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

More Than a Very Minor Matter

Not counting NRI RHP Mike Smith (who flunked his physical and got released the day the pitchers & catchers reported in February), the Cubs made their first roster cuts today, sending nine players to the minor league camp at Fitch Park.

Somewhere upwards of around 150 Cubs minor leaguers report to Fitch Park at the beginning of March each year, as the "big league" club moves a half-mile up Center Street to HoHoKam Park and begins Cactus League play.

The minor leaguers at Fitch Park are divided up into five groups (or squads) that correspond to the Cubs minor league clubs at Iowa, Tennessee, Daytona, and Peoria, plus the short-season clubs (Boise/Mesa combined) which is also the Extended Spring Training (EXST) team and Daytona/Peoria replacement cadre that is based at Fitch Park during April-May.

The minor league managers assigned to each club during the season command the corresponding "group" at Minor League Camp (so Pat Listach is in charge of the AAA group, Buddy Bailey is in charge of the AA group, Jody Davis is in charge of the Daytona group, Ryne Sandberg is in charge of the Peoria group, and Tom Beyers and Franklin Font are jointly in charge of the Boise/Mesa group).

Thus there are five squads (groups) of Cubs minor leaguers at Fitch Park right now, but there are only 4-1/2 fields (the 5th is a "half-field" infield-only that is limited to Pitchers Fielding Practice, and bunting and base-running drills), so horns are sounding and the players are constantly running from field-to-field for the next drill, sort of like a Chinese Fire... well, you get the drift. 

With most of what will eventually be the Iowa Cubs initially in "big league" camp with Lou Piniella's Chicago Cubs, the Minor League Camp rosters are very-much subject to change, and the players know it.

Many of the players who are initially assigned to the Iowa (AAA) group at the beginning of Minor League Camp will get demoted one level or even possibly released as the players cut from big league camp begin to trickle down Center Street to Fitch Park from HoHoKam.

And as players are demoted from "big league" camp to AAA, and some of the players initially assigned to AAA get demoted to AA, some of the players who were initially assigned to AA get demoted to Daytona, some who were initially assigned to Daytona get demoted to Peoria, and so forth down the line. It runs downhill.

There are only 24 regular season roster slots available at Iowa and Tennessee, and only 25 at Daytona and Peoria, so the competition for jobs at Minor League Camp is intense.

And so you can expect to see maybe as many as a dozen or more players who are presently at Minor League Camp at Fitch Park get released at the end of Spring Training (or EXST), in many cases just because there is simply no room for them on any of the Cubs minor league regular season rosters. A player can do OK, but still get caught by a number's game at the end and get cut.

Here are the CUBS MINOR LEAGUE CAMP ROSTERS (all five groups) as of today (and SUBJECT TO CHANGE!):

* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS

IOWA:
Mitch Atkins
Matt Avery
Cory Bailey
Justin Berg
* Derrick Ellison
Jesse Estrada
Jim Henderson (limited physical activity - unknown-type injury)
Mark Holliman
Grant Johnson
* Geoffrey Jones (just got sent down today)
* Scott Koerber
* Tim Layden
* J. R. Mathes
Ryan Meyers
* Ryan O’Malley
Billy Petrick (just got sent down today)
Rocky Roquet
* Chris Shaver (had shoulder surgery last June)

TENNESSEE:
Todd Blackford (had TJ surgery last June)
Esmailin Caridad (just got sent down today)
Jose Ceda (just got sent down today)
Michael Cooper (had labrum surgery last May)
* Darin Downs
* Casey Lambert
Alessandro Maestri
Billy Muldowney (had TJ surgery last August)
* Jeremy Papelbon
Mike Phelps
Gregory Reinhard
* Jayson Ruhlman
Joel Santo
* Chris Siegfried
* Donald Veal
Tanner Watson

DAYTONA:
Alberto Alburquerque
* Zach Ashwood
Miguel Cuevas
Rafael Dolis (limited physical activity – injury rehab)
Marcus Hatley
* Arik Hempy
Robert Hernandez
Yuri Higgins
Jordan Latham
Matt Maradeo
* Mark Pawelek
Jose Pina (limited physical activity – injury rehab)
* James Russell
Audy Santana (limited physical activity – injury rehab)
Stephen Vento

PEORIA:
Ryan Acosta
* Michael Bunton
Alberto Cabrera
Chris Huseby
Simon Lee
Andrew McCormick
Jon Mueller (limited physical activity – injury rehab)
John Muller
Blake Parker
Cedric Redmond
Dae-Eun Rhee
Chris Rivera
* Dustin Sasser
Harol Tolentino

BOISE/MESA:
Francisco Acosta
* Jeffry Antigua
Rogelino Carmona
Eduardo Figueroa
Yohan Gonzalez
Kevin Kreier
Scott Meyer
Craig Muschko
* Taylor Parker (limited physical activity – injury rehab)
Hernan Ramos
Carlos E. Rojas
Ryan Searle
Jose Severino
Larry Suarez

=======================

CATCHERS

IOWA:
Jake Muyco
Tony Richie
* Alan Rick

TENNESSEE:
Matt Canepa
* Steve Clevenger
* Mark Reed

DAYTONA:
Welington Castillo (just got sent down today)
* Matt Hudgins
* Blake Lalli

PEORIA:
Josh Donaldson (just got sent down today)
Carlos Perez
Roberto Sabates

BOISE/MESA:
Carlos Guevara
* Alvaro Sosa

=====================

INFIELDERS

IOWA:
# Matt Craig (1B)
* Kyle Reynolds (3B)
Robinson Chirinos (2B)
Carlos R. Rojas (SS)
# Bobby Scales (3B-2B) - just got sent down today
Joe Simokaitis (SS)
* Nate Spears (2B)

TENNESSEE:
Brian Dopirak (1B)
Josh Lansford (3B)
* Ryne Malone (2B)
# Matt Matulia (SS)
Jonathan Mota (SS)
* Jeffrey Rea (2B)

DAYTONA:
Darwin Barney (SS)
Russ Canzler (1B)
* Dylan Johnston (2B-SS)
# Nathan Samson (2B-SS)
Marquez Smith (3B)
Tony Thomas (2B)

PEORIA:
# Marwin Gonzalez (SS)
Gian Guzman (SS)
# Jose Made (2B)
Jovan Rosa (3B)
* Drew Rundle (1B-OF)
Josh Vitters (3B)

BOISE/MESA:
Starlin Castro (SS)
John Contreras (3B)
# Dwayne Kemp (2B) - speaks Dutch, communicates mainly by sign-language
* Bryan Jost (1B) - limited physical activity - knee surgery rehab
Junior Lake (SS)
Elvis Lara (2B)

=======================

OUTFIELDERS

IOWA:
* Matt Camp
* Corey Coles
# Min-Kyu Sung
# Andres Torres (just got sent down today)
# Chris Walker

TENNESSEE
* James Adduci
Yusuf Carter
* Tyler Colvin (just got sent down today)
Ryan Harvey
* Jonathan Wyatt

DAYTONA:
* Kyler Burke
* Leon Johnson
* Brian Leclerc
Ty Wright

PEORIA:
* Cliff Andersen
Brandon Guyer
* Clark Hardman
Jesus Reyes (limited physical activity – injury rehab)

BOISE/MESA:
* Nelson Perez
# Andres Quezada
Kevin Soto
* Luke Sommer

====================

THE "MILK CARTON GANG"

I have not seen the following players on the field at Fitch Park so far. Each was listed as a minor league player in the Cubs organization as of 2-5-08. 

Possible reasons for absence:

1. Player is injured to the extent that he is not able to participate even in a limited form, or

2. Player could have failed to report to camp, or

3. Could have reported but failed his physical and got released, or

4. The player could have retired, or

5. Maybe the player received permission from the Cubs to report to camp late due to a visa problem, or because the player is attending college, or ???

WHEREBOUTS...  UNKNOWN (to me, anyway):
Luis Bautista, C-1B
Marco Carrillo, RHP
Hung-Wen Chen, RHP
Rafael Cova, RHP
* Jeff Culpepper, OF
Dumas Garcia, RHP
Kitt Kopach, RHP
Oswaldo Martinez, RHP
Marcos Mateo, RHP
Mario Mercedes, C
* Billy Mottram, 3B
Chris Robinson, C
Issmael Salas, INF
* Marc Sawyer, 1B
Chi-Hsiang Wen, OF

There are two other players who are listed as "active" in the Cubs minor league system as of 2/5/08, but both are (unfortunately) in reality functioning as de facto Spring Training assistant instructors.

Danny Fatheree was Kerry Wood's catcher in HS, and he spent several seasons in the Astros organization but never got out of AA. Danny was signed to a minor league contract by the Cubs this past off-season (possibly at the suggestion or request of KW?) after missing most of the past three seasons with a life-threatening illness that killed two of his uncles. He must weigh well in excess of 300 pounds, and although he was signed as a player, he mainly just throws BP for Peoria--all while wearing his catcher's mitt!

RHP Leo Perez (a converted SS) is another player who has been injured the past couple of years, and he is unable to throw a ball more than about ten yards. So he is working as an "assistant coach," hitting ground balls to the kids in the Boise/Mesa group.

.

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by Rich

Re: More Than a Very Minor Matter

Submitted by Rich on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 8:38pm.

Great post Phil...loved the part about the Dutch guy! Is Jeremy Papelbon any relation to the Boston Pitcher?

=====================================

RICH: Jeremy is Jonathan's younger brother. The Cubs used Papelbon mainly as a lefty reliever his first two seasons in the organization, but word is he will be moved to the starting rotation full-time in 2008.

Dwayne Kemp (Netherlands) is the second player the Cubs have signed out of the MLB European Baseball Academy in Italy. The first was RHP Alessandro Maestri (who pitched for Team Italy in the WBC a couple of years ago), and he is progressing nicely through the Cubs system as a right-handed reliever/set-up man.

The Cubs have tried very hard to get more "international" players in their system over the past couple of years, hiring former Cubs LHP Steve Wilson to be their Pacific Rim Scouting Coordinator (Wilson is married to a Taiwanese woman and lives in Taiwan), and signing players out of Australia (RHP Ryan Searle), South Korea '(RHPs Simon Lee and Dae-Eun Rhee and OF Min Kyu Sung), Taiwan (RHP Hung-Wen Chen and OFs Chi Hsiang Wen and Hae-Siang Kook), and Japan (OF Kosuke Fukudome and RHP Shingo Takatsu), besides the two players signed out of Europe (Kemp and Maestri).

The Cubs have also established a second team in the Dominican Summer League (DSL Cubs #2) that will begin play in 2008.

When and if it becomes possible to sign players out of China (probably not until after the Beijing Olympics), expect the Cubs to be at the front of that line. Two players from the Chinese National team (RF Qi Ze and catcher Huo Guo-chen) spent a month at Cubs EXST at Fitch Park last April, and the Cubs have a good relationship with Team China Head Coach Jim Lefebvre and Pitching Coach Bruce Hurst.  

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Thank you for the additional info. I was looking up Papelbon's minor league numbers and they looked pretty good. Nice strikeout to walk ratio. Are the Cubs pretty high on this kid? I wonder if they will give him the same fast track to the Majors that his brother got? It's great news about the investment in international scouting. Let's hope they continue that trend (nobody tell Zell that it costs money!)

AZ Phil, Why did the front office flip of Listach and Bailey? It seemed both did a respectable at their respective levels last year.

[ ]

In reply to by Hobart Mike

Well, I think it's a good idea. Wrigley has done well that last five years. The stock is at $58, up from $42, with a market cap of $16 billion. The Trib, on the other hand, is at $33 with a market cap of $3.9 bil, down from $51 five years ago. So, it looks like Wrigley sure can afford to buy the naming rights and if they were smart they would. Like you said, the earned media coverage they would get alone would be worth the price, they would be buying the best part of this (loser) franchise with none of the overhead usually involved, and they would cement themselves as eternally beloved Chicago good-guys.

Re: More Than a Very Minor Matter

Submitted by Chifan on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 11:11pm.

AZ Phil, Why did the front office flip of Listach and Bailey? It seemed both did a respectable at their respective levels last year.

===================================

CHI FAN: I suspect it had something to do with Pat Listach's not-too-secret ambition to be a major league manager, and managing in AAA would help his resume. He already has had an opportunity to manage in the AFL, and that will help his cause, too.

Although Buddy Bailey is a good minor league player development guy, and even though he did a fine job at AAA Iowa last season, I doubt very much that he has any aspirations to be a big league manager. He's past 50 and seems to have settled into life as a career minor league manager. He'll probably get back to AAA again eventually if he wants that, or maybe he'll become a scout, or maybe he'll go back to being a roving minor league catching instructor.

Arizona Phil -- Very insightful! There are a number of other players who appeared in the Cub minors last year who aren't mentioned. Are these players missing as well? Pitchers: Corey Bachman, Michael Bartek, Oscar Bernard, Julio Castillo, Michael Christi, Brad Clipp, Rafael Cova, Junniol Lami, Jose Pena, Charlie Platt, Paul Schappert, Brandon Taylor, Scott Taylor, Donnie Walters, Matt Weber Infielders: Patrick Brooks, Alberto Garcia, Bill Moss, Derek Schermerhorn, Jemel Spearman, Cesar Valentine Outfielders: Alfred Joseph, Andrew Lopez

Minor Matter

Submitted by Alex Dimm on Sat, 03/08/2008 - 7:16am.

Arizona Phil -- Very insightful! There are a number of other players who appeared in the Cub minors last year who aren't mentioned. Are these players missing as well?

Pitchers: Corey Bachman, Michael Bartek, Oscar Bernard, Julio Castillo, Michael Christi, Brad Clipp, Rafael Cova, Junniol Lami, Jose Pena, Charlie Platt, Paul Schappert, Brandon Taylor, Scott Taylor, Donnie Walters, Matt Weber

Infielders: Patrick Brooks, Alberto Garcia, Bill Moss, Derek Schermerhorn, Jemel Spearman, Cesar Valentine Outfielders: Alfred Joseph, Andrew Lopez

=========================

ALEX: All of the players on your list were released during the off-season except Cova (see "Milk Carton" list), Castillo, Lami, and Pena (assigned to Cubs Dominican Academy), Weber (retired and is playing college basketball), and Scott Taylor (50-day prohibited substance suspension, will be eligible to return to Active List on May 20th).

Re: More Than a Very Minor Matter

Submitted by George Altman on Sat, 03/08/2008 - 2:03am.

AZ Phil, I thought I read where O'Malley had signed with a team in the Northern or Frontier league?

 __________________________

 

GEORGE: Ryan O'Malley is definitely at Cubs Minor League Camp with the AAA Group (or at least he was as of yesterday!). He signed with the Schaumburg Flyers (Northern League) during the off-season, but apparently he's back with the Cubs now.

O'Malley WAS a minor league FA after last season, and he was NOT on a Cubs minor league roster as of 2/5/08, so he apparently signed a minor league contract with the Cubs sometime in the last month. If he gets released prior to the start of the season (which is quite possible), he'll probably have no trouble re-signing with the Flyers. But for now, he's with the Cubs.

Besides O'Malley, the Cubs signed LHP Derrick Ellison (Joliet - Northern League) and RHP Tanner Watson (Rockford - Frontier League) during the off-season. Ellison is presently assigned to the AAA group, and Watson is assigned to the AA group.

As is the case with all itinerant minor league FA pitchers, O'Malley, Ellison, and Watson are at a distinct disadvantage when competing with pitchers who are Cubs organizational guys. 

AZ Phil, I hope you see this. I was wondering what goes on at intrasquads at Fitch. Will the various squads just face each other on those days? I will be at Fitch on what appears to be one of those intrasquad days next Monday and was just curious.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • 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)

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  • 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"

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  • crunch (view)

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  • 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.