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

Hey, Randy Wells, Aren't You Dan Haren?

Arizona's Dan Haren was lifted from Sunday's start at San Diego after the seventh. He held the Padres scoreless for 6 2/3 innings before allowing a solo blast to Kevin Kouzmanoff. In all, Haren was charged with 1 run on 4 hits. He fanned 5, walked 1, and at one point, retired 13 Padre hitters consecutively.

He was deprived of his fifth win of the season, however, when the Arizona bullpen failed to protect a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. (The Diamondbacks eventually won, 9-6, in 18 innings.)

In Haren's last start, at Los Angeles, he held the division-leading Dodgers to 1 run on 2 hits over 7 IP, but emerged with a no-decision in a game his team ultimately lost, 6-5.

Haren began the season by losing 3-0, 3-1, and 2-0 games to the Rockies, Dodgers, and Giants, respectively. After those three starts, he had an ERA of 1.89 and a record of 0-3.

After 11 starts, Haren now has a 2.42 ERA. In 78 IP, he has yielded just 57 hits and amassed 78 strikeouts while walking just 10. He is also a .500 pitcher (4-4).

Six games into his career as a Chicago Cub, Randy Wells is now 0-2, 1.86, with his only "non-quality" start coming in his National League debut...when he held the Brewers scoreless, but only for five innings.

Wells' performance Sunday in the 6-3, 14-inning win at Cincinnati was typical of what he has delivered since being summoned from Iowa: 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K, and just 2 ER. The non-support he received from the Cub offense and the inability of the Cubs bullpen (specifically Carlos Marmol today) to protect a lead on Wells' s behalf were also, unfortunately, typical.

The good news is that Aaron Heilman, Kevin Gregg, Jose Ascanio, David Patton, and Angel Guzman were able to keep the Reds off the scoreboard, while the Cub batsmen were finally able to recapture the lead in the 14th inning, a mere 11 innings after they had last tallied.

I'm sure it wouldn't make Randy Wells feel any better to know that he has company the likes of Dan Haren or that he is becoming a poster boy for the injustice of evaluating starting pitchers by their win-loss totals. But at least he can know that he has done a bang-up job for the Cubs and that if he continues to pitch so effectively, the wins will eventually begin to follow.

Won't they?

 

Comments

The folks here, and Lou, are all smart enough to know that W-L doesn't mean much for pitchers. I think Wells has pitched his way into the rotation for the rest of the year. I like Marshall, but I think I would rather keep him in the 'pen, and keep Wells in there. Speaking of former catchers now pitchers, anyone notice that Blake Parker is 6 for 6 in save situations at Iowa, and 0.82 ERA with over a K per inning? And this in only his 3rd year of pitching.

I agree, and I wasn't suggesting that his spot could be in jeopardy because of his W-L record. I was just pointing to the fact that we currently have on the Cubs a living, breathing example of the shortcomings of the W-L yardstick in this guy who has pitched well enough to already have four or five wins under his belt.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Rob,

Article does say, "But Zell's team has indicated that it wants to work toward a consensual plan with the company's creditors," so they (the creditors) will most likely have a voice in determining Zell's role.

What a mess.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I'll say one thing about Zell, for all the hype about how smart of a businessman he is, he wasn't too smart buying a group of newspapers just as they are all going down the toilet.

I mentioned this during Sunday's Parachat that Randy Wells' tough luck reminded me of Juan Cruz' troubles as a Cub. In 2002 Cruz had a tough start to the season despite pitching very well. He went 0-7 in his first 8 starts, although his ERA was 2.81 after 6 starts. Even after getting roughed up his two next starts, falling to 0-7, his era was 3.86. That's when Don Baylor started mentioning he might need to move Cruz to the bullpen, and did so after his next start despite Cruz getting the win and going to 1-7. Cruz was moved out of the rotation to make way for Mark Prior's debut. A few weeks later Cruz was being considered to move back into the rotation to replace a struggling and injured Jason Bere. Cruz' 2002 game log at Baseball Reference: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?n1=cruzju02&t=p&year=2… I found this tidbit from a 2002 CBS Sports fantasy blurb: "Cruz gave up four runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings Tuesday as his record dropped to 0-7. He is winless in 10 starts since beating Pittsburgh last Sept. 26. However, his record is deceptive. His 3.86 ERA is hardly a cause for alarm. Cruz's problems can also be attributed to poor run support. The Cubs are only averaging two runs in his eight starts." http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasybaseball/players/updates/248045 Replace Cruz with Wells in that story and nobody would know the difference, but Wells has been even more impressive. It's a hard knock life. I always liked Cruz, but he has always had the same control issues that plague Marmol so often. When either guy is on they are almost hittable.

"I'll say one thing about Zell, for all the hype about how smart of a businessman he is, he wasn't too smart buying a group of newspapers just as they are all going down the toilet." Zell didn't buy Tribco for their papers - he bought them primarily for their real estate assets, as well as the TV/Radio stations. He never gave a crap about the papers, but was gambling on buying severely depreciated commercial real estate assets in prime locations on the cheap, in hopes of an eventual rebound. It's how he made his bones in the first place, his MO was coined as a "vulture investor."

Wow - the Cubs Bullpen Usage Chart for Sunday certainly is packed with "X's"! IS it the first time in the year all boxes have been checked for one day? What a pathetic offense.

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.