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40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

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Last updated 4-17-2024
 
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PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




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Dodgers Can't Escape the Wrath of Hoff-POWER!

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Micah Hoffpauir crushed a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th, turning a two-run Cubs deficit into a two-run Cub lead, as the Cubs defeated the Dodgers 5-3 in the Cactus League opener for both clubs at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in sunny and warm Mesa, Arizona 

box score  

Today's game marked the Cactus League debut of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as Da Bums have moved their Spring Training and Minor League operations from their long-time Dodgertown digs in Vero Beach, Florida, to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. It was very strange to see the Cubs playing the Dodgers in Mesa, let me tell you.

There certainly was no problem with the 80 degree temperatures, but the smallish crowd (7,916) was disappointing. Back in the day, the Cubs Cactus League home opener was ALWAYS a sell-out. But those who were there got to sing "Happy Birthday" to a smiling Ron Santo, before watching the Cubs come from behind to win the game.  

Both clubs played a fair number of their regulars, but the Cubs gave the start to Jeff Samardzija, who is battling for the 5th spot in the rotation with Sean Marshall and a couple of others.

The Shark was not particularly sharp this afternoon, allowing two runs (both earned) on three hits and two walks, with one strikeout and a GIDP over his two innings of work (35 pitches - 20 strikes - 3/2 GO/FO).

Samardzija was able to escape the 1st inning unscathed, before loading the bases with no outs in the top of the 2nd. He then got the 1-2-3 comebacker DP he needed and was poised to finish his outing without allowing a run, before #9 hitter Tony Abreu lined a single to CF to plate the first two Dodger runs.

Mitch Atkins followed Samardzija and had a so-so outing, allowing one run on a couple of singles and a stolen base in the top of the 3rd, before throwing a scoreless 4th. Overall, Atkins, went two innings (25 pitches - 16 strikes - 3/2 GO/FO), allowing just the one run on three hits, no walks, one K, and one GIDP. 

Five Cub pitchers then threw one shutout inning a piece, holding the Dodgers at bay. Of the five, Dominican RHP Esmailin Caridad was the most impressive, getting three easy ground outs on just ten pitches (seven strikes) in the top of the 6th. Rule 5 RHP David Patton (20 pitches - 14 strikes) surrendered a couple of singles in the 7th, but around that he threw some nasty breaking balls and showed a fastball with some pop, and NRI LHP Jason Waddell (20 pitches -  12 strikes) got a couple of punchouts while also allowing a walk in his one inning of work.   

RHP Jeff Stevens (one of the pitchers the Cubs acquired from the Indians for Mark DeRosa during the off-season) had a bit of roller-coaster ride in the 9th while going for the save, putting the tying runs on base on a single and a walk, before getting the final out on a long fly to the warning track in RF. He also got a strikeout along the way, and appeared to have some decent velocity on his fastball, although he did struggle a bit with his command

The Cubs offense was essentially All Hoffpauir, as the DH also plated the Cubs first run on a 4-6-3 DP grounder with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the 1st. Hoffpauir struck out with two on and two out in the 3rd, before smoking his bases loaded shot over the fence in right-center field off Dodgers reliever Ramon Troncoso in the bottom of the 5th.      

Otherwise, there wasn't a whole lot of offense. Hoffpauir's HR was the only extra base hit of the game for either team, and only Ryan Theriot and Dodger 1B James Loney had more than one hit (both went 2-3 with two singles). .   

The defensive play of the game definitely was CF Reed Johnson's diving catch in right-centerfield in the top of the 1st, saving what looked to be a certain double or triple. Johnson laid his body out to full length, before spearing the ball in his trusty mitt.

And catcher Koyie Hill threw a laser to cut down a potential base stealer in the top of the 5th, although he had some ugly swings in his two ABs (a strikeout-swinging and a feeble ground out).

 

Tags
Spring Training
Micah Hoffpauir

Comments

Submitted by Hawkeye on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 02:38 pm

1. I loved yelling Hoffpauir in a bad Scottish accent when he came to the plate in AA. 2. Thanks, as always for the re-cap 'Zona Phil. 3. I hope that Hill finds a way to contribute. I know that he will likely not make the 40 man (can't see a way he could save a Gabor injury), but he is a solid contributor. I like his grit, spunk, tenacity, and scrap. 4. I still miss Kerry Wood.

Submitted by Chifan on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 02:34 pm

How has Mike Stanton been doing in camp so far? Also if Marshall does win the 5th starting job do you think they will break Mesa with only Cotts as a LOOGY or do one of the NRI guys have a chance to pitch themselves on to the roster?

Submitted by artskoe on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:29 am

Thanks A-Phil. Besides Ronny's birthday and Micah's slam, the broadcast team seemed pretty unexcited and kept mentioning the L-o-n-g spring training. Santo seemed like he wanted to dis the WBC since it makes ST too long and team chemistry is going to have to be plugged in later. With the disappointing end to Fukudome's season, Ron was raising his eyebrows a little over K-Fu's not being with the Cubs. Pat Hughes danced around it almost as though it is in WGN's contract to mention the WBC under Selig's orders. Should be interesting to see who has stamina this year, and if Lou will actually do what he threatens to do, that is rest his players regularly. Wish Micah could play 3rd also. Kudos to Soto for opening camp here. Here's hoping Lou and Jim have a close eye on how he is used in WBC games. Kudos to Marmol for staying close to Rothschild and his bread and butter. I hope the WBC flops, or from now on they play it in January during the college season with unpaid kids. Have a special draft (like you fantasy folks) in February at the end of the WBC for team Cuba and help the defectors sign contracts. Anyways, maybe the WBC should make a good new thread here. I haven't heard much howling - is it a good thing (I vote no)or is there just too much risk involved (yes)? Discuss...

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Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:00 am

I'm not sure about the point of the WBC? Is it to rally international interest in baseball? Provide extra pre-season revenue to MLB? Increase fan diversity? I don't think you can measure the success unless you know what the heck Bud was thinking when it was conceived. Personally, I don't really care either way. I have only slightly more interest in WBC games than I do spring training games. Sure guys can get injured in WBC games, but they can get injured in ST games, too. I'm not totally convinced it's that big of a deal. And I've said before that Fuku's performance last year was almost exactly what was expected (at least what I expected), and this year I expect him to perform better. Fuku will be fine, imo.

[ ]

Submitted by OakLawnGuy on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:08 am

I commented on the WBC a few threads ago and met some resistance. It's all well and good but the timing is awful, and it's really just an exhibition series. I said before, if Selig really wants a bonafide World Baseball Tournament, they should go World Cup and shut down for a year, each country could send its roster on the road for a 40- or 60-game exhibition season (or however long), then close with the tournament. Then you might see real team play from players really dedicated to the cause and the tournament might gain some integrity. I'm not sure that US baseball fans are going to wave flags over "their" team's games. When it's over their city's players return and all the national pride vaporizes here. Maybe it's a bigger source of entertainment and bragging rights in Venezuela or the DR, and perhaps Selig's goal is to enhance that international involvement, but here in the United States I believe it will be a yawn. For so many reasons, the majority of which relate to finances, setting up a true tournament will never happen. If I owned a major league franchise and my players were invited to a March tournament and I'm getting ready for a championship season, I'd disallow all of my guys from joining up. There can be very very little to gain, much more to lose.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:06 am

Submitted by Hawkeye on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 10:38pm.

I hope that Hill finds a way to contribute. I know that he will likely not make the 40 man (can't see a way he could save a Gabor injury), but he is a solid contributor. I like his grit, spunk, tenacity, and scrap.

. =====================================

HAWKEYE: Forced to choose between Paul Bako and Koyie Hill as the Cubs back-up catcher, no question I would go with K. Hill. The only thing Bako has over Hill is that Bako has more MLB experience and is a slightly better hitter, but K. Hill has more power, a far superior throwing arm, and the versatility to play 3B and 1B (he played 3B in college at Wichita State and he has played 1B in the minors). K. Hill is also more familiar with the current Cubs pitching staff, especially the guys who were at Iowa the last couple of years. And K. Hill is a switch-hitter.

It appears that the Cubs will have to decide by March 20th whether to keep Bako or release him and pay him only 25% of his salary (about $180K). Presuming both stay healthy, K. Hill just needs to show he is Bako's approximate equal as a hitter (and we're talking only about a .225 BA here) to win the job.

BTW, K. Hill is already on the 40-man roster. He is out of options, however, so if he clears Outright Waivers (and I doubt that he would get claimed, but you never know), he has the option be a free-agent if the Cubs outright him to the minors. I would bet that he would accept the outright assignment, though, and defer his right to be a FA until after the conclusion of the regular season, rather than take the free-agency immediately, since it's unlikely he could make more money elsewhere, and there's a good chance that he could get a call-up to Chicago sometime during the season (9/1 at the latest).

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:21 am

Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 10:00am.

I'm not sure about the point of the WBC? Is it to rally international interest in baseball? Provide extra pre-season revenue to MLB? Increase fan diversity?

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

RYNO: If there HAS to be a WBC, it should be played in November. There is really no "good time" to play it, but November is the lesser of the evils.

Also, the one thing I do like about the Cubs vis-a-vis the WBC this time around is that it can't hurt Fukudome to spend most of Spring Training with Team Japan. It could get him into a positive groove at the plate that might carry him through the season.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:36 am

Submitted by Chifan on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 11:34pm.

How has Mike Stanton been doing in camp so far? Also if Marshall does win the 5th starting job do you think they will break Mesa with only Cotts as a LOOGY or do one of the NRI guys have a chance to pitch themselves on to the roster?

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

CHIFAN: I really can't tell you much about Mike Stanton so far. He was able to throw at Fitch Park OK (he didn't kill anybody, and he finished his 25-pitch "live" BP outing without having to be carried off the field), but how he performs in ST games will determine whether he has a shot at making the Opening Day 25-man roster.

I think Piniella probably would prefer to have two lefties in the bullpen, and if Sean Marshall is a rotation starter, then Uncle Lou probably will look long & hard at Stanton, Edward Campusano, and Jason Waddell (the in-house options), before asking Hendry to try and acquire a second lefty via a trade.

BTW, Will Ohman is still available as a FA, not that the Cubs have an interest in signing him (he probably wants a multi-year deal at about $4M per season). But he is still out there. So are Joe Beimel and Dennys Reyes.

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:57 am

i doubt he's missing much in arizona right now except bonding with teammates and possible future teammates. --- So Taguchi and Ken Kadokura seen at karaoke bar singing "So Lonely" Now no-one's knocked upon my door For a thousand years, or more All made up and nowhere to go Welcome to this one man show...

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:00 pm

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 11:14am.

Edward Campusano is one of those names I see a bit, but I don't really know much about. What sort of stuff does he bring, and how's his command? Thanks Phil

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

CHARLIE: Edward Campusano originally signed with the Cubs way back in 2001. He's is tall & lanky (6'4 - 175) with long arms. He throws all hard stuff, and his best pitch is a four-seam fastball (I think it's a cutter). He kind of slings the ball, almost sidearm, but not quite Clay Rapada.

Campusano was an All-Star closer at Peoria in 2006 (he threw 19+ consecutive scoreless innings at one point, and had a 1.21 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 21 SAVES in just half a season) before getting a mid-season promotion to AA Tennessee, where he continued to pitch well as the primary set-up guy and occasional closer (1.75 ERA and 1.17 WHIP).

But the Cubs (somewhat surprisingly) did not add Campusano to their 40-man roster after that season, and he was selected by Milwaukee in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December 2006 ,and then was immediately traded to Detroit in a pre-arranged deal. And Campusano was enough of a prospect that Baseball America rated him as the Tigers 17th best prospect pre-2007 (which is pretty unusual for a Rule 5 pick).

Campusano pitched great in Spring Training 2007, and actually had made the Tigers 2007 Opening Day 25-man roster, before getting shut-down at the very end of March with a sore elbow that eventually resulted in his having Tommy John surgery in April. (Campusano had also missed considerable time with with an elbow injury that did not require surgery while at Peoria in 2005). He spent the entire 2007 season on the Tigers MLB DL (so Campusano has accrued one year of MLB service time), before the Cubs got him back via the MLB Rule 6 return process (the Cubs paid the Tigers $25,000) when Detroit tried to outright him to the minors in October 2007.

Campusano did get an NRI to big league camp with the Cubs last year, but did not pitch well. I guess he was probably rusty after the year lay-off. He was initially assigned to AA Tennessee on Opening Day, where he struggled (6.34 ERA and 1.57 WHIP, with 29 BB in just under 50 IP), before being demoted to Daytona, where he pitched much better (0.59 ERA and 0.85 WHIP). He also spent about a month on the DL with a sore shoulder, and he was at Fitch Park for about three weeks on a rehab assignment. Even with his struggles, Campusano held left-handed hitters to a .174 OBA at Tennessee and Daytona (combined) n 2008. So he fits the profile of a true LOOGY. He's death on left-handed hitters.

If he's 100% back to where he was in Spring Training 2007 (and that's a big IF), Campusano certainly has the potential to be an MLB lefty reliever. It will be interesting to see how he looks in Cactus League games. Unfortunately, it's a bit hard to get a clear read on a LOOGY during ST because he's not being used the way he will be used during the regular season. He might face several right-handed hitters and get shelled, but then what is the significance of that if his primary job is to get left-handed hitters out?   

Campusano does have a shot (albeit probably a long-shot) to make the Cubs Opening Day 25-man roster, but otherwise he should at least be the #1 lefty reliever at Iowa, with the possibility of a call-up to Chicago sometime during the 2009 season if he pitches well at AAA. Or he could just as easily get released if he doesn't pitch well.  

Campusano can be a Rule 55 Minor League Free-Agent (so-called "Six-Year Minor League Free-Agent") after the 2009 season if he is not added to an MLB 40-man roster by the end of the World Series. He's also not a young guy (he will turn 27 in July), and he has yet to pitch even one inning at AAA, much less at the MLB level. .

Submitted by navigator on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:43 pm

The Phillies yesterday said they would advance Scott Eyre an undisclosed amount of his $2 million salary in order to tide him over until his Stanford account becomes available, according to the Associated Press. “I’ll pay [the Phillies] back whenever I can. I invested in [the Houston-based Stanford Financial Group] three years ago [and] thought it was too good to be true — and it was,” he told the Associated Press yesterday evening. http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090226/REG/9… What sucks is, there are people who invested with that [expletive deleted] Robert Allen Stanford’s group,” Mr. Eyre added. “He’s a billionaire. Does he really need to do a scam to make more money?” Well, you're a millionaire speed junkie. Talk about a scam. Do you really need America to bail out your risky "too good to be true" investments?!

[ ]

Submitted by Mister Whipple on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:08 pm

The lack of empathy I've seen from some people during this downturn towards those that have fallen on hard times is really astounding to me. Moreover, Scott Eyre takes Ritalin for ADHD. Calling him a speed junkie is really a little much. It's easy to jump on the bandwagon and call that diagnosis nonsense. People have derided the existence of psychological disabilities since they first started being diagnosed. It goes hand in hand with a general lack of empathy towards other people's struggles. I guess this is BluewaterBoats/CWTP/Navigator talking so I shouldn't be that surprised.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:36 pm

don't ever go to vegas...your heart would bleed for those gamblers. being in the tech industry and watching what happened in the late 90s/early 00s i would not trust my money (and havent) with ANYONE who even suggested "RedHat" or "VA Lixux" to anyone. i made my mother leave her investment "advisor" when that asshat tried to stick her with 1/4 of her portfolio on RedHat when it was topping 150 a share. if i'm giving my money to someone you can be sure i'm going in it knowing HOW it's supposed to work. might as well be in vegas otherwise.

Submitted by Mister Whipple on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:17 pm

I've been thinking about the WBC and the reason why Baseball has gotten a foothold in some parts of the world and not in others. One idea that occurred to me--and I haven't really thought this through so if it sounds totally ridiculous, forgive me--is that baseball gains popularity in areas with an affinity towards tradition. Japan and Korea are both places that culturally are steeped in tradition. Latin America is very traditional as well. I think the traditionalism that's present throughout all aspects of the game might be a connecting factor. I guess the question I'm really asking is anthropological. How do you think places outside the United States perceive baseball? What's baseball's image in places that don't have a lot of exposure to it? Do people who know of it but don't follow it in these places in which it hasn't really taken hold have an opinion about baseball? What do you suppose it is?

Submitted by SJS on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:24 pm

I happen to enjoy the WBC. I think that the only problem with this is the time needed for it to develop. I can't remember where I heard it (I believe it was someone on Mike and Mike Tuesday), but this should have started 30-40 years ago. The best comparrison to this event, would be the World Cup. Having been on a soccer fit over the past two months, it was interesting to read up on the history of the event. While it is THE sporting event world wide, it took a long time for it to catch on, but it did. As time has gone on, the tournament has grown with the introduction of qualifying as well as the increase of teams involved (in my short lifetime alone the field for the finals has increased from 24 teams in 1982- no more than 16 teams were involved prior to then, to the 2010 games where 32 will again compete). Over time this thing will catch on, but it is going to take other countries to make it happen. England is one off the top of my head, but I believe Germany, Israel, and some others are one the verge of joining the fray. There are reports that for the 2013 games that MLB is looking into inputing a qualifying round. Lastly, it's funny that if Bud is forcing WBC into the broadcasts that the broadcasters should at least get the information right. Somewhere in the game yesturday, Ron or Pat said that the next one would be in 2 years. From here on out the WBC will be every 4 years (the 2009 was done three years from the last one so that it would not coincide with the World Cup Final.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:35 pm

WBC is fine with me, competitive baseball in March. The injury risk is no different than a spring training game. A guy getting hurt playing in that exhibition versus Cactus League exhibition, exactly what is the difference?

Submitted by SJS on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 02:48 pm

From ESPN.com's Spring Blog: "Manager Davey Johnson had a material reason for hoping Alex Rodriguez would be on his U.S. team at the World Baseball Classic: Madonna. The New York Yankees star played for the United States at the inaugural tournament three years ago, but chose to be with the Dominican Republic for this year's event. "The only thing is I was upset about, Alex not, you know, being on my club," Johnson said Thursday, "I'm Madonna's fan. I was hoping she'd show up." Rodriguez and Madonna were linked in tabloid reports last year as being very friendly. The U.S. team opens March 7 against Canada. The Dominicans begin the same day against the Netherlands." HILARIOUS!

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

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  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
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    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
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    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

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