Cubs MLB Roster

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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 

 



 

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Rule 5 Draft 
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Cubs Trivia

Which dubious single-game NL record did Glenn Beckert set in 1972?
Good luck with that one....

Comments

A wild stab--and I swear I haven't looked it up: Most double-plays hit into in a single game. (As I recall, Beckert was awfully slow-footed for a middle infielder.) Four DPs? Five?

either chris looked it up or we have a serious trivia buff amongst us... http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1972/B09160CHN1972.htm the game in question... Beckert 0 for 6 in a 18-5 win over the Mets 1st: Beckert FO8 with bases loaded 3rd: Beckert FO2 with runners on 2nd/3rd Beckert FO9 with runners on 2nd/3rd 5th: Beckert FO8 with man on 2nd 7th: Beckert FO5 with man on 3rd Beckert FC5-4 with bases loaded pure Cubbery...

Ahh - he did have the misfortune of coming up with two-out I guess.

Does that mean in the 3rd and 7th, he came to the plate twice? And left 4 on, over 2 ABs, in each of those innings? Yow.

Not pure Cubbery, as the Cubs won 18-5! The search for the record that best personifies Cubbery continues....

Sorry I'm a couple days late and probably a dollar short on this one, I didn't read all the comments, but as for the Paul Byrd HGH timing, Dr. Hecht, YES, at least according to XM radio, Sen. Mitchell absolutely happens to be a part owner of.... you guessed it, the Boston Red Sox. And if somebody else already posted all this, forgive me, I don't get to check in here as often as I'd like. And one more thing, Az Phil rocks!! (I remember looking forward to his words before he became a "staffer")

What's with the Beckert hate? I loved the way Beckert played when I was growing up - the guy was a marginal player who worked hard at becoming a decent 2B, and he broke up a lot of DP during his playing days. You could do a lot worse than to use him as a prime example of "Cubbery." You want to talk about terrible Cub infielders? Hey, let's talk about the immortal Steve Ontiveros, or the mighty Mick Kelleher. Beckert doesn't deserve to be on that list.

You'll notice that at no time did I use the words "grit," "hustle," "grinder," or "Eckstein - like" in the above description.

Tony S.: "Sen. Mitchell absolutely happens to be a part owner of…. you guessed it, the Boston Red Sox." Mitchell is not a part owner of the Red Sox, he is a "Director" for the team. But it was a little interesting how the news conveniently came out when the Indians were up 3-2 in the series.

By Cub standards, or even by any standard, Ontiveros was not "terrible." He hit .299 in 1977 and .285 in 1979, with more than 500 at bats both years. Sure, he did not drive in a lot of runs, but he was not "terrible."

This may be a bit too easy. But since his name came up, how does Steve "I like dirt" Ontiveros figure into the 10/22 trivia question?

Champ, Cubs traded Bill Madlock (10/22 trivia answer) for Ontiveros and Murcer I believe in 1977. Murcer was acquired to replace the power lost when the Cubs traded Rick Monday earlier that offseason (which he largely did).

You could do a lot worse than to use him as a prime example of “Cubbery.” Just to clarify, Dmac - "Cubbery" is loosely defined as the ability to come up monumentally short, resulting in a loss. It's not anti-Beckert per se. Just a consideration as to whether his record-setting game belongs in the A-Gonz/Brant Brown/Leon Durham pantheon. Since the Cubs won, there is a good argument that his feat was not an example of Cubbery.

"By Cub standards, or even by any standard, Ontiveros was not “terrible." By defensive 3B standards, he was nothing short of abysmal. You conveniently forgot that little segment on player evaluation.

Brick - thanks for the translation. I had assumed it meant complete sucktitude (which I think it still does).

well that didnt take long. Indeed. Madlock and Rob Sperring for Ontiveros, Murcer and Andy(?) Muhlstock(?) I remember as part of his warm up ritual Ontiveros used to grab a handfull of dirt out of the batters box and rub it all over his uniform before each at bat. The more tense the situation, the more dirt he would grab. He did the same thing after each wiff. By the end of the game he always looked like "pig pen" from charlie brown. I think he is most remembered for his vividly odd appearance on the old 'hair club' commercials.

My nominees for terrible Cub infielders (limiting myself to my lifetime of memories)... Bump Wills (notable because he blocked Sandberg from 2B for a good chunk of Ryno's rookie year...Lee Elia's Neifi) Luis Salazar (old and bad...Don Zimmer's Hollandsworth...so bad he made me think that Steve Buechele at 3B was an "upgrade") Jeff Blauser, on "terrible" list because of expectations. He's Exhibit A in "Why We Should Not Trade for Renteria" this offseason...Renteria's the same age Blauser was when he became a Cub. Blauser in year before he was a Cub: .308/.405/.482, only his second season hitting over .300. Renteria: .332/.390/.470, only his third season hitting above .300.

“Cubbery” is loosely defined as the ability to come up monumentally short, resulting in a loss." Sounds like former Cub Bill Buckner!

woah there... I was just pointing out that Glenn Beckert had a really, really bad day at the plate. I guess we can argue if it was a true Cubbery moment or not but nothing against the guy's career.

I'd forgotten all about those hair club commercials - but I distinctly remember him playing almost any hard - hit ball off his left shoulder, then stumbling after it as it rolled into LF. The guy was just brutal out there, Ron Cey with less range (if you can believe that).

If I "conveniently forgot" about that "little segment" about Onti, his defense, then I guess you "conveniently forgot" that Onti was not a "terrible" hitter by any reasonable standard. Look, I was just trying to say that, overall, by any reasonable standard, the guy was not terrible. When you made your comment, I did not see that you were limiting your appraisal to the guy's fielding skills. Taking it all into consideration, I don't think Onti was a "terrible" infielder. And as far as his defense goes, I don't think he was all that bad, certainly not by Cubs' standards, which is what I thought you were talking about. For example, his fielding percentage in 1977 and 1979 was about the same as Bill Madlock's fielding percentage. No, I am not saying Madlock was gold glove. Again, I am just saying that, by any reasonable standard, Onti should not be on the list of terrible Cub infielders.

Madlock played third like he wished he was batting. In his three years with the Cubs he was 39 runs below average, according to BP (and my Dad). Ontiveros in his four years with the Cubs was 30 runs above average (my dad never gave an opinion on that, but I can get one if you want). Conclusion: If you think Madlock was a good fielder, you're experiencing bleedover effect. You're qualified to vote on the Gold Glove award, but as a GM you would make Ed Lynch look like Branch Rickey/

Recent comments

  • 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. 

  • 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)

    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.