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

Sam Fuld, the Hitless Cubs Club, and "Law & Order"

In the Comments last week, loyal TCR reader The Joe asked which Major Leaguer had the most at-bats without ever getting a hit. (The question stemmed from the fact that Cubs CF candidate Sam Fuld currently has the roundest of lifetime batting averages, .000, after his 0-for-6 showing last season.)

According to the Baseball-Reference.com Play Index, the answer is Mets pitcher Randy Tate, who had 41 at-bats in 1975 without once hitting his way on base. Among non-pitchers, the more interesting record, I think, Mike Potter ('76-'77) and Larry Littleton ('81) share the mark with 23 hitless at-bats for the Cards and Indians, respectively.

But what about the Cubs? I figured that an organization which has fielded so many craptacular teams with roster spots filled by so many never-developed young players and over-the-hill old players would have some worthy entries in a category like this one.

So I waded back into the B-R Play Index and changed the original search parameters a bit to find the 10 non-pitchers who accumulated the most AB's for the Cubs without getting a hit. Note: the players listed may have hit safely before or after they wore the Cub uniform; the point is, they were hitless while they were ours.

Anyway, here are the Top Ten Members of the Hitless Cubs Club:

 

#10. Herb Hunter, 2B-3B; 0/7 (7 plate appearances) for the 1916-'17 Cubs

In August of 1916, Hunter, then a Giant, became one of still relatively few players in Major League history to hit a home run before his 20th birthday. Two weeks later, he was traded to the Cubs. He went 0-for-4 in the remaining weeks of the 1916 season, then 0-for-3 in 1917, before leaving to fight in World War I. Hunter returned to the bigs in 1920, playing just a handful of games for the Red Sox and Cardinals. He only collected one hit--and no more home runs.

Hunter did eventually manage to leave his mark on baseball, however, becoming a pivotal figure in spreading the game to the Far East. Between the 1922 and '23 seasons, he arranged for a group of American big leaguers to play an exhibition tour in Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines. The group included eventual Hall of Famers Casey Stengel, Herb Pennock, and Waite Hoyt. Nine years later, Hunter returned to Japan with another contingent that included Lou Gehrig, Mickey Cochrane, and Frankie Frisch. And in 1932, he arranged for three American players to travel to Japan and give baseball seminars in universities. Among the three was a player who would ultimately achieve notoriety away from the diamond--catcher turned spy, Moe Berg.

#8(t). Ed Glenn, Shortstop; 0/7 (8 PA) for the 1902 Cubs

#8(t). Bill Carney, Outfielder; 0/7 (8 PA) for the 1904 Cubs

#7. Mario Encarnacion, Outfielder; 0/7 (9 PA) for the 2002 Cubs

"Super Mario" was once a highly regarded prospect, even more highly regarded than his close friend and fellow Dominican, Miguel Tejada. Originally signed by the A's, Encarnacion spent seven years in the minors before his rookie year with the Rockies in 2001. He was placed on waivers by the Rox and picked up by the Cubs at the beginning of the '02 season, playing in just three games before he was out of the majors for good.

Three years later, Encarnacion, playing for a professional team in China, failed a steroids test and was suspended for two weeks. Late that same season, when he failed to show up for a team practice, club officials found Encarnacion dead in his hotel room. Encarnacion's death was never directly tied to the drug use (at least, not that I could find).

#6. Harry Wilke, 3B; 0/9 for the '27 Cubs

Wilke deserves a special place in the Hitless Cubs Club since he is the only player on this list whose entire hitless career was as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Congrats, Harry!

#5. Al Glossop, 2B-SS; 0/10 for the '46 Cubs

#4. Ike Van Zandt, Outfielder; 0/11 for the 1904 Cubs

Another happy tale: Van Zandt played in four games for the Cubs in '04, finishing his unremarkable Major League career the next season with the St. Louis Browns. Three years later, while he was playing for a town team in North Adams, New Hampshire, Van Zandt helped fix a game. When news of the fix got out, Van Zandt shot himself in the heart. (No more tragic deaths on this list--I promise.)

#3. Ed Mickelson, 1B; 0/12 for the '57 Cubs

Mickelson had several things to be proud of in his baseball career. He got his first Major League hit as a St. Louis Cardinal while subbing for the great Stan Musial; the hit came off Braves Hall of Famer Warren Spahn; and in 1953, Mickelson recorded the last RBI in the history of the St. Louis Browns. As a Cub, however, he was just hitless.

#2. Clem "Count" Clemens, Catcher: 0/15 for the '16 Cubs

A basketball player at Notre Dame before turning pro in baseball, Clemens eventually landed with the Chicago Whales of the Federal League--the original tenants in Weeghman Park, now Wrigley Field--before joining the Cubs in 1916. Following his baseball career, Clemens became an attorney and was active in Chicago political and legal circles, even running (unsuccessfully) for alderman.

As far as I know, he never crossed paths with Tony Rezko.

#1. George Moriarty, 3B; 0/18 for the 1903-'04 Cubs

Moriarty's brief, hit-free time as a Chicago Cub was just a blip in his colorful, 37-year career as a Major League player, manager, and umpire.

Born in Chicago and raised near the Union Stock Yards, Moriarty had an undistinguished playing career with the Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and White Sox, which ended in 1916. He then worked as an American League umpire until 1940, with a brief interruption in 1927 and '28 to manage the Tigers.

As an ump, it sounds like Moriarty was a first-class bastard. He reportedly challenged members of the Cleveland Indians to a fistfight beneath the stands in the middle of a game in 1932. He is also the butt of a probably apocryphal story involving Babe Ruth, who, between pitches of an at-bat, allegedly stepped away from the plate and asked home-plate ump Moriarty how he spelled his last name. Moriarty spelled it, after which Ruth is said to have replied, "Just like I thought. Only one I."

Moriarty's final claim to fame has nothing to do with baseball, but very much to do with one of television's greatest shows. He was the grandfather of actor Michael Moriarty, who, among his many roles, played Ben Stone, the original Assistant District Attorney on "Law & Order."

 

Comments

Anyone planning on going to see the Cubs play Seattle in Las Vegas? I need to take a trip to see them this spring, and I can either go this coming weekend in AZ or the end of the month in Vegas. Wondering if we might have some TCR critical mass...

CHICAGO (AP) — The chairman of Chicago-based Wrigley says the gum maker hasn’t decided whether to make a bid for the naming rights of Wrigley Field if they become available. The historic ballpark got its name while owned by the Wrigley family, which sold the Cubs decades ago. Bill Wrigley Junior is chairman of the confectioner. During a morning shareholder meeting, he said his family has “great passion” for the Cubs and baseball. But Wrigley says the company promotes its individual brands, not the Wrigley name. And he says Wrigley would “evaluate it like we would any other opportunity” if naming rights become available. Tribune Company is selling the team, and chairman Sam Zell says he’d consider selling the stadium’s naming rights.

A little gem to y'all from Kenny Williams: "Our fans don't care about injuries and other things that happened last season. It's all about what you do on the field. There's only one sports team in Chicago that will get a pass. I won't name them. But it ain't us."

On a completely unrelated note, the guy just can't seem to catch a break healthwise: 
Rocco Baldelli will be sidelined indefinitely due to metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities that leave him feeling extremely fatigued after even brief workouts. 
Baldelli was on the verge of tears several times while discussing the details of what he called a life-threatening condition. "As far as my baseball career I'm not here to stand in front of you telling you I'm retiring,'' Baldelli said. "We're still going pursue any avenue that we can to try to figure out what is going on and have a better understanding of what is going on. But at this time throughout all of the extensive testing that we've done, we don't have a concrete answer." He'll be placed on the disabled list to start the season, and his career seems in jeopardy if Doctors can't diagnose the problem.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Me? I was saying that we could trade Marquis for Baldelli. There were lots of people who were saying that we should trade for Baldelli to play center last off season because he had a pretty good half year in 2006. I believe I was one of the people who pointed out that his 2006 seemed a bit fluky and he's a good bet to get injured a lot. Regardless, gloating over someone being in a life threatening condition sure doesn't make you a class act.

This is one of the dumber trade rumors I've heard, but Tim over at mlb trade rumors reports that WFAN out of NY claims the Red Sox and Mets either have made a deal involving Coco Crisp for Angel Pagan, or are working on it. I didn't hear the report myself.

It was ever thus: KFFL, CA - Mar 10, 2008 MLB.com's Corey Brock reports San Diego Padres SP Mark Prior (illness) was allowed to go home after he felt ill Sunday, March 9, after working out earlier in the morning. illness?!!

[ ]

In reply to by Chad

the point is they dont "all" complain about it and a lot that i know sure dont use it as an excuse (unless we're going swimming). like most superiority claims that are not based solely on direct comparison of individuals this one doesnt hold water. i sure as hell dont surround myself with these kind of women. sorry you have to. and yeah, that's weird to me that you do have so many of these women in your life. sounds like a lifestyle choice to me.

how about calling him a pussy? Main Entry: pus·sy Pronunciation: ps- Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): pus·si·er; -est : full of or resembling pus Big Pussy--I think that describes Mark Prior to a tee. : )

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • 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.