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

Game 99 Thread / Cubs @ Cardinals (2 of 3)

Game Chat Ted Lilly vs. Adam Wainwright Lineups:
Soriano LF Eckstein SS
Theriot SS Taguchi CF
Lee 1B Pujols 1B
Ramirez 3B Encarnacion RF
Floyd RF Rolen 3B
Fontenot 2B Duncan LF
Jones CF Molina C
Hill C Ryan 2B
Lilly P Wainwright P

Comments

Scott Linebrink to the Brewers for minor leaguers Joe Thatcher, Will Inman and Steve Garrison

Wow... So they gave up nothing from their MLB roster, and got Linebrink... Well, I would say this is one of those trades that need to be answered...

I would say that I can't believe that trade. The Pad are in the thick of it and they trade away one of their best bullpen arms? What gives? Is this the Khaki towel?

Linebrink so far this year... 45 IP, 3-3, 3.80 ERA, 14 BB, 25 K, 9 HR

Linebrink had been struggling this year and a huge decline in his K rate. Plus he was a FA after the year. They already said he was demoted out of the main setup role. Nonetheless, good risk for the Brew Crew.

OK, not as dire as I thought. I didn't realize that Linebrink wasn't the guy anymore. Good pick up for the Brewers cause Turnbow and Cordero are going to get real tired. and the rest of the pen blows.

Yeah, but he has been struggling of late, this is excerpted from Padres.com yesterday: "A day after allowing four runs in two-thirds of an inning in a loss to the Rockies, Padres reliever Scott Linebrink was removed from his role as the team's eighth-inning specialist. Linebrink's blown save on Monday -- his sixth of the season -- was the latest in a series of missteps for the right-handed reliever, who has already allowed as many home runs this season (nine) as he did all of last season. Linebrink is tied with three other pitchers for the Major League lead in blown saves."

In his last 10 apperances his ERA has gone from 2.48 to 3.80. Let's hope he continues to struggle in Milwaukee.

I hate that deal. Fucking hate it. If the Brewers could get Linebrink for a bucket of balls, then the Cubs should've been able to get him on the cheap, maybe on the Barrett deal. Bowen, Linebrink for Barrett? Sounds more like it. Agh.

WC standings sure are crowded... 4 teams within a game, 6 teams within 3.5 games Cubs actually tied in the loss column at the moment with Padres.

"but isn’t the word ‘cajones’ pronounced “CHO - nehs” or maybe that’s just a slang term. Carlos? Ayudame por favor." It's pronounced "cah-joh-ness." Chones is a slang term for knickers. Cojones, on the other hand, is pronounced "coh-joh-ness."

That's a bit presumptious, Linebrink wasn't on his current death spiral at that point. and isn't Inman a pretty decent prospect? #3 in BA's preseason rankings at least behind Gallardo and Braun.

That was my "Cubs fan from hell" analysis. I'll have a post about the deal up on TG shortly.

Krod blows a save. If he was on the Cubs, we'd be calling for Shields or Speier to close right now. :)

man Carlos, have you noticed how well Piazza's been doing since he came back? Him and Dempster would make a fine addition to your fantasy team for a certain starting pitcher.

in "Great Moments in Fantasy Baseball"... I neglected to switch my pitchers on Monday and missed Aaron Harang's 10 inning gem versus the Brewers in the MVN league. I thought I'd share.

Bleed Cubbie Blue has something up about the Cubs acquiring Dunn??? Anybody hear anything?

"Bleed Cubbie Blue has something up about the Cubs acquiring Dunn??? Anybody hear anything?" Was that a joke, in the 3/44 mold?

It's one of those "I know someone close to the family" reports, but I was just asking....

"Think Pierzynski is available?" About a 1/2 hour before they traded for Kendall, I was talking to a few guys about a Dempster for AJ trade. They make the same money and each team has guys to make up for the lost guys.

the Pierzynski with OPS+ of 85. 90, 95 and 82 the last 4 years? and who's not very good defensively? That Pierzynski?

A MINUS OPS - Rob Bowen, the catcher who rakes, now has an OPS of -100 w/Oakland. As I said at the time, we traded garbage for garbage.

and yes I know kendall sucks... but doesn't mean we actually have to give up someone good in Dempster for more suck.

"It’s one of those “I know someone close to the family” reports, but I was just asking…" Yep, it's been discussed at length in the "Huevos" thread. Chad's even posted a comeback here.

Vegas, did you see my diary? ------------------------------------------- Nope. How can I read it?

Don't be afraid to go into the white light Joe, there's always next season for your fantasy team.

Yes, that Pierzynski. And for the record, I never mentioned Dempster. I wouldn't want that. Pierzynski's 82 > Kendall's 42 (-33 since joining CHC)

Schilling takes Bonds and Big Mac to task: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2949168 As a Journalism major I have to agree with Schilling's point on Bonds admitting gulit by not seeking litagation because the best defense against a libel suit is truth. So the burden would be on Bonds to prove his innocence which he cant.

You're beating me...I'm siding with Carlos. Plus, he doesn't hat me (that I know).

*hate

That's great news for the state of journalism, and some poor logic on Schilling's part. There are plenty of costs to court actions. Bonds doesn't need compensation, and it seems obvious that he's resigned to and/or doesn't care about his reputation in this respect, so what does he have to gain from a suit?

Schilling calls out Bonds and Mac but someone seems absent from that list. Hmmm....

Rob G. — July 25, 2007 @ 4:21 pm Scott Linebrink to the Brewers for minor leaguers Joe Thatcher, Will Inman and Steve Garrison ======================================= ROB G: Inman is a big-time prospect, Garrison is a decent LHSP prospect, and Thatcher is an MLB-ready LOOGY. For the Cubs to have made an offer comparable to what the Padres got from the Brewers for Linebrink, it probably would have cost them Sean Gallagher, Mitch Atkins, and Clay Rapada, and I don't think the Cubs will trade Gallagher for an MLB reliever. The deal smells a little bit like the Jon Garland-for-Matt Karchner deal "pulled off" by Ed Lynch a few years ago. Linebrink better pitch REALLY well for the Brewers.

AZ Phil: For the Cubs to have made an offer comparable to what the Padres got from the Brewers for Linebrink, it probably would have cost them Sean Gallagher, Mitch Atkins, and Clay Rapada, and I don’t think the Cubs will trade Gallagher for a MLB reliever. Okay... But this is still a bad trade for challenging teams in the NLC looking to oust the Brewers this year.

Did anyone have trouble getting onto Chat yesterday? (Or today?) I'm not getting a login page. Thanks for any info...

Rynox — July 25, 2007 @ 5:45 pm How long is Derosa out? ====================== RYNOX: According to a blurb buried in a Bruce Miles article in the Daily Herald, DeRosa said he hurt his leg while swinging (not while running) and that it is "no big deal."

cubster says: July 25th, 2007 at 12:19 pm …by the way, I loved Jimbo’s post #30 quote from the previous thread of what Santo said when Theriot was called out (but replay showed the ump blew the call) on the stolen base. Thanks, cubster. BTW, i just passed level 7 with a 2x homer!!!

Ron, He has his reputation and his place in the game at stake. If he were to win a libel suit aganist the SFC writers there is no more astrik talk and he goes down in history as the best hitter in game.

it's ovah, it's all ovah... Cincy 7 Brewers 3 2.5 out and counting...

good to see uncle cliffy with his best swings in a while. love it. lilly on a super roll now also, like to see the brewers doing weird things like a double steal when they're down by 2, resulting in the not-tying run getting thrown out at home plate. yay! i like the karchner-garland analogy for the brewers trade

nice. just 5 weeks ago i was dreading to myself the seemingly inevitable 92 mets/07 cubs articles that someone would eventually write if the season dragged on as it was. both high $$/talent upgrade teams that, as of 5 weeks ago for the cubs at least, underperformed legend-style.

Think they are hearing footsteps in Milwaukee yet?? Think they will admit it?

Think they are hearing footsteps in Milwaukee yet?? Think they will admit it?

Reds are playing some very good ball now. They will be playing the Cubs extremely tough, and we'll be putting out our 4 & 5 starters during the first two games of the series. Ai'nt no "gimmie".

Scott Eyre thru June 1st: 19 G 18.1 IP 32 H 16 R (16 ER) 14 BB 19 K 3 HR 7.86 ERA 2.51 WHIP .368 OppBA Scott Eyre since June 1st: 11 G 14.1 IP 12 H 6 R (6 ER) 10 BB 9 K 0 HR 3.76 ERA 1.53 WHIP .218 OppBA

That certainly is far better. A 1.53 WHIP is still pretty bad from a reliever, but it's a far cry from a 2.51 WHIP. I'd still rather see us give Petrick more experience and see what he can do. The 9th today would have been a perfect opportunity to use him.

Wade Miller tonight at Tennessee (AA) 3.0 IP 6 H 7 R (7 ER) 2 BB 6 K 1 HR

Since the Cub's gained in the standings I got to looking at the Yahoo! expanded standings and found some interesting things: * Mil 5-5 in their last 10 games. * They actually have a losing record on the road: 36-17 home, 20-28 on the road * The Cub's have winning records both at home: 27-24 & on the road: 26-22

anyone know offhand when the "turn" happened (a date/game not some magical barrett/lou/Z-barrett/pie thing) and what the record is since then?

And... The Barrett trade is looking more and more genius. Not because of the return the Cub's received, but because of what Hendry seemingly did to his wild card competition. I don't believe that really, though... do I?

Iowa beats Colorado Springs 18-8 tonight: Eric Patterson 3-6, RBI, 2 R Felix Pie 4-6, 3B, SB, 3 R Matt Murton 4-6 with 2B, HR and 6 RBI, 3 R Geovany Soto 3-4 with 3B, HR and 2 RBI, 3 R, HBP Josh Kroeger 2-4 with two HR and 4 RBI, plus 2 BB

Dye hit his 17th HR of the season tonight which would make him the team leader on the Cubs.

june 3rd or june 22nd seem to be the obvious starting points depending on generous you wanna be with the concentration of wins...either way im too lazy to get those records together right now...maybe later.

AZ PHIL:"Wade Miller tonight at Tennessee (AA)..." What will the team do with this guy? Does he have any trade value in this starting pitching bare climate?

crunch: anyone know offhand when the “turn” happened (a date/game not some magical barrett/lou/Z-barrett/pie thing) and what the record is since then? I'm not sure. I recall the Cub's showing some life in that series where Soriano had his 3 HR game. IMO, they were kind of off-and-on during that period until the Sox series... that's where they really turned it on. Record back to the 4-game ATL series: 28-14 Record back to the Sox sweep: 21-7!

CRUNCH: We're 31-15 since June 3rd. Best win percentage in the majors since that date.

Yea... what Carlos said - June 3rd was the day something clicked and the Cubs got good.

The E-Man — July 25, 2007 @ 9:53 pm AZ PHIL:”Wade Miller tonight at Tennessee (AA)…” What will the team do with this guy? Does he have any trade value in this starting pitching bare climate? ========================== E-MAN: I don't know whether Wade Miller has any trade value, but he might. You never know when some GM decides you can never have too much pitching... The one thing the Cubs should not do is release Wade Miller. or try to outright him to the minors (even if he were to give his permission). Here's why... Miller is getting a $1.5M base salary, plus another $3.75M in possible performance bonuses (probably $125K per start, maxing out at $3.75M if he were to make 30 starts). If the Cubs release Miller, or if he gets claimed off Outright Waivers, his new team would only be liable for the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary (which is at about $125K right now at the 100 game mark of the season). But the Cubs would be liable for whatever performance bonus Miller might earn by starting about 10 games or so for KC, WAS, or BAL over the last two months of the season, and that could cost the Cubs as much as $1.25M that they would not have to pay Miller if they just keep him on the 60-day DL for the rest of the season, or wait until September 1st to reactivate him from the DL and then just use him in garbage situations to save the bullpen during the month of September. So the Cubs are doing the smart thing by having Miller do his 30-day minor league rehab to get into playing shape, and then reactivate him from the DL on September 1 (when the rosters expand), or (if the Cubs don't have an available slot for him on the 40-man roster) just leave him on the 60-day DL for the rest of the season. Again, if they can find a GM who wants to acquire Miller in a trade, fine. Trade him. But the Cubs should NOT release Wade Miller or try to outright him to the minors (even if he gives his permission). If they can't trade him, they would actually save money (perhaps as much as $1.25M) by just leaving him on the 60-day DL for the rest of the season, or by waiting until September 1st to reactivate him from the DL and then use him in garbage situations (blow-outs) to save the bullpen.

crunch — July 25, 2007 @ 9:50 pm june 3rd or june 22nd seem to be the obvious starting points depending on generous you wanna be with the concentration of wins…either way im too lazy to get those records together right now…maybe later. ============================== CRUNCH: Through Saturday June 2nd, the Cubs were 22-31, and had lost six in a row, seven out of eight, and nine out of 11. Then they beat the Braves 10-1 at Wrigley Field on Sunday June 3rd to salvage one game in the three-game ATL series, and they have gone 31-15 ever since. They went 10-8 over the 18-game period June 3-21, but they got even hotter starting on June 22-24 when they swept the White Sox, and have gone 21-7 since 6/22. That's when they started to really go nuts (playing .750 ball over more than 1/6 of the season). So I would say that while the Cubs may have "turned the corner" on June 3rd, they went into "overdrive" starting on June 22nd. Excuse me while I vent... GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you.

[i]Think they are hearing footsteps in Milwaukee yet?? Think they will admit it?[/i] I've been peeking in at brewcrewball.com. In the comments tonight, a few of the guys are already looking to next year.

Damn, that's some piss poor tagging. Anyway, I'd also like to say, in my ideal world, Milwaukee gets the wild card.

yeah, that's cool, no one needs to read my articles. Next time I should put it in table format I guess. from 2 days ago.... The Cubs reached their low point of the season on June 2nd, nine games under the mediocrity line, a day after the battery batted on each other and the day that Sweet Lou left a bitter taste with the umps.

Can anyone get me the Padres pitching stats since the arrival of Marty Barrett? ha! linebrink's decline = blame Barrett.

Hamstring tendonitis it is http://tinyurl.com/2wrd88 from the Sun-Times: DeRosa said he started feeling discomfort in the hamstring area near his knee during pregame work Tuesday, and it worsened during his second-inning at-bat. He took the field in the bottom of the second but left after that as a precaution. ''I get the weirdest things,'' said DeRosa...

more on DeRosa... http://tinyurl.com/ynwux4 The link is to a pic of the hamstring anatomy...it's a drawing of the back/posterior thigh. It is made of a lateral (outer) muscle group called biceps femoris and a medial group (inner) which includes the semimembranosis and semitendinosis. The muscle-tendon junctions start above the knee but the tendons attach below the knee. DeRosa article didn't say whether his symptoms are medial or lateral but he's expected only to miss a few days with the usual rest, anti-inflammatory medication and therapy on the inflamed area.

here's a nice stat on Lilly... Lilly earneding his 7th straight victory -- longest winning streak for a Cubs lefty since Ken Holtzman won eight straight decisions in 1969.

Gotta believe that Z & Lilly has been the best 1-2 combo in baseball since June 1st. Bears are signing guys left and right -- maybe the Cubs should have Angelo close the Z deal.

Gotta believe that Z & Lilly has been the best 1-2 combo in baseball since June 1st. Well... there have been some pretty good pitchers since June 1st, but it looks like Bedard/Guthrie may be the best 2 starter combo in baseball over that timespan. Of course, Lilly did not have a very good June. If you look at numbers since July 1st, Z and Lilly have easily been the best 1-2 combo in baseball.

Well... maybe not easily. Here is the link for the comparision since July 1st (minimum 3 starts). The Braves' James/Smoltz has been pretty good. But yea - Z and Lilly have been great in July (9-1, 10 starts, 66 ip, 13 er, 49 k, 24 bb). And Marshall has been almost as good.(3-0, 3 starts, 17 1/3 ip, 5 er)

So, send your positive vibes to Wrigley today around 2pm. I nominated my dad to enter the 7th Inning Stretch Contest. I don't think he knew for sure if I was going to submit his name or not, so I kind of surprised him with his audition slot on Monday. Surprise! You're going to sing in front of judges!

Hmmm... Murton last night - 4-6 with a home run. And the Cubs need to trade for a right handed bat because...?

I imagine some contestants will come up with a lot of bells and whistles. I'm hoping a straightforward, on-key rendition will be charming enough to get him to the second round.

Because Lou hates Murton, dave... I still think the "get me somebody up here who can run the bases and catch the damn ball' was about Murton. And if the reports are true that the anonymous player who bitched about PT during the player meeting was Murton, then you can rest assured that you won't see him. I don't think it would matter if he was hitting .600 at Iowa. Lou does not like to have graduates of the Moises Alou Institute of Baserunning on the roster.

And if the reports are true that the anonymous player who bitched about PT during the player meeting was Murton, Anyone have a link to these reports?

Nah. I read it somewhere about three weeks ago. I've also seen two or three other commenters mention it. I'm inclined to believe it. If it was Jacque, he wouldn't be in there right now. Or ever. Unrelated, Southtown kinda dances around the issue that Williams hasn't been impressed with offers for any of his players, including Dye. http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/whitesox.asp?id=334607

Nah. I read it somewhere about three weeks ago. I’ve also seen two or three other commenters mention it. Yea... I have only seen it in comments here, and haven't seen an actual story reporting it. It really doesn't seem to fit Murton's supposed character. Not saying it didn't happen, I just am not as apt to buy such a rumor without any kind of press on it. And I am not so sure that whoever did it wouldn't be there. Jake Fox bitched about not getting playing time in spring training, and LouPa was impressed. And what is Kenny Williams thinking? They are clearly out of it - he should be trying to get whatever he can for Dye/Iguchi/Conteras/etc.

Kroeger and Murton are trying to get Hendry's attn this week while he figures out what to do about right field. The way Floyd was smacking the ball around last night, Hendry might not have to do much. This is Murton's first extended tour in AAA, and after .297 in Chicago in '06, .330 at Iowa seems about right. Kroeger lost 90 BA points in the transition from AA to AAA but is making up for it in home runs with 9 in 113 ABs (1 per 12.5) versus 11 in 225 (1 per 20.5) at Tennessee. Or maybe he's forcing things and overswinging. Maybe this is what he does when he gets near the majors. In any case, his 20 HRs lead the organization. If Hendry doesn't do anything about RF, Murton and Kroeger can come up when school is out in September. It's not that far off. Iowa's last game is 9/3, and since they came in second by a game or two in the first half and trail Nashville (Milw) by 4.5 today, they may miss the playoffs. As Mike Wellman put it in RTW, "Jim Hendry’s best trading partner might be the only one that can’t say no to him."

Sure, dave. I do agree about the character thing with Murton. But guys do funny things when they think they aren't getting a fair shake. I'm also of the opinion that there's a distinct difference between approaching your manager in a positive way and asking for more AB's (which is what I understand Fox did in ST) and going behind your manager's back and causing a hullabaloo in a player's only meeting.

Wow... not sure if this is appropriate to post here, but I know some will enjoy it. This is from a comment on the other cubs blog that shall not be named, directed towards it's main writer:
It's rather unfortunate that someone who has such a popular baseball site really doesn't understand the game at all. It's sad. I feel sorry for the people who come her for knowledge and get sucked into lesser understanding than what they originally had.
And if you really want to see hypocrisy, check out all of Al's (the same guy who bans others for personal attacks) direct personal attacks towards people who like stats.

Yea... not really sure why that needed a "Wow!!!" It is not that ground breaking or anything. I guess I just miss Stone in the booth. Maybe he will stop being so bitter and angry towards the Cubs if he gets to be in the booth again.

I was always under the assumption it was Barrett that Lou was talking about "catching and running" this was right after he got picked off second. And I think someone on the board wanted Contreras. YIKES!!!

I was always under the assumption it was Barrett that Lou was talking about “catching and running” this was right after he got picked off second. I thought it was a combination of the whole team sucking - making errors, messing up on the bases, etc. It definitely wasn't just Murton/Barrett.

"I like Murton, and he's going to get playing time," Piniella said. "I really do like him...... Murton will get some playing time, too. I'm going to do the best I can to get Murton the at-bats. I happen to like him. He's not not playing because he's doing anything wrong."

It was reported, and I heard it first person from Jim Memelo on 'GN's Sports Saturday show (whatever they call the thing P.M. on Sat) that Barrett was the clubhouse "Lou snitch" and as another "pin in the pin cushion. Recently, I heard a sound byte that flatly denies this, but, what's he going to say, "Yeah, I hate Lou. He doesn't know WTF he's doing." Then again, I believe anything coming out of TTowers about 50% of the time as well...

i really dont believe lou would regulate punishment because of dissent during a players-only meeting...the players themselves wouldnt stand for it and lou's respect would be in the toilet.

Agree with crunch on whether or not LouPa would "punish" a player for something said in a players-only meeting. And as E-man stated... Barrett is the only person I heard media reports about related to the meeting.

ive seen barrett/jones/floyd's name thrown around regarding that whole meeting thing... it was an ugly era earlier in the year...a near-rancid clubhouse...manger/player meetings, players-only meetings (rarely a good sign...believe kerry wood held the last one where he established himself as a team leader), players fighting, lou being the first manager in a loooong time to skip postgame press conferences cuz he dont feel like it and paying for it in the media... glad that's over...07 was looking awful til the turn.

I doubt Hendry would be on the record saying Murton was untouchable if Lou didn't want anything to do with him. I think he was just a casualty of the "sorry kid, you're the one with options" consideration. Sox would be brilliant to hire Stone and release Singleton. That guy sucks. Of course, Hughes/Stone during the 03 NLCS was like heaven, but Ronny's not leaving until he decides to go, I guess.

Aw, Come on!! I thought for sure that today's game would be an early one, since it's getaway day and all... This really sucks... What was that link for the flash baseball game again???

Reverse Fantasy baseball psychology. I bench Soriano last night, and he hits for 3/4 of the cycle. I start Dave Bush today and ...? I'm about DFL in my league anyway, so I'll take my lumps if it gets Cub hitters out of their slumps. Phat rhyme, my friend, phat rhyme.

Since you are an Indi local, what is the minor league park like in Downtown? Sorry... never been to Indy. Not sure who you are thinking of.

Several weeks ago, Koye Hill was Barrett's backup. "I'm Michael Barrett's caddy," he said. Barrett is in San Diego. Next he was Rob Bowen's backup. Bowen is in Oakland. Next he was Jason Kendall's backup. Yesterday Lou said that they would alternate games. Any truth to the story that Hill dabbles in voodoo?

I went to the Indy Indians' ballpark in 2001 to watch Nomar play a rehab game. Pretty nice (only AAA stadium I've ever been to) but nothing extra-special about it.

Virginia Phil... still waiting for your response on the fact that the Cubs are better offensively in relation to the league average than the Cards were last year.

I took a good luck at UZR a couple of years ago and it's got some serious flaws, but in case you're interested and because Carlos Lee's defense was recently mentioned: http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/comments/updated_uzr/ Some of the numbers are ridicuously high. According to MGL if you made a defense that featured: Todd Helton 20 Robinson Cano 24 Adam Everett 35 Pedro Felize (?) 43 Alphonso SOriano 24 Grady Sizemore 31 Matt Holiday 22 and had an average catcher you would knock 200 runs off of an average team's staff over 150 games. That's more than the differnce betwen the best team in the NL last year (the Padres) and the worst team (the Nationals), now consider that Catcher is often considered the 1st or 2nd most valuable defensive position. When you come up with numbers like that - and you're not so immersed in the numbers that you lose track of what you're doing you should say - 'Whoa! Maybe there's a problem with my methodology...' Billy Beane's made a lot of success off of exploiting the over valuation of defense. MCL, last I heard, did some consultation work with the Cards. They've gotten worse every year since he started.

E-man - I've been there in the downtown park in Indy. It's pretty nice. I went and saw a game before fireworks last year. Sat on the lawn in the outfield with my kids. It was nice. Probably the most fun I have had in Indy, which isn't saying much, but if you're there anyway, I would recommend it.

anyone on here know if there are any cub friendly bars in milwaukee? i am moving there next month for a new teaching gig, and have no idea where i might be able to watch the cubs and drink beer.

Anyone see the game rookie OF Ryan Raburn had for Detroit against the WhiteSox last night? I have no idea if they think this kid is here to stay with Detroit, but if so, that gives them a VERY crowded outfield which already featured Ordonez, Granderson, Thames and Monroe. I'd LOVE to see the Cubs make an offer for Marcus Thames. I catch a lot of Tigers spending 60-80 percent of my time in Michigan, and the guy can flat-out pound the ball, maybe as well as anyone in baseball. At the very least he's a solid right-handed power hitter for the bench who you can spot-start without downgrading the lineup. Tigers definitely want bullpen help with Rodney and Zumaya being big question marks this year. Think Wuertz would get it done?

dave, I have no problem with the Cub team that showed up last night. Jones and Floyd both look like they're getting revved up to start putting the ball over the wall. (In Jones's case, it will the left field wall, but that's okay.) All I've been saying is, center and right, especially right, you have to have some pop.

"Todd Helton 20" there's a problem to begin with. okay, yes, todd helton is a good and above average defender. however, colorado official scoring has been...hmm..."interesting" and a source of ridicule of how lax it is with handing out errors, especially to todd helton. he's just not as good as some of the aggregate stats make him. he's good, but he gets help that get lost in the stats that make him look elite.

henry - not specifically, but I know that, in general, they are not really as anti-Cub as you would expect. I would guess that you would not have much trouble finding a place. This may all change in the next few months, if the Cubs end up beating them out of the playoffs, but I guess it might be because they;ve never really been rivals up to this year...

dave, I have no problem with the Cub team that showed up last night. But I didn't compare last night's Cub team to last year's Cardinal's team. I compared overall numbers. You posted the Cardinals top 7 home run guys compared to the Cubs top 7 home run guys in an effort to show that home runs mattered. Yet those numbers mean little when it is shown that the Cubs are doing better offensively than the Cardinals were last year (relative to the league).

2007: Dye 229/288/448, 17 HR in 319 AB, 50 RBI Thames 252/291/516, 11 HR in 155 AB, 32 RBI Thames is also cheaper and has an extra year of club control (I think). Thames does an adequate job in LF, RF or 1B. Only real advantage to Dye is the cannon he's got attached to his right shoulder.

Virginia Phil — July 26, 2007 @ 10:41 am Several weeks ago, Koye Hill was Barrett’s backup. “I’m Michael Barrett’s caddy,” he said. Barrett is in San Diego. Next he was Rob Bowen’s backup. Bowen is in Oakland. Next he was Jason Kendall’s backup. Yesterday Lou said that they would alternate games. Any truth to the story that Hill dabbles in voodoo? ========================== COUSIN: You're forgetting Henry Blanco's medication-resistant "pain in the neck" that got K. Hill brought up from Iowa in the first place and Geovany Soto's mysterous sore shoulder that kept him from catching for a while at Iowa and put K. Hill at the front of the line for when Blanco went down. K. Hill has had a couple of LSU Tigers as teammates this year, so maybe your voodoo theory has some merit.

Woohoo... i was going for the lowest point total for a hit in the "Pinch Hitter 2" game, and just scored one (1) point!

Re: #114, 119, 125, and 128 - the Murton/Lou saga, I agree Barrett and Murton weren't the only players Lou had a problem with. The thing is, a manager has to have control of his team, and he can't just talk the talk but has to take some action(s). I believe that was the Barrett 'trade' and Murton's bus ticket to Des Moines. I can't speak (nor really can anyone because it's all hearsay) about how Lou still feels about Murton, but he's had ample opportunity to promote a RH hitter over the last 30 days and what has he done? Had 3 catchers at 1 time on the roster and the last one hit RH (Soto), called up Fox to PH as a RH, and recalled Cedeno when Izturis was traded even though he could have played Fontenot or DeRosa at SS in a pinch. I can't imagine Murton's feeling any Lou love or has his suitcase packed for a return trip to Wrigley in the near future. All that being said, unless Griffey, Hunter, or Rowand are in Hendry's plan for the OF for the stretch run, I would much prefer Murton or the existing Jones/Floyd/DeRosa rotation than giving up Wuertz and any top 20 prospect for the likes of Dye, Connine, Stairs, et al.

E-Man, Victory Field is very nice. Probably one of the nicest AAA parks I've seen a game in. Good lawn seating in the OF and a great view of downtown Indy & the skyline if you're sitting behind the plate or on the 3B side. The team's playing like absolute garbage right now, though.

LouPa doesn't promote players, Hendry does. Lou even said that he was surprised that Fox got called up.

dave, you said the Cards did not hit many home runs last year--or that they were middle-of-the-pack--and I pointed out that they hit 50% more than the Cubs are en route to this year. The Cards won the World Series. We've gotten within two games of first in July. Maybe we need a few more home runs to do what they did. What I really liked last night was how Floyd and Jones (and also Ramirez and Soriano) tattooed the ball. We need that from our outfielders. When we don't get it, I glance over at the Iowa Cubs box score--and they score more runs than Chicago does--and I think something is cockeyed.

DAVE: "Sorry… never been to Indy. Not sure who you are thinking of." My apologies, DAVE. I believe it may be "WES", the Indy cameraman (and fmr. minor leaguer).

...and Griffey bangs in Hattebarg... with a double after Freel fouled out... 2-0 Reds!!

Dave, We're just going to have to agree to disagree. IMO, Lou has a helluva alot of say on who is/isn't on the roster. Even if it's a, "Jim, you can leave Murton on the roster but we'll be playing with 24 players until you do something about it." I don't know what was/wasn't said......wasn't in the clubhouse or wherever. Like I said, Murton ain't here and looks like he isn't going to be here anytime soon.

IMO, Lou has a helluva alot of say on who is/isn’t on the roster. If you say so... but Lou himself didn't know Fox was going to be called up, and was surprised it happened.

On Lou being surprised:
The Cubs purchased Fox’s contract from Class AA Tennessee to fill the roster spot of shortstop Cesar Izturis, who was traded to Pittsburgh. “I wasn’t expecting him,” Piniella said. “We had talked about it. I knew he was going to be here eventually, but I wasn’t positive. I wasn’t expecting him this morning.”
Don't get me wrong - I know that LouPa has input. But he it is pretty clear that he is not the one making roster decisions based on the above quote.

IMO- Lou called the "monthly" meeting with Hendry and Trib Exec behind close doors and told them these changes had to be made to the ball club or he was going to walk. I think he was having a flashback to back in Tampa and didn't want another three years of it with the Chicago media and fans on top of it. I have no proof or evidence, just my opinion.

Further credence to the Thames on the market theory: Raburn back in the lineup today - hitting THIRD and playing RF - Ordonez DH and Thames on the bench again.

I checked back in on the Reds-Brew game, and it's now 2-2 in the top of the 4th...

Jeez, I just realized I left Gary Sheffield off the list of Tigers who play the OF ... only 14 OF appearnce so far this year (mostly DH) but he's obviously another option for them ... Ordonez, Granderson, Monroe, Thames and Raburn ... they almost definitely will trade someone to get better in the bullpen. And by someone I mean Thames or possibly Monroe.

speaking of official scoring... nady just hit a hard/fast ball bounced to wright...it lightly deflects off his glove and into his knee which shoots the ball toward the 3rd base seat barrier...2 runs score on what should have been out 3. its ruled a base hit.

Another thing interesting thing about Lou is that he was a G.M. with Yanks in 80's. So he probably knows how to talk to Hendry about the players and Hendry probably respects his input on them. 180 degree difference from last year I'm sure with the lack of "dudes" "can't do that to Neifi" and quiet shrugs that Hendry got from Dusty.

re #166 I think we knew already. Hmmm....(fill in the blank) is pretty widely known these days. And yes, I"m just busting you chops.

Dave, Let me try this another way. You give every indication that you like stats as a way to prove or make a point. Stats are objective, without personality, you really can't argue with them at all. They are what they are and say what they say. I manage sales people. Sometimes I have to fire people. I get asked why so and so isn't here anymore. I have to say for public record, "he left to work somewhere else.......I really liked him.......he's going to do well somewhere else." Everything Lou says (or more specifically, gets quoted in papers) is said for the public record. Hendry is technically his boss. I don't think I would say, "All right, thank God Jim just called up the guy I've liked since spring training." or "Thank the baseball Gods, Murton is out of here."

What reason would LouPa have for lying and saying he is surprised that Fox came up? If anything, it makes it look there are communication issues between Lou/Hendry (not saying there are).

GA, Or it could be that you tailor the facts to fit your perception of reality. Given those two options I think the latter is the more plausible scenario.

Oh yeah, if Lou likes Fox so much... how come he only has one at bat? He's playing less than Murton did.

Not unlike the people you typically jump all over, dave, you're making gross assumptions based on exactly one case. Aren't you the guy who can't stand anything besides a huge sample size?

Not unlike the people you typically jump all over, dave, you’re making gross assumptions based on exactly one case. Statistics are a little different than what we are talking about, imo. All I am saying is that if LouPa was that involved in roster moves, he would have known that Fox was coming up. Again - I am not saying that LouPa is NOT involved in roster decisions. I just don't think he is the one making the decisions as many on this board think. I have heard things like "Lou brought up Fox instead of Murton" much more than I have hear "Hendry brought up Fox instead of Murton." And in reality, Hendry is the one who makes the decisions (while getting input from Lou).

A little more on the "sample" size. Wes - if I said that LouPa obviously never knows about roster moves because he didn't know about Fox, that would be a poor use of one case. But saying that LouPa doesn't always make the decisions on roster moves because he didn't know about Fox is a safe assumption to make based off of one case.

I doubt Lou provides much input at all as to which minor leaguer to call up. He says 'I need someone to play first and right field, preferably a right handed batter' and Hendry talks to his scouts and coaches and decides Fox is the guy.

we need a gameday post.. I want to talk about Looper vs Marquis and how much smarter Hendry and Rothschild are than their counterparts in St. Louis.

And furthermore, I guess I interpret that entire quote differently than you do. “I wasn’t expecting him,” Piniella said. “We had talked about it. I knew he was going to be here eventually, but I wasn’t positive. I wasn’t expecting him this morning.” He was selected from AA the day of the Izturis trade. Which to me, reads as "Gee, I didn't know we were making a roster move today. I didn't expect the Izturis trade today. Jim and I had talked about calling up Fox eventually. I'm surprised that Izturis got traded and we were able to get him here today."

Bases loaded base hit for Cinci's Keppinger makes it 4-2 Reds. And I think I am fully in pennant fever - I am listening to the Reds/Brewers game ....

something named Keppinger just knocked in 2 runs to give the Reds the lead. Apparently he had a three run double last night, and accordin to the the Reds play-by-play guys (they seem to have two and no color guy) 'he sure can hit'. They need to trade Griffey and Dunn after the game.

Odds on the Cubs being in first place (alone or tied) by the end of the day on Sunday? I say 65%

I am not looking forward to 15 years of that Braun guy. Whoever was saying that Griffey can't play right yesterday doesn't know what he's talking about. He's already turned two doubles into outs today (3-3 at the plate too, heating up for the Cubbies).

Don't worry Neal, we'll only have to worry about Braun for like 6 cause Milwaukee will be too cheap to keep him.

The Brewers are a hugely flawed team. With Sheets out they will play some seriously bad baseball. Minus sheets, their starting pitching is not good at all. Linebrink was a good pick up but that bullpen has been used too much and will get tired. And JJ Hardy might hit 9 home runs the entire second half. They are not going to win the Central and won't make the playoffs.

I don't know about that, Chad. They may have to choose between Braun and Fielder at some point, but that's probably an easy choice 3 years from now. I can't remember them ever loosing a guy they wanted to retain because of money issues, though maybe some of you guys do.

it's a brand new world in Milwaukee Chad, they already resigned Ben Sheets to an extension and there's been a new owner for two years. The only player they let go was Carlos Lee and did you see what the future DH got in a contract and what they got in return? new post up btw...

Yeah, Chad... I was more worried about the Cards than the Brews. Then I find out last night Carpenter is out for the season with TJ. Holy crap, how did I miss that? The Cub's definitely have the tools to beat the Brewers, it's up to the players to execute.

Despite what Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella may have said about "liking" Matt Murton, actions speak louder than words. Uncle Lou said nice things about Michael Barrett after the fight with Zambrano and the subsequent cut in playing time, but then Barrett got run out of town like a common pygmy. And despite "liking" Matt Murton, Hendry (presumably with Piniella's blessing) sent Murton to AAA, and when a right-handed bat was needed, it was Jake Fox (who has never played higher than AA and who wasn't even on the 40-man roster) who got brought up, not Murton. So I suspect it is only a matter of time before Murton (like his buddy Michael Barrett before him) gets dealt, and with the trading deadline looming (it's next Tuesday night) and with the Cubs needing just a tweak here and there (like a right-handed bat to platoon with Cliff Floyd), it could well be sooner rather than later. I can't see the Cubs exchanging Murton in a deal for a Reggie Sanders or Jermaine Dye, but I can see Murton getting moved in exchange for somebody like Xavier Nady (PIT). Why Nady? Nady is more of a Hendry/Hughes type player than Murton is. Nady is a first-ball fastball hitter who strikes out a lot, rarely walks, has plus-power, and can play all three OF positions plus 1B. He was a third-baseman in college (at Cal), so he could probably play 3B in a pinch, too. . Nady is a Scott Boras client, and nobody gets along better with Boras than Hendry does. Nady is eligible for salary arbitration after this season (as he was after last season) and will be a FA after the 2009 season, while Murton won't even be eligible for salary arbitration until after the '09 season. All that makes exchanging Nady for Murton attractive to the Pirates. And Murton has been on fire at Iowa lately (4-6 with a double, HR, and six RBI as recently as last night). Nady is making $2.1M+ this season, while Murton is making $400K+, so Nady is owed about $750K and Murtron about $150K for the balance of 2007, costing the Cubs (and saving the Bucs) about $600K. And although they spent some payroll by acquiring Jason Kendall, the Cubs also saved some '07 payroll when they traded Barrett and Izturis, And Hendry and Pirates GM Dave Littlefield have a history of making trades, including deadline deals. I'm not saying whether it would be good or bad, but I would not be at all surprised if the Cubs trade Matt Murton in a deal for somebody like Xavier Nady in the next few days.

4-4 Cincy, Brews tied. It's weird. I have this perpetual feeling that the Cub's will be all revved up ready to go when they get some players off the DL. Then I realize... no, all the impact players are healthy (sans Derosa, day to day). It's like I was conditioned by the MP/KW situation. Let's play ball!

Whoever was saying that Griffey can’t play right yesterday doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Yes, he still makes a spectacular play, as does Edmonds, but Cincinnati fans that I have talked to say he is just not the Griffey of old.

Ugh... Murton for Nady? Murton, career OPS: .805 Nady, career OPS: .769 And Murton is 3 years younger.

I hope we see alot of Kirk Sarloos this weekend...Thom B. is disgusted with Sarloos, apparently 11 straight hitters have reached off this reliever.

For example, BP has Griffey as 2 Fielding Runs Above Replacement in RF this season. Jacque Jones has 3 FRAR in RF.

Yeah future the Brewers had to let go all of their future DH's and .200 batting first basemen. No big loss for either. To wit... Carlos Lee 3.4 WARP - $14 million Rich Sexson 1.9 WARP - $14 million Kevin Mench .9 WARP - $3.4 million Jeff Geonkins 2.6 WARP - $7.5 million Prince Fielder 4.5 WARP - $.415 million

Is FRAR cumulative? Meaning, does it matter that JJ hasn't played nearly as much in RF than Griffey has?

I don't think Griffey's all-world out there anymore in the outfield but he's more than passable. I'll say he's better than Floyd without much hesitation. And you know, he still can hit.

"Murton, career OPS: .805 Nady, career OPS: .769" Who cares? Even if I was a Sabreguy, you can't point to one stat and declare a winner. Murton is not the power bat we need. I don't know why you guys have a hard on for him. He is not the next Ryan Braun or Miguel Cabrera. He's a boring average player. And above all replaceable.

For example, BP has Griffey as 2 Fielding Runs Above Replacement in RF this season. Jacque Jones has 3 FRAR in RF. Two problems with that. This isn't the first time that Jones played right field. Griffey, according to these announcers wasn't very good at the beginning of the season, but is now very good. Maybe that is just in the context of the lowered expectations - but the two plays I watched today Floyd would have turned into doubles without a doubt Jacque probably makes one of those. The second problem is that BP doesn't take into account the effect of the outfielder's arm, other than when he gets an assist/error. So probably knock a couple runs of Jacque for that.

"Is FRAR cumulative? Meaning, does it matter that JJ hasn’t played nearly as much in RF than Griffey has?" Yeah. Use the 'rate' stat to compare apples to apples - sort of.

Coffee and Keppinger get a double play on Braun with the bases loaded to wrigleman out of a jam.

And UNLIKE Murton, Nady's slugging gets higher every year. Unlike Murton's which goes down.

Griffey's RZR in RF over at THT - .874 Floyd: .818 JJ: .918 (.900 last year) Murton: .857 DeRosa: .941 JJ's .927 RZR rating in CF would put him 2nd in CF behind Andruw Jones if he qualified, just ahead of Beltran. Wrigley though is kind to centerfielders defensive stats (Sorry can't find the link).

And UNLIKE Murton, Nady’s slugging gets higher every year. Unlike Murton’s which goes down. Well... being that he has only played on full year, that is not really a meaningful comparison.

No, no, no, no Nady for Murton. Even it were an even swap it'd be close, but not with Nady making so much more. There is absolutely no point in that. Plus, what happened to Hendry saying Murton was untouchable? I have heard nothing to counteract that piece.

Bullshit dave. then you can't compare career OPS. You can't have it both ways.

if you want a little more power, Nady makes some sense over Murton. ISOP: 2003: .124 2005: .178 2006: .223 with Mets, .108 with Pirates 2007: .202 Murton 2005: .200 2006: .147 2007: .084 of course we know Murton didn't get much of a shot this year. Career phitting for Nady: 226/400/258 Career vs lefties: 321/392/478 it wouldn't be a terrible move imo, on the other hand why the hell would the PIrates make that move? They gave up Oliver Perez for Nady, I'm guessing they like him. don't know much about Nady's defense, supposedly has a bad arm, guess that's not much of a difference. I think the word was he was destined for first base so that can't be good.

No Chad... it isn't bullshit. A career statistic is different than comparing numbers season to season. 140 and 119 at-bats (Murtons at-bats in 2005, 2007) are hardly large enough to compare them to a full season of at-bats.

I don't need stats to tell me big league pitchers a. know how to pitch Murt now and, b. big league outfielders know how to shade Murt. Nady is a proven offensive force that could readily play a bench role.

a career statistic is used for player who have had a career! you can't have it both ways.

you can't look a at a guy who has never played a full season and tell me that you can look at his career numbers, which just by looking at them, have changed every year. I.e. he hasn't played enough to give you a meaningful career average. his numbers have gone down every year. How can you tell me that they won't continue that way. YOu can't!!! You have no statistical data to show where Matt Murton's career numbers will end up right now.

a career statistic is used for player who have had a career! you can’t have it both ways. Actually... you can Chad. A career stat covers a large enough sample size to be somewhat meaningful. Comparing one full season to two very partial seasons (about 1/4 of a season worth of at-bats) means very little.

you can’t look a at a guy who has never played a full season and tell me that you can look at his career numbers He pretty much played a full season (or about 70-80% of the number of at-bats you would expect) last year.

But really... I am not going to convince any of you that Murton is a good baseball player. But the bigger issue is whether or not Nady is a better baseball player. And I have no idea how Nady could be considered an "offensive force."

again bullshit. you have not given the league time to figure the guy out. His career numbers are worth ZIP. Until you get a few full seasons under your belt, statistical analysis is useless.

Chad... you are the one who wanted to do "statistical analysis." You brought up the "fact" that Murton's SLUG has gone down each year, even though it is meaningless to compare full seasons with short, partial-seasons.

no, you are the one that brought up career OPS or OhBS as i will call it now. that opened the flood gates. Your boy Murton sucks.

Nady’s on pace this year to hit about 25 HR. Draw your own conclusion. And 25 home runs is an "offensive force?" Seriously? Was Jock Jones an offensive force last year? Shoot... Murton, last year, was "on pace" to hit 17-18 home runs last year in a full season of at-bats.

Okay, last gasp for the Reds, against Cordero... Coutlangus, Hatteberg, Freel, and, i f anyone gets on, Griffey

What does that show me? That Nady would have been 30th in the NL in home runs? In the same range as such "offensive forces" as Josh Willingham, Jock Jones, Ray Durham, Rich Aurellia, and Morgan Ensberg. And oh yea... the most homeruns Nady has had in a season before this year? 17 (last year) - the same number that Murton was on pace for last year. And if pitchers/defenses "adjusted" to Murton, why did Murton get better as the year progressed last year?

I have no interest in arguing with someone's opinions. Piniella agrees with me, dave, prolific TCR poster disagrees with me. I can live with that. =)

One more opinion, since we're tossing them around. I really dislike Murton's game. He's one-dimensional. He adds very little to a big league club, especially in LF.

... Just like Petra Nemcova, the Reds are making it hard... They're going into extra innings... I was bummed to see that the Brewers were too smart to pitch to Griffey in that inning....

Originally posted: July 26, 2007 Cubs eye Wigginton By Phil Rogers, 2;21 p.m. Plenty of scouts were in Baltimore on Thursday watching Orioles starter Steve Trachsel, who was just back for the disabled list but could be thrown into a division race next week. The Cubs' Ken Kravec was there, according to reports, but not to watch Trachsel. He was there to see Tampa Bay's Ty Wigginton, who delivered a home run off Trachsel, his 16th of the season. Sources indicate the Cubs are looking at the versatile Wigginton as a right-handed bat off the bench and a super utility man (he's been a regular at third base and first base and also can play second and the corner outfield spots). The Cubs have a lot of competition for him, however, as the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins and Dodgers have also expressed interest. The Devil Rays always want young pitching, and this is no different

You fantasy baseball GM's never cease to crack me up. Just go ahead and say: I evaluate a player based on BA, HR, RBI's and SB's that's all that counts. You guys should get together and write 'All I Ever Need to Know I Learned in My First Year of Rotiserre Baseball' and be done with it. Murton in AAA this year, while batting 3rd/4th 1 RBI per 5.44 AB's Nady this year 1 RBI per 5.94 AB's

You Sabregeeks should learn that this is a game played by humans and not PCs. "Murton in AAA this year, while batting 3rd/4th 1 RBI per 5.44 AB’s Nady this year 1 RBI per 5.94 AB’s" Nady was in AAA this year? I don't think so. Keep trying.

Chad, is it vodka you drink at work or do you have your own office so that you can get away with something stronger? Where did I say Nady played in AAA? I don’t think so. Keep drinking. Did you wear your Dodgers cap to work today? AIENKILMFYRB forever!

Because you think RBI's has something to do with magical 'knowing how to drive runs in'. Why doesn't knowing how to drive runs in in the minors translate to the majors?

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.