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

Cubs vs. White Sox to Decide the Decade

The White Sox arrive today to finish off the Cubs 10-game homestand. A win for the Cubs would mean a winning homestand at 6-4 and keep the Cubs perfect September in tact. More importantly possibly - he says facetiously -  is a win for the Cubs would tie up the season series, which in turn would tie up the decade series record, which in turn would tie up the the all-time interleague record between the two clubs. See the Cubs and White Sox have been staging their own little Spy vs. Spy since interleague play started back in 1997. Each team taking turns knocking the other out, but ultimately ending up in the same place that they started.

The Cubs throw Ryan Dempster today, the White Sox do not counter with Jake Peavy. Instead it will be rookie Carlos Torres and a 6.75 ERA in two starts. 

The minor league playoff chase has soured for the Iowa Cubs. They've dropped three in a row after winning five straight and find themselves 2.5 back and in third place with just five games left to play. Double A Tennessee has a one-game lead heading into their 5-game set versus West Tennessee(Mariners). To complicate matters, Chattanooga (Dodgers) has also moved within a game, so there will be a little scoreboard watching to go along with the dueling Tennessee's.

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

But, they were all singles! Nevertheless, this minor (league) setback will not stop Jim Hendry from bringing Samartian back up to evaluate his "progress" -- much to Lou's dismay... "All the September additions the Cubs plan to make are Class AAA players who already have spent time with the big club, to the disappointment of manager Lou Piniella. He would have liked to see some younger prospects this month. ''Evidently, they're not quite ready,'' he said. Anybody seen Teflon Tim Wilken around?

Jim Hendry was just on WSCR and sounded like he had a serious case of PMS. The front-office message appears to be "we're not giving up on the post season unless we're mathematically eliminated". He also went on a rant (and I'm paraphrasing) "well if I were to ask you guys where you thought the team would finish at the beginning of the year, you would have said first" (agreement) "So obviously you thought we had a good enough team at the beginning of the year..." Ugh... Dear Jim Hendry... it doesn't matter what we think. If it did we'd still have Mark DeRosa. You make the decisions and now you own this $140 million dollar 500 record. Either way, this is not a guy who talks as if his job is safe. I'm just sayin'...

1. Soriano fails to advance the Jake Hammer to third with one out. 2. Bevis and Butthead rightfully condemn Soriano, saying how great it would be to have a runner at third with 1 out. 3. Baker singles, sharply to right and Quade sends the Jake Hammer home, where he is predictably thrown out. 4. Bevis and Butthead now say that Quade made the right decision, because we're not getting a lot of hits today. Never does it occur to him they are just contradicting themselves, because they just bemoaned having a runner on 3rd with 1 out - a situation Quade just ran us out of. Fucking morons.

I just can't get excited about this game (vs. Sox). If we win -- big effin' deal -- it's just the Sox and they're doing nothing this year. If we lose, well, we just lost 2 of 3 to Wash. What else do you expect? Just a whole big bunch of "meh".

game delay after Theriot shaken up: pitching change with Berg coming in mike was on... Len: gosh! Bob: just horrible! Bob: uh Bob: I don't want any fingerprints on this (these?) shit! ha ha ah huh ahha ha!

On a completely unrelated note, have we talked about Tyler Colvin lately? I'm starting to believe he's turned the corner. I bet Lou would love to see him and perhaps it was Colvin that he was alluding to... I'm also going to stick up for Henry on Samardzija. Countless pitchers get a dead arm a year or two after they start pro ball. I'd say they challenged his arm this to develop durability. I think he'll bounce back. I think the Cubs have already "penciled" Samardzija in the rotation next year. As a result, I predict they will trade Zambrano this winter.

Can't take credit for this but thought it was good - "Go Cubs go. Go Cubs go. Hey Chicago whaddaya say? Cubs are gonna (_______) today." a) squander another quality start by the pitching staff b) continue to find new and interesting ways to lose ballgames c) allow Soriano to embarrass himself and the club one more time d) all of the above I'm going to have to go with d, all of the above.

Message I sent to MLB.com after trying to select the proper winner of the Roberto Clemente award: I've been doing just a whole bunch of drugs tonight, so please forgive me if this idea seems thought out... but maybe, gosh I am embarrassed to even type this out... just maybe on the Roberto Clemente Award voting you should actually say what each player has done to win the award, rather than just list their name and team so it's a perverted popularity contest. Wow, I should probably get some help, huh?

Iowa loses again, think they're just about done.. Tenn loses to W. Tenn tying up the division, Chattanooga loses as well still leaving them a game back. 4 left to play in Double A.

I dunno about the rest of you guys but I can't wait for the next crop of youngsters to come up from the Cubs' minor leagues and dominate the NL. Makes my mouth water, it does

I'm so apathetic at this point I'm not even really that mad about the Soriano error. If you think they're still in the chase for the wildcard, guess what...? They aren't.

BP with an article partially on Marmol, non-subscribers can read a good bit, including: "Through Wednesday’s action, Marmol has unintentionally walked 19 percent of the batters he’s faced, the highest percentage for any pitcher with 60-plus innings in a season since Bobby Witt in 1987 (all percentages here exclude any batters who were intentionally walked). He’s also hit four percent of opposing batters with his frequently errant pitches—easily beating out Bob Wells of the 2001 Twins for the highest plunkage rate of the last half-century. Thus approximately 23 percent of batters that have faced Marmol this year have reached base without a hit—also the highest rate since intentional walks were first recorded in 1955." http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9488

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:25pm.
Iowa loses again, think they're just about done..

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

ROB G: And they didn't just lose, either, They did it Cubbie-style.

Leading the last-place Omaha Royals 7-4 going into the bottom of the 9th (and trying to prevent a four-game sweep by the O-Royals), closer Blake Parker got the first out, before loading the bases on a double and two walks. Parker then walked in a run, making it 7-5. John Gaub was called in, and he walked in a run, too, before giving up a game-winning bases loaded double. So the I-Cubs lose 8-7 and get swept by a last place team.

The I-Cubs now trail Memphis by 2-1/2 games and Nashville by two games, with four games to play.

Checking out for the weekend, heading to Toronto to see the city and the Rogers Centre (v. Yankees), then on to Pittsburgh on Monday (a return trip) to watch the bums in Blue try to solve the Charlie Morton Mystery. Have a nice holiday weekend, everyone.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 12:30am.
I dunno about the rest of you guys but I can't wait for the next crop of youngsters to come up from the Cubs' minor leagues and dominate the NL. Makes my mouth water, it does

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

O & B: I think when Uncle Lou talked the other day about wanting to see some of the Cubs younger prospects in Chicago in September, he was thinking mainly about 22-year old AA Tennessee catcher Welington Castillo. Piniella has seen Castillo before (Castillo was an NRI in big league camp in Spring Training in both 2008 and 2009), but after Geovany Soto tanked this season, Castillo's development all of a sudden became far more crucial.  

After hitting .174 pre-All Star Break, Castillo has gone 319/357/519 since. He has hit 11 HR in 92 games in 2009 (he hit four last year), and has thrown out 45% of opposing base-stealers this season (up from 36% in 2008), while cutting his PB from 21 in 2008 to 10 in 2009, and his errors from eight in '08 to six in '09, while playing eleven more games behind the plate.

Prior to 2009, Castillo was considered the Cubs #1 catching prospect, even with a tendency to make lots of mistakes defensively (too many passed balls, too many errors, too many mental mistakes).

But even so, Castillo almost made the Iowa Opening Day roster as a 21-year old this past March, but was sent to AA the last week of Minor League Camp. Castillo struggled at the plate at AA the first-half of the '09 season, but that can probably be attributed to the Cubs (specifically ex-catcher Oneri Fleita) asking him to concentrate on his defense, and he did that, albeit at the expense of his hitting (at least over the first half of the season). But since the ASB, Castillo has put his complete game together, and coupled with Soto's bad season, is now probably projected as the Cubs catcher of the near-future.

Castillo will be playing in the AFL next month, and that should help his development going into the 2010 season. He probably needs a year of AAA, but he is (by far) the Cubs best catching prospect, and right now I have him rated as the Cubs #6 prospect with a bullet (behind only Cashner, Vitters, J. Jackson, Castro, and Carpenter).

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Castillo's big bat in 2008 was mostly due to a .368 BABIP, on an 18.4% LD rate. 4 HR's 16 walks versus 75 K's over 329 at bats ain't too good. This year, his luck has reversed, a .262 BABIP gives him a crappy .230 batting average but he does have those 11 HR's against roughly the same K and walk rate, and an improved 20.3% LD rate, including a torrid August where 31.6% of his batted balls were line drives, which jives with what Phil says about his bat heating up.

Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 11:15am.
A Z, what's your take on Soto's struggles this year?

I for one am somewhat annoyed that many seem to be discounting him based on one bad season, but I'm also aware that annoyance is probably based on my wishful thinking that Soto is the guy he was in 2007 and 2008, and not the hitter he was before that or in 2009.

Is it the weight? Is it injuries? Have pitchers figured him out? Does he just suck? What's going on?

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

CHARLIE: I think Geovany Soto's struggles in 2009 at the plate can partly be attributued to injuries, and partly to getting out of shape during the WBC when he mostly sat around and watched Ivan Rodriguez play (added to the very frequent off days for the WBC teams). He also seems to have gotten VERY pull-conscious, so pitchers are keeping the ball away from him.

I think Soto can come back and be the player he was last year, but he will need to work hard during the off-season. And even if he does get back on the beam, he still will ultimately have to battle Welington Castillo for the #1 job, and (in my opinion) W. Castillo is the more-talented player with the higher ceiling.

BTW, I think Hendry might have considered bringing W. Castillo up to Chicago this month to be the 3rd catcher (Chris Robinson probably would have gotten the call, but he is playing in the World Cup for Team Canada, and converted INF Steve Clevenger still needs to work on his defense), but probably would prefer that W. Castillo plays every day (and in the Southern League playoffs) at AA Tennessee, rather than sit around Wrigley Field before heading to Arizona next month to play in the AFL.

ooooo shi.... cubs get thomas diamond from the rangers. hell yes! great arm to take a chance on...if/when healthy (aka, never). still...i like that one. ...and yes, he's wild. ...and yes, he needs work. good starting points for a give-away, though...tools-wise.

Murray Chass who writes about American baseball for the Paris Herald among other papers says, "Jim Hendry, the Cubs’ general manager, did not return a call intended to discuss his team’s plight. I understand that. If I were the Cubs’ general manager, I wouldn’t want to discuss them either." Bad Hendry!

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

ah...murray chass...the guy baseball prospectus picked a fight with as the self-appointed protectors of all things statistics related...much to the eye-rolling of other more respectable stats organizations. yes, chass has some hate to the stats community, but BP's "open letter" (haha) was a self-righteous policing of a community that no one asked them to defend. i guess that's what happens if you DARE to pick on VORP. travis hafner is the best player in baseball, btw. DH's forever. aside from all the BP stuff, chass is still an angry old meatball of a man.

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.