the following season, and that buys an extra year before the player would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft. So Dominican, Venezuelan, Mexican, Korean, Australian, and Taiwanese players are usually signed (if possible) no earler than July 2nd.

Comments

offtopic, but talk about rough...seattle has given j.weaver 1 more chance to stay in the rotation for his next start...vs. the yank$. ow.

from mlb.com...pin on guzman... "Boy, I tell you what, I'm surprised that this young man pitched the way he did," manager Lou Piniella said. "I was expecting six or seven innings of work each time out, giving up two, three runs and striking out a few, and get his work in and get up here. But a [12.19] ERA in three starts in Triple-A? I don't have an explanation for it. I really don't. And we're going to have to revisit this thing on Friday for what we do."

Who is Price's agent? Is there any chance there could be a signability issue and he could fall to us? Royals look set on Wieters, so unless Price falls, we will likely need to choose between Vitters and Brackman.

I've said it before: Angel Guzman == Juan Cruz, Part II. Great stuff, but can't make it count in games. I'm more positive on Sean Marshall than Guzman.

brack's looking like a deep 1st pick. his stuff is looking great, but his polish hasnt progressed much. his retained advisor is boras, fwiw.

Here's a crazy idea. Why not bring up Mark Holliman from AA for a start? He's off to a 3-0 start, and could give the Cubs time to let Guzman stretch out in AAA.

How does everyone feel about having 3 LH Starting Pitchers? It looks like Sean Marshall may be the next 5th starter...

cause it's AA, and those are his first 3-4 starts above Hi-A. if you want crazy, at least go with Gallagher. Cubs probably will skip Angel for the 6th and make a decision for the 12th between Angel, Marshall and (gulp) Wade Miller.

if the Cubs really hate their options, they could sneak through May with only needing a 5th starter 3 times fwiw. add Neil Cotts to my rant above as well.

Gallagher....that's preferable to Wade effing Miller, that's for sure.. Good point Rob!!

holliman isnt on the 40-man anyway. cotts, marshall, and marmol (though he's wild as ever, dont let his early numbers fool you) are readily available options.

oh yeah, samninja's on the 40-man, too...but well...yeah. mateo, too, but i believe he's injured or making a comeback in arizona or something... parapa the rappa is available, too.

Cesar Izturis? He's not much of a pitcher but you HAVE to keep that glove in the lineup. Phil, who are your top 3 in the draft this year? I hardly even watch football and I know more about their stupid draft than the Rule 4.

az. phil----Dan Berlind transfered to LA Pierce College in Jan. making him available in this years draft---he is no longer a draft/follow for Cubs because he enrolled at Cal Poly SLO in fall, but can be re-drafted by Cubs in June

Three left handed starters!!!! I'll date myself and say I remember when the 1984 Cubs had ONE southpaw pitcher on the whole team. Steve "Rainbow" Trout.

By the way, anyone see The Heckler today? "Sox to replace hitting coach with Southpaw." LOL.

Cotts would need to get stretched ot to be able to go 5+ innings. So at AAA the Cubs have: JR Mathes 2-2, 4.50 ERA, 11K/8BB 1.67 WHIP lefty Les Walrond 2-2 3.49 ERA, 16K/5BB1.24 WHIP lefty Ryan O'Malley: 0-2 4.88 ERA, 9K/7 BB, 1.58 lefty Randy Wells: 1-3, 7.23 ERA, 18K/12BB, 1.65 WHIP righty Angel Guzman: 0-2, 12.19 ERA, 7K/6BB, 1.94 WHIP righty. Sean Marshall: 0-0, 5IP, 0 ER, 5K/1BB, 1.60 WHIP lefty. In AA: Gallagher: 2-2, 4.7 ERA, 24K/9BB, 1.23 WHIP righty Holliman: 3-0, 0.33 ERA, 22K/5BB, 0.93 WHIP righty Veal: 0-4, 8.86 ERA, 22K/20BB, 2.02 WHIP lefty Not a great # of choices.

Samardzija's got a lot of work to do.... Numbers in Hi-A ball 0-1, 2.45 ERA, 5 GS.... wow that looks great, right? 25.2 IP, 30 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 11 K, .297 BAA hardly dominating at a low minor league level.... Marmol's ERA is already up over 4 fwiw....

hahah

So put Prior or Miller or Mateo on the 60-day DL for Holliman. Ain't gonna happen, but at least it's a pitcher having some success this season, not getting his brains beat in. Marshall I guess?

I was thinking of traveling up to Philly for the game on the 12th (I'm in DC). Buuuuut ... it's a 3:35pm start (day after night) and who knows who the pitcher'll be. I may want to skip this one. Curiously, the spot price of tickets for Sunday's 1:35pm game (Mother's Day, I think) are quite a bit higher than Saturday's.

I'm sure Neil Cotts could go 75 pitches today if he needed too. How many innings that gets you is another story of course.

If it's a typical Cubs pitcher, then 75 pitches will get you 3-4 innings max....

Holliman's in his first taste of AA, not AAA, be beyond dumb to bring him up now. Kind of like it was beyond dumb to give Marshall a rotation spot last year after 10 AA starts but whatever...

sad as it is, if they added someone to the 40-man it'd probably be sweaty les or a "hey look, we got youth" start for a guy like gallagher. cubs got 3 guys locked up for another 2+ years after this...Z is gonna cost a crapload to add a 4th guy who will be around 2+ years...the roles of some of the more "close to ready" talent like guzman/marshall/marmol and to a lesser extent gallagher/veal need to be examined this season.

man, Angels have Reggie Willits batting 3rd today. $100 million-ish doesn't get you what it use to.

on that note, Willits walks and Vlad goes yard. I'd say Vlad should get the Barry approach but he'd still swing.

beane is working overtime trading for and trading away AAAA OF'rs...they got jack cust from SD now for ptbn. they got langerhauns...traded him for snelling...blah blah blah

What's funny about the Langerhans situation is that the Braves traded him to Oakland, and Billy Beane turned right around and dealt Langerhans back to the NL East (WAS). Schuerholz probably flipped a lid when he heard about that one.

it just being Ryan Langerhans, probably not. Cust likely to DH with Piazza out.

Pretty cool to see a player who graduated from the school I both work at and attended (Cedric Redmond) on that list...he'd become one of my favorite players if signed.

ZHL — May 3, 2007 @ 11:44 am Phil, who are your top 3 in the draft this year? I hardly even watch football and I know more about their stupid draft than the Rule 4. =============================== ZHL: I would rate the top three... 1. David Price, LHP (Vanderbilt) 2. Matt Wieters, C (Georgia Tech) 3. Josh Vitters, 3B (Cypress HS - CA) Price (ace of Team USA in Havana last Summer) is the most advanced, the most-polished, and the best pitcher in the draft, Wieters is a 6'4 240 power-hitting switch-hitting catcher who also throws in the mid-90's off the mound as Tech's closer (his receiving skills and catching mechanics need some work, though), and the right-handed hitting Vitters is rated the best high school hitter in the draft and could be the eventual succesor to Aramis Ramirez come 2011-12. Also, RHP Max Scherzer (Missouri) is the only unsigned 1st round pick from last June's Draft, and if the D'backs can't sign him in the next couple or three weeks, he goes back into the draft like Luke Hochevar did last year when the Royals made him their #1. Meanwhile, Scherzer (like Hochevar last year) will be pitching for the Ft. Worth Cats in the independent American Association, in a starting rotation that will also feature ex-Cub prospects Chadd Blasko and Lee Gwaltney.

bob — May 3, 2007 @ 11:44 am az. phil—-Dan Berlind transfered to LA Pierce College in Jan. making him available in this years draft—he is no longer a draft/follow for Cubs because he enrolled at Cal Poly SLO in fall, but can be re-drafted by Cubs in June ============================== BOB: Thank you, Bob. Miguel Cuevas was drafted out of Pierce last June, maybe the Cubs will take another shot at Berlind.

Thank you, sir. I'd rather see the Cubs take a Price type or someone who's close to MLB-ready than someone who needs four years of Minor League seasoning. Too bad MLB don't allow draft-pick trades (another lame archaic rule). It'd give small-market rebuilding teams a way better shot - say, KC trading Teahan to a big market for a prime pick and another 10-12 late-round picks or something. I'm all for team control of destiny, and I think Bud needs to address this.

Rob- Probably the first time a team had ever called up a pitcher from AA for a start..right? What's beyond dumb is your failure to notice that I said it's probably never happen, and I guessed Marshall. I realize I'm an idiot compared to you, but that's uncalled for.

the baseball draft is FAR TOO LONG to let teams trade picks. The 1st round of the football draft took 6 hours because of all the trades. If you ever watch the live feed of the baseball draft. You notice that there is no dead-time whatsoever. Just rapid-fire picks and 30-40 minute rounds. It would take teams a month to pick through 50 rounds if they allowed trades.

woah there Dusty, sorry you took that personally and I guess I can see why you did, but I never call anyone on here dumb or anything like that. Just thought it wasn't a good idea, I do apologize for the way I presented it as I certainly didn't mean to be construed as a personal attack on your idea.

"I’ve said it before: Angel Guzman == Juan Cruz, Part II. I as well have made this point. It is so true, imo! Re: Wieters - he is a killer reliever w/92+ stuff. IS there a way he can pitch to himself as catcher?

hope Mr. Moore and the Royals continue with the pitching route in the draft and skip Wieters as Price is pretty much a slam dunk #1 pick.

Yeah, I can just see it now--some team moves up to get a signing-bonus-problem guy in the middle of the first round: "The Minnesota Twins have traded the 15th pick in the first round, as well as their 19th, 48th and 62nd-round picks to the New York Yankees for the Yankees' 1st, 4th, 15th, 17th, 23rd, 45th, and 55th-round picks."

Ok Rob. Guess I like that idea better than calling up Walrond, or O'Malley, or some other cannon fodder...

The San Francisco Giants have traded all of their picks in the 2007-2012 drafts to the Atlanta Braves for Andruw...

the other problem with trading draft picks in baseball is that the draft is much less certain than in other sports. too many "sure things" turn in to flops, not to mention the late round success stories. Grace was picked in the later rounds if i remember correctly. Even pujols was not a first rounder. if you are going to trade picks, i would think you would want a little more certanty with the players that you select.

AZ Phil... going to see Peoria play our Ft. Wayne Wizards this weekend... basically to see Sandberg manage. I don't follow the minor league stuff much, so anything interesting going on with Peoria to look for?

"guess the Cubs should have signed Gil Meche too, en fuego. " Hendry tried. I do not know if mentioned previously, but Sun Time's DeLuca today paints a grim picture on the Cubs re-signing "Z". What a fucking idiot Hendry is sometimes. Why did he wait for the 2007 FA period to even start negotiating? WTF?! FUCKING idiot! I mean 16 wins on a last place club?! You're gonna let a guy like that go?

of course Deluca does, he works for the Sun-Times. Hendry seems to always late to the last minute to sign his own players and it's worked out every single time. And it was going to work out again this time until Trib mucked it all up. I was kidding about Meche anyway, the guy chose KC for the low-pressure situation. Probably not a good fit in the current Cubs climate.

I wouldn't mind bringing up Walrond for a spot start. He ain't on the 40 man, though, right?

Hendry almost screwed the pooch with Aramis. He lucked out and Aramis took less than market value to stay. However it is hardly a good strategy to rely on that tactic in the future. If he would have signed Aramis before last season. He would have saved a few bucks. The same especially holds true with Z. The reason a pitcher signs an extention is to protect themselves in the event of an injury. If Z makes it through the year healthy. The cubs lose every ounce of leverage they have. Of course they can always paint Z as a greedy bastard in the papers when he goes elsewhere. So they do have that going for them.

This one's for Crunch -- Nationals fans have a nickname for Felipe Lopez: FLop.

"Hendry seems to always late to the last minute to sign his own players and it’s worked out every single time." No. He rolled the dice and LOST. He SHOULD have sealed the deal last season. Its like waiting to buy a house when you know the house is what you want. Is the risk worth it to let another buyer come in - or the seller to get cold feet? The Astros had no problem recognizing that they want to keep their Ace. It just was stupid - add it to the pile of other shitty things he's done. Good fucking riddance.

Cubs might be waiting to see if Z can string together a couple of impressive starts first before they throw $85MM at him. He hasn't looked like much of an ace so far this year. Throw strikes, fer cryin' out loud!

Rynox — May 3, 2007 @ 1:49 pm AZ Phil… going to see Peoria play our Ft. Wayne Wizards this weekend… basically to see Sandberg manage. I don’t follow the minor league stuff much, so anything interesting going on with Peoria to look for? =============================== RYNOX: Well, RHP Jose Ceda (rotation starter) is one of the Cubs best pitching prospects, and RHP Rafael Dolis (another rotation starter) has a good arm with a plus-fastball and can be effective when he throws strikes. 2006 8th round pick RHP Billy Muldowney (Pitt) looked great in minor league camp and was probably Peoria's best starter, but he has a sore elbow and has been shut-down. 2006 10th round pick RHP Jake Renshaw got promoted from EXST when Muldowney went down, and he's a decent young pitcher. Closer Rocky Roquet ('06 5th-year senior signed as a FA out of Cal Poly prior to last June's draft) was quite a find. He is a power pitcher and has done a fine job when the Chiefs have the lead late. RHP Alessandro Maestri pitched for Team Italy in the WBC last year, and he has been outstanding (no walks in 13+ IP) as Roquet's set-up man. LHP Jeremy Papelbon (brother of the Red Sox closer) was lights-out at Boise last year, but has struggled some at Peoria. But he's a good lefty reliever and gets a lot of K's. A couple of other relievers (RHPs Chuckie Platt and Oscar Bernard) got promoted from EXST to Peoria a couple of weeks ago. Bernard is (like Carlos Marmol and Randy Wells) a converted catcher. Platt is sort of a bulldog. Not a lot of talent, but he tries hard. As for the position players, 20-year old catcher Welington (one "L" in Welington) Castillo has some pop, but he is VERY raw. He needs to improve his defense behind the plate. He has a good arm, but also has a propensity for touching the hitters bat and getting nailed for catchers interference. He has four passed balls and a half-dozen errors, too. Back-up catcher Blake Lalli is a VERY good defensive catcher. 2006 15th round pick Matt Canepa (the other catcher) has been a bust. He was Roquet's catcher at Cal Poly. 1B Russ Canzler is a big lumbering first-baseman who had a big year slugging last season at Boise and is just now starting to get hot (6-15) although he still suffers from a power shortage. 2B Matt Camp (2006 13th round pick out of NC State) is the lead-off hitter and he's been struggling at the plate, but he's fast and hyper-scrappy like Ryan Theriot. 2005 4th round pick SS Dylan Johnston is a 20-year old unrefined talent (he strikes out just about every-other AB). Watch out for the f-bombs from him when he strikes out! He has quite a temper. 2006 6th round pick 3B Josh Lansford (son of one-time A. L. batting champ Carney Lansford) is an outstanding defensive third-baseman (vacuum cleaner), but he has been struggling at the plate, although I think he is going to be a good hitter. The outfield (Alfred Joseph, Yusuf Carter and Andy Lopez LF-CF-RF) is just so-so. Carter (nephew of Joe Carter) strikes out a lot (once in every three ABs) and Lopez (one of two players the Cubs got from TB for Jae-kuk Ryu) has drawn one walk (in 60+ ABs) all year. Joseph is a pretty good player, but nothing special. He has two OF assists. 1B-OF-DH James Adduci (from Evergreen Park) just got demoted to Peoria from Daytona and he's been hitting the ball very well. 19-year old Venezuelan Jonathan Mota (the utility infielder) is a nice young player. Have fun!

If the Cubs are waiting to see if Z pitches better, then they're even stupider than I thought. Z's track record speaks for itself.

although the shot of him talking to Giambi at first base is comedy gold. MST3K would have all kinds of fun with that.

Carlos Rubi — May 3, 2007 @ 2:17 pm I wouldn’t mind bringing up Walrond for a spot start. He ain’t on the 40 man, though, right? ============================== CARLOS: Right. Walrond is not on the 40-man roster. And if he were to be added temporarily, he's out of minor league options, so if the Cubs want to send him down with an eye toward bringing him back again later in the season, even if he doesn't get claimed off waivers, he can be a FA if he gets outrighted.

how does someone luck out into a contract when a guy is a FA? i mean, the angels were ready to hand aram more money than the cubs supposedly...with more spanish speakers on the team...in a better climate... can hendry do anything right...even when he does it right?

"This one’s for Crunch — Nationals fans have a nickname for Felipe Lopez: FLop." hahaha..yeah right...nationals have fans. that was funny.

Put some blame on Hendry if Z doesn't end up a Cub in 2008, but they had a deal in place or close enough that the Z and his agent were willing to extend their Opening Day deadline. Trib is the one spinning their wheels about it right now.

I think the drinking and employees asking to call him a cab are the bigger stories. ~sigh~ lucky no one else got hurt.

Because he has spent 15 days on optional assignment to the minors so far in 2007, five more days on option to the minors this season, and the Cubs buy another year of Felix Pie before he can be a FA (post-2013 instead of post-2012). My guess is that Pie will be optioned to AAA next week when the 5th starter is added.

JACE: I still don't believe it. It is still too early for a significant trade, plus trading JJ would leave the team with ONE power hitter from the left side who has been on the DL 10 times.

thnx jace, makes sense if they plan to go with Pie. Still think they should send him down though and let JJ get some CF time to up his value. Seems like a 5th starter would be top priority at the moment, but how many teams have one of those to spare who subsequently need an outfielder? I'd push the Phils for Lieber but with Gordon looking to be headed to the DL, they'll be less likely to move Myers back into the rotation.

JACOS: Thanks for the info. I have no pity for drunken drivers. If this comes out as fact, then add him to the casualty list will all the rest of people who choose to play Russian Roulette with their cars. As ROB stated, it is fortunate no one else was killed or injured as well.

Yeah, E-man, Phil, and Rob. I feel the same way. I am just the messenger on this point that people are now starting to report that this decision has been made, rather than it just being speculation. Who knows what hard info Stark has to be reporting this . I mean, I guess he calls it Rumblings and Grumblings for a reason... I don't think it makes sense to keep him up here right now.

JACE: I still don’t believe it. It is still too early for a significant trade, plus trading JJ would leave the team with ONE power hitter from the left side who has been on the DL 10 times. ........................................................................ Not to mention the fact that it leaves the club with Zero people who can play Center. It seems really short sighted to expect Felix to play in Center every day. If the cubs feel the need to clear the logjam. Floyd is absolutely the guy who needs to go. Any other move just doesnt make sense. Not that most cubs moves do.

there's always angel pagan! woo. floyd cant go right now...murton and JJ are the only guys who would be easily moved unless the cubs wanna wait mid-season. well, pie would move easily, too, but i think that goes against the point.

Yeah, everyone seems to agree that the Cubs need to wait at least a month before making any moves that could clear up the OF picture.

After watching the last few games, I've come around to the idea (for now) of keeping Jones in CF, and match-up platooning Murton and Floyd in RF. I think he's shown us some serious talent, but I can live with Pie going down to Iowa, continuing to improve his game and coming back up when either A) someone gets injured (Floyd?) or B) someone gets dealt (Jones?). Plus, we stop the clock on his service time and that's not a real bad thing. In the meantime, Jones has showed me he'll be just fine in CF and will probably put up much better offensive numbers (this year) than Pie. What I wouldn't mind either, is if Pie goes and Pagan comes up to fill in as a bench player (and maybe platoon him with Jones in CF), similar to how Pie was used in the last couple of games. Seems like we haven't even needed 11 pitchers lately, much less 12. I know that there have been alot of off-days, but it seems like Cotts and Eyre have hardly even thrown the ball in the last week or so. That would give us a bench of: IF Izturis (assuming Theriot stays at SS) IF Cedeno OF Floyd/Murton OF Pagan C Blanco 1B/PH Ward And then the bullpen I guess would be: R Dempster R Wuertz R Howry L Ohman L Eyre L Cotts Which puts Cherry back at Iowa. Plus, Guzman might be really good (better?) in the bullpen. That's encouraging. This team has so much more depth this year than last year, that it's just stupid. When the THIRD-string SS this year was your STARTER last year, that's something.

I don't see much dissention in our ranks... I wish Hendry (Silent Towel) still read this site....

what happened to the guy that use to give us Detroit Tiger reports last year? He would compare what the Cubs were doing with the Tigers.

Baseball's big fear in trading draft picks is that the low budget teams would trade out of the top spots. What they should do is institute a hard-coded rule about how many 'points' a draf pick is worth, similar to Jimmy Johnson's system, then allow only trades that are 1:1 on that point system. That would allow a team to trade up for a player they really want, if they can find a willing partner, without necessarily letting teams off the hook about paying it's draftees. It would also make the draft more interesting.

The Joe — May 3, 2007 @ 3:48 pm Just don’t say his name three times… ............................................................. comedy gold joe!

where the hell is Dr. Transmission? I fully expect to buy the guy a beer if he makes it to Music Fest this weekend.

The Real Neal — May 3, 2007 @ 4:20 pm Baseball’s big fear in trading draft picks is that the low budget teams would trade out of the top spots. What they should do is institute a hard-coded rule about how many ‘points’ a draf pick is worth, similar to Jimmy Johnson’s system, then allow only trades that are 1:1 on that point system. That would allow a team to trade up for a player they really want, if they can find a willing partner, without necessarily letting teams off the hook about paying it’s draftees. It would also make the draft more interesting ...................................................................... Baseball just instituted a policy that goes into effect next year to quell some of the signability issues. If you take a guy with, lets say the # 5 overall pick and he doesnt sign. The team that drafts him gets that same pick the next year. So in theory, teams can take the best guy available and not worry about signability. If the guy prices himself out of the market, you retain the pick the following year.

But if the #1 pick wants $5 million this year, and he gets drafted again next year, he's probably still going to want $5 million. The no-trade rule is to keep the Royals from trading that pick to the Yankees for the #27 and #78 picks, which they can sign for $2.5 million. It's more of a competitive balance issue than a making the Royals profitable issue.

Neal, how do you assess the value of a player then. If it's hard coded then there is no room for subjectivity. take the Bears for example, they wanted the 6th pick over all for Lance Briggs but Washington demanded more. The NFL allows for people to make their own decisions on worth but under your system, each player would have to have a value number. I say F the freaking draft as it is outdated and makes no sense. With all these players coming from the far east and Caribbean, the U.S. players draft seems a waste of time. I hate the draft in all forms. I believe that the draft and free agency are in direct opposition of each other and one needs to go. And it doesn't look like free agency is going anywhere.

Jace — May 3, 2007 @ 3:18 pm Yeah, everyone seems to agree that the Cubs need to wait at least a month before making any moves that could clear up the OF picture. ================================ JACE: Exactly. When the 5th starter is added next week, Felix Pie is the one who needs to be optioned to Iowa. What would be accomplished by sending Felix Pie to AAA when the 5th starter is added next week? 1. Five more days on optional assignment to the minors in 2007, and Pie would not get to be a FA until after the 2013 season, instead of after the 2012 season if he stays in the big leagues. (If a player spends 19 days or less on optional assignment to the minors in a given season, the player gets credit for one full year of MLB service time; Pie has spent 15 days on optional assignment to the minors so far in 2007, so five more days, and he won't get credit for a full year of MLB ST in '07). 2. By going on optional assignment to the minors for at least 45 more days in 2007, it would almost guarantee that Pie could not be a "Super Two" for salary arbitration purposes after the 2009 season. (45 more days on optional assignment to the minors added to the 15 days he's already spent at Iowa, and that's 60 days subtracted from 182, or 122 days, and the cut-off for being a "Super Two" for salary arbitration purposes has ranged over the years between 2+125 to 2+140 days of MLB ST). 3. By waiting until at least mid-June to bring Pie back, it would eliminate the automatic "no trade" rights Cliff Floyd and Daryle Ward get by virtue of signing with the Cubs last off-season as Type XX FAs, meaning either one of them could be traded to open up a spot on the 25-man roster for Pie starting on June 16th. So June 16th is the date to watch, and then it's not Jones who should get traded at that time, it's either Floyd or Ward.

aaronb — May 3, 2007 @ 4:40 pm Baseball just instituted a policy that goes into effect next year to quell some of the signability issues. If you take a guy with, lets say the # 5 overall pick and he doesnt sign. The team that drafts him gets that same pick the next year. So in theory, teams can take the best guy available and not worry about signability. If the guy prices himself out of the market, you retain the pick the following year. =============================== AARON B: Just for a little bit of clarification, the way it works is this: The way it has been, is that if a club cannot sign its 1st round pick (like it appears might happen with the D'backs and Max Scherzer), the club gets a "sandwich" pick between the 1st and 2nd round as compensation. If a club can't sign a second-round pick or lower round pick, there is no compensation. Starting with players selected in the 2007 draft, if a club cannot sign its 1st round pick (let's say #10 overall), the club gets the #11 overall pick in the 1st round in the next year's draft. In other words, it's not exactly the same pick, it's one slot further down. And if the club can't sign the replacement pick, they don't get anything. Same goes for the 2nd round. It's one slot lower (overall) than the previous year's pick. If a club can't sign a third round pick, the club will get a "sandwich" pick between the 3rd and 4th round as compensation. And if a club can't sign a 4th round pick or any other lower round pick, the club is just SOL, like it is now if it fails to sign a second-round (or lower) pick. So the new system makes it easier for clubs to just say "f**k it" if a 1st, 2nd or 3rd round pick asks for the moon. It basically gives the clubs more leverage in negotiations, and puts more pressure on the player and his agent to be "agreeable."

" if a club cannot sign its 1st round pick (let’s say #10 overall), the club gets the #11 overall pick in the 1st round in the next year’s draft." What happens to the team holding the 11th pick in that hypothetical draft? Do they slide to 12nd just because a cash-strapped (allegedly) team couldn't sign their target guy? That seems a pretty unfair to me.

Carlos Rubi — May 3, 2007 @ 5:16 pm What happens to the team holding the 11th pick in that hypothetical draft? Do they slide to 12 just because a cash-strapped (allegedly) team couldn’t sign their target guy? That seems a pretty unfair to me. ===================================== CARLOS: Yes. That's exactly what happens. But you have to remember that the way it is now, the D'backs (for instance) will get a compensation pick (sandwich pick) between the 1st and 2nd round if they can't/don't sign Max Scherzer, and that means everybody picking after the D'backs' Scherzer compensation pick selects one slot lower than where they would have otherwise selected. Same goes for "sandwich" compensation picks between the 1st and 2nd round awarded to clubs who lose Type "A" and Type "B" players to other clubs via free-agency. All of the clubs selecting after the clubs getting compensation picks suffer. Whether it's fair or not, apparently MLB clubs want it that way. They would rather pick a slot or more lower than where they are otherwise entitled, if it means getting more leverage in negotiations with the players they do select.

Carlos, the bottom line is that teams are trying to work together to make the draft work for everyone. It really isnt fair that guys like Scott Boras can steer their clients to teams that they wish. That in and of itself is totally against the whole concept of the draft. In a perfect world, the money should go to players who have proven their worth. As it is now, guys like Felix Pie have to play in the major leagues for 5 years to make the money a guy like Bobby Brownlie made by doing absolutely nothing.

THE JOE: Haha, sorry. 2/3, 2B, RBI, BB. I'm used to the Mexicanized version of boxscoring, i.e. in three at-bats, two hits.

I know I know, I'm just kidding. But if ANYONE can get three hits out of two AB's...it's Sammy.

"I say F the freaking draft as it is outdated and makes no sense. With all these players coming from the far east and Caribbean, the U.S. players draft seems a waste of time." that's the yankees system for a while now. still, even when presented a chance to "play the game" of the draft as it stands they step up and put the money where the pick is. yanks, dodgers, and cubs all got good extended international camps. the upfront contract cost is minimal compared to the draft, but the up front investment in facilities (especially in the new media era where 16 year olds living in rat houses just wont do) is pretty large.

"As it is now, guys like Felix Pie have to play in the major leagues for 5 years to make the money a guy like Bobby Brownlie made by doing absolutely nothing." I guess so, but international signing bonuses are pretty high as well. Exempli gratia, the Nationals signed Esmailyn (!) Gonzalez out of the Dominican Republic for 1.4M and the Yankees signed Jesus Montero for 2.2M. I don't recall Pie's signing bonus, but I bet it wasn't a bag of peanuts.

Oh, the genius that is yahoo sports "Buzz Index: Marquis Pickup St. Louis starter Jason Marquis has won four straight starts, making him one of the most popular waiver wire additions in Yahoo! leagues..."

E-Man: "I have no pity for drunken drivers. If this comes out as fact, then add him to the casualty list will all the rest of people who choose to play Russian Roulette with their cars. As ROB stated, it is fortunate no one else was killed or injured as well." Very well stated. If it is true that he was drunk, I also have no pity for him and am very glad he didn't hurt or even kill anyone else.

Speaking of the draft, is anyone else befuddled by the draft pick valuation system that teams seem to use in the NFL? Example -- Randy Moss was traded to New England for its 4th round pick. Now, if Moss was tossed into the 2007 draft, does anyone think he wouldn't have been picked until the 4th round? But NE essentially drafted him with their 4th round pick. I don't get it. Ha, "F the Draft" reminds me of a famous 1st Amendment case. Some dude was suspended from a public university for wearing a "F*CK THE DRAFT" T-Shirt on campus in the Vietnam era, and the free speech issue went all the way to the Supreme Court. Sad to say I don't remember which way it was decided (I spent much of law school hungover and sleepy).

well I have pity for Hancock although I'm glad no one else got hurt...just for the record. Tough crowd...

i dont follow football, but i imagine it might have salary cap implications keeping him from going further down...a kind of built in protection to their screwed up system.

Yah, but even with his contract someone surely would have nabbed him before the 4th round. There just doesn't seem to be any correlation between player value and draft slotting in the NFL draft. But then again, who really cares.

I'm glad Rob said something. I was going to stay off the topic for fear of a greater (non-baseball) debate. But since Rob mentioned it already. I pity anyone who destroys one's own or others' lives whether by conscious choice or not. Sometimes substance abuse stems from a deeper issue. Obviously, drinking and driving is stupid. I'd pity him whether he was drunk, or changing the radio station, or picking his nose or signing up for the military. It would be a stupid mistake, but that doesn't negate the possibility of pity, just because it was stupid. In fact, I think that stupid mistakes are MORE worthy of pity than smart decisions that turned out bad.

...and what's more: Feel free not to pity anyone you want, but it is in poor taste to point out those who you do not pity, especially the recently dead.

I would like something clarified here. Carlos you mentioned those two guys from the DR getting over a million dollars to sign. How does that work? I thought these kids sign young and cheap. Did these kids hold out? Did they just not get noticed until they blossomed? Or were they just that good at age 16 to warrant that kind of money?

Joe -- yeah, there is something really unseemly and crass about broadcasting that you don't feel sorry for a guy who just died. For Chrissake, have some respect. If he drove drunk and died as a result, it was a stupid move and a bad decision, but the guy is dead.

Word.

RSox offense doing everything they can to still get me the win for Dice-k, much appreciated.

# 433 — May 3, 2007 @ 6:36 pm Joe — yeah, there is something really unseemly and crass about broadcasting that you don’t feel sorry for a guy who just died. For Chrissake, have some respect. If he drove drunk and died as a result, it was a stupid move and a bad decision, but the guy is dead. ------------------------------------------------- On the other hand, baseball and the media should not be trying to act like this guy is a saint just because he died. LaRussa threatening to beat someone with a fungo bat because they have the audacity to point out the guy was bombed when he nailed a stationary object... The Cards-Brewers recap on Yahoo was all a weepy story about how the Cards were going to attend his memorial, while no mention of Bill Hall scoring by stealing home... I'll keep my crass disrespect of his life choices to myself if I don't have to be subject to his canonization when I want baseball results.

The Joe: "Feel free not to pity anyone you want, but it is in poor taste to point out those who you do not pity, especially the recently dead." That is your opinion, but from someone who has lost a very close relative to a drunk driver, please excuse me if I don't pity drunk drivers. Of course, that is if Hancock was in fact driving drunk.

Wow. I was going to mention that I just got back from Tupelo and Josh Hancock's memorial service was held at my mom and dad's church.....but I can see that this is the wrong place to get into that today.

So much for SF trying to keep him in AAA all year. I am sure it is just too tempting for Sabean to bring him up. I heard about this after today's Defenders game. Chris Begg was getting called up to AAA to take the spot a "decent" prospect in AAA...wink wink. I will be watching that game with much anticipation.

Alright Manny, you certainly are the master of missing the point: My statement: "Feel free not to pity anyone you want..." Your follow up statement: "Please excuse me if I don’t pity drunk drivers." It is certainly unfortunate that your relative died. But suffering does not give us the right to be disrepectful, although we are often led to believe otherwise. Hancock did not kill your relative. He (may have) caused his own death and that is also unfortunate. Whether you pity him or not is meaningless, but it is (as I was trying to say) extremely cold-hearted and in bad tase to go out of your way to condemn him and pronounce your own lack of pity, when has has already suffered due to his own poor decisions.

Sosa just got plunked in the head by Bruney and a 97 MPH fastball. He walked off on his own accord, but was shaken up.

The Joe- Like I said that is your opinion, and you are totally entitled to it. But I stand by my statement.

This is the first game I really got a chance to see Sosa and he must of lost at least 30 pounds since he was last in a Cubs uniform. Does anyone know what he was listed at in 2005 for the Cubs? I see they have him listed on ESPN.com this year at 225 pounds.

He just got plunked in the head?? That was the moment that everything started to go downhill for Sammy as a Cub. When he got plunked in the head by Salomon Torres...

I am very upset about Sosa getting hit. You're right Jace, he was never the same. Maybe he's learned how to handle that and can bounce back, but I doubt it.

"I would like something clarified here. Carlos you mentioned those two guys from the DR getting over a million dollars to sign. How does that work? I thought these kids sign young and cheap. Did these kids hold out? Did they just not get noticed until they blossomed? Or were they just that good at age 16 to warrant that kind of money?" Their agents initiated a bidding war, as per usual with 16 year old phenoms. This is their modus operandi: They "post" their minimum bonus and send out memos to most MLB teams, then they host workouts at their homeplaces and start taking offers. Yankees offer 1M, Indians offer 1.5M, and so on. Some sort of an auction takes place. That's their way of "holding out" or getting more money. Remember that, as Phil said earlier, international players don't get signed prior to July 2nd ("signing day" or kickoff in agent lingo) so the agents have plenty of time to drive up their clients' price. Players that weren't 16 years old when they signed (like Ronny Cedeño) don't get enormous bonus money -- why? because they weren't scouted by teams and thus signed before their 17th birthday. Think of them as 5-10th rounders. To sum up, the international process is as dirty and excruciating as the American draft.

wow... non-baseball note, but Golden State is up by 23 at the end of the third... one of the biggest nba upsets ever?

Can we trade all of our failed high draft picks--or at least, those we still have (Prior, Wood, Dopirak, Harvey, Johnson, Montanez, Pawelek, Hagerty) for Tim Lincecum? Please??

BTW, we were one lousy Brewer win from being tied for second place. But the suck and their downward spiral begins tonight. I predict 9 games over .500 will be their high-water mark. Mark it down.

*I’d pity him whether he was drunk, or changing the radio station, or picking his nose or signing up for the military.* So now signing up for the military is just as stupid as inattentive driving or driving while intoxicated or stoned. Wow. Just, wow. You are a total asshole. *The Cards-Brewers recap on Yahoo was all a weepy story about how the Cards were going to attend his memorial, while no mention of Bill Hall scoring by stealing home… I’ll keep my crass disrespect of his life choices to myself if I don’t have to be subject to his canonization when I want baseball results. * The same thing happened when another Daryl Kile died [with drugs in evidence]. Remember when there were dopes on the internet going on and on about how Kile should have been immediately enshrined in the Hall of Fame, skipping the customary five-year wait and ignoring the fact that Daryl Kile and Hall of Fame are two things that should never even be mentioned in the same sentence?

no — May 4, 2007 @ 4:46 am *I’d pity him whether he was drunk, or changing the radio station, or picking his nose or signing up for the military.* So now signing up for the military is just as stupid as inattentive driving or driving while intoxicated or stoned. Wow. Just, wow. You are a total asshole. ------------------------------------------------ I gotta agree with No here. The comparison is just ridiculous. After seeing the T-Shirts on your website though, it's pretty obvious where in the political sphere that comment is coming from and I've got no desire to get into some sort of political discussion on TCR. Still ridiculous though.... I guess I pity you for not understanding why.

AZ Phil - Thanks for the article. Can't imagine how you can find info on all these guys. That said, who on this list do you think the Cubs should sign? Any rumblings of who the Cubs might sign? Do the Cubs do any more than a scout making a phone call or an e-mail? Thanks again.

The same thing happened when another Daryl Kile died [with drugs in evidence]. This was covered a few days ago already. They found a hint of pot in Kile's body, but it was thought that it had been in the system for a few weeks or more. The medical examiner ascertained that no drugs were involved in his death.

Guys - I think this whole dispute over pity just comes down to what different peoples' definition of pity is. I think that, to some people, pity just means sorrow. To others, to pity someone means something with a more negative connotation, like you are sorry that someone like that even exists... I think that is what this dispute is centered around. We have a baseball game to focus on today, though. Let's talk about that!

Cowboy- And he was not wearing a seatbelt. Very bad situation...

That's right, manny. It is sad that he died, but given the circumstances, this would have been a whole lot more tragic in my mind if he had taken anyone else out. He obviously made some real bad mistakes...

Mel Hall's Batting Gloves — May 4, 2007 @ 6:05 am AZ Phil - Thanks for the article. Can’t imagine how you can find info on all these guys. That said, who on this list do you think the Cubs should sign? Any rumblings of who the Cubs might sign? Do the Cubs do any more than a scout making a phone call or an e-mail? Thanks again. ============================= MEL: The Cubs have area scouts who keep tabs on all the D+F candidates. If I'm the Cubs and the player's team's season is over in time for the player to sign as a D+F before the May 28th cut-off date, I'd try and sign (in this priority): 1. Bryan Collins, RHP, Central Missouri State 2. Jovan Rosa, INF, Lake City CC (FL) 3. Keoni Ruth, 2B, Concordia (CA) 4. Jordan Latham, RHP, College of Southern Idaho 5. Ben Feltner, OF, Texas A+M 6. Cedric Redmond, RHP, Oakton CC (IL) 7. David Francis, RHP, Walters State JC (TN) 8. Brett Summers, RHP, South Suburban CC (IL) 9. Marquez Smith, 3B, Clemson 10. Anthony Morel, SS, Riverside CC (CA) BTW, some of the notable Draft+Follow signings by the Cubs over the years... Rocky Cherry, RHP Kyle Farnsworth, RHP Bobby Hill, INF Kyle Lohse, RHP Rick Wilkins, C

thought provoking piece in yesterday's trib by phil rogers on the great baseball tradition of post-game clubhouse drinking - i commend it to you and suggest that if hancock's seemingly senseless death catalyzes a discussion that leads to banishment of alcohol from mlb clubhouses, it will then have served a worthy purpose...now, what's the weather in chicago this morning? rained yesterday in des moines, so i fear that's what's in store @ wrigley today.

WSCR - Cliff Floyd will start today in RF... I missed the rest of the report... will catch it next time.

It's overcast here but it hasn't rained at all. I'd be surprised if we got more than a few light showers.

this floyd/murton RF still baffles me. i mean...just how evident is soriano's arm over floyd and murton's...and geez, RF is a bit harder than LF, but its still a nice corner slot. guess theyre concerned about soriano missing a popup turning a single into a triple or something. like to see a RF workout for soriano...hell, ive seen floyd and murton track the OF and i have a hard time seeing how they out-class soriano. add in the arm of soriano (not like its some god-like thing) and its a bit more baffling. hopefully, imo, once his legs are healed more (or whatever's going on...or not going on) lou will stick his ass in RF for a while to check it out. i dunno, though, maybe it already has been tried in practice/pre-game/etc. but i still have a hard time buying floyd/murton are the best RF options.

Well - The results are now fact on Hancock. It truly is fortunate that he did not kill anyone else due to his poor decisions. Why do people choose to drink and then drive. If you want to party - get sloshed - cool. Why drive? There was no monetary problem here. In fact, a limo driver or taxi could have made for perhaps an even more fun evening. If you reach for the bong - just leave the car keys, thereby perhaps saving your life and possibly an innocent victim. - shakes head - Dumb.

file under tragically tasteless, yet ironic...yet totally random result of a stat set...josh hancock's "similar player" rank on baseball reference... Similar Pitchers through Age 28 10. # Cory Lidle (984) yeah, some may not wanna read that...and some may laugh...and some might be neutral...but its another example of just because A and B share a common "C" it doesnt mean A and B will always result in a "C" or that "C" is a fact result rather than a statistical blip of randomness.

i should mention before anyone becomes too outraged at the broadness of a link like that even coming into the baseball world...well, some tend to treat every pitcher on the planet like they come as robots from Pitchers Inc. and have strict quality control and usage specs.

JJ in center Izzy at SS. Damn it Lou, play Theriot!!! Guzman called up also, I didn't hear who got sent down.

Chad, it is marked down. For the Cubs' sake, you should hope your prognosticating here is better than your views on Izturis. You don't need to mark it down, but I disagree. The Brewers have very few holes in their lineup, a pretty strong bench, good pitching depth, and two prospects in Gallardo and Braun who are MLB ready in case of injury. You can play the over/underperforming card for a whole bunch of guys on a whole bunch of teams; I don't think it has any more weight with the Brewers than the Cubs or anyone else. As for your high-water mark prediction, they play the Nats and Pirates six times at home over the next week. That one doesn't look too good to me.

As somebody who spends every day in a pro baseball clubhouse, I can tell you that the Rogers article is spot on. It's just the way it is. It's part of baseball culture. For a large number of players, priority #1 is to get back in the clubhouse and have a drink or two after the game is over. Sadly, I think the rate of players who drink and then drive is much higher than that of the average person. An unfortunate and completely unncessary side effect of the game that we all love so much.

I heard on WSCR that they plan to call up Guzman for Sunday's start, and they plan to send down a position player. The fact that Pie still is not in the lineup is an indication to me that they are leaning toward sending him back down... I hope that is the case... As for Izzy being in the lineup, I suspect this is a "last chance" for him. I think Pinella is giving a few days in a row to right his ship. If he doesn't, Pinella can say that he gave him every chance to succeed.

so guzman's up to work with roth/etc and stretch out and make sure he's rested and with the team/teammates. even if they dont activate him til sunday i do like that move. he's definately got some issues to work with...or having some rotten luck on the mound.

can a player be on minor league roster, but with the pro team on the field/dugout during or before a game? im not sure about that one.

Soriano LF Floyd RF Lee 1B Ramirez 3B Barrett C Jones CF DeRosa 2B Izzy SS Z P

interesting developments if Guzman is really getting called up today. Maybe Izturis will start when Z and Marquis pitch because of their general groundball tendencies? I dunno. Needs less Izturis. If Izturis is playing today, then Jones is probably in CF and batting 2nd I would guess.

Wind blowing in at 12 mph from CF... This looks to me like a day for small ball... Theriot and Pie might be useful on days like this...

oh yeah, forgot Floyd bats 2nd now. thnx for the lineup, got a Nationals one somewhere?

How about instead of one guy ruining post-game clubhouse fun for everyone, MLB teams simply don't let players drive home after games? Is a car service such a big expense compared to $100million-plus payrolls? The obvious PC answer is to not let anyone drink because one guy was a fucktard, but drinking isn't the problem - driving while drunk is. Take away the cars before you take away the booze.

I agree DD, I can speak from personal experience when I say nailing random chicks is always more fun after a few drinks. Why should these players do without simple american pleasures?

'Neal, how do you assess the value of a player then. If it’s hard coded then there is no room for subjectivity. take the Bears for example, they wanted the 6th pick over all for Lance Briggs but Washington demanded more. The NFL allows for people to make their own decisions on worth but under your system, each player would have to have a value number.' Chad, The subjectivity is in making or not making the trade. The teams wouldn.t be forced to offer 3482 points for the 19th overall pick, nor would their partner be foreced to accept it.

[...] A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article here about players selected by the Cubs in last June’s Rule 4 draft who did not sign at the time, but who will be eligible to be signed up until ten days prior to the ‘07 June Draft, as long as their team is not involved in NCAA, NAIA, or NCJAA post-season play as of May 28th. [...]

Cubs sign another D&f.. Marcus Hatley from round 39.. first team all conference at Palomar junior college as an outfielder.. pitched 3 innings, 10 batters faced 6k's, 1bb, 1 hit, 1 save..pitched in high school.. hit 95 mph on the gun at last workout.. signed 5/30/07 as pitcher..

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect.