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

Site for Some Sore Winter Eyes

From "Boys of Spring"...

Naturally, Z is working on his hitting.

There's some more pics of John Grabow, Randy Wells and Sean Marshall as well if you follow the above link.

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

there's a ton of award bonuses in there as well and let's not forget he's a Super Two... him and the Giants still get 2 more chances at this arbitration game if another deal isn't worked out... not sure where Neal came up with $10M, unless he's absolutely positive Lincecum would have won his case this year. in the end Lincecum gets paid for next year no matter what and he's logged 225+ the last 2 years and is 25. Some people crave a little security...

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

a little bit, but that depends on convincing that a pitcher is the equal of a position player. Lincecum also asked for $3M more than Howard and I don't believe salaries have gone up much the last 2 years. Lincecum was 23rd and 18th in MVP voting to Howard's 1st and 5th and ROY awards. and I'm not even sure they could have compared Lincecum to Howard since they play different positions. I think the Giants low-balled myself at $8M, but Lincecum overshot at $13M as well. The $10-$11M range was probably more appropriate and that's what he's getting.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

No, it's not 100% certain, but I am sure if you survey around (and I bet one of the writers does) the consensus is going to be that Lincecum was going to win. Was places in voting mentioned as a criteria? The guy could simply say "here is the list of guys who won the Cy Young award in their first two full seasons: Lincecum Here's a list of the guys who didn't: (every othe pitcher in the history of the game). Howard had won two of the major awards, he got $10 million three years ago. There are no pitching comps - I am incomprable."

MLB Network advertising they're covering 70+ live spring training games starting March 2nd. MLB Network...where you been all my life?

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Could be out until June? Sure and Sandberg could be the Cub Manager in June. Pujols could be out with hemorrhoid surgery until June. Is Phil Rogers really a reporter? Lazy, dumb-ass reporter might be a better description. I can only hope that Phil Rogers could be out with writer's block until June. ...at least Bruce Levine uses a Hendry quote (who relates his conversation with Cubs trainer Mark O'Neill regarding Lilly): "I talked to Mark O'Neil [trainer] last week, and he said he is coming along fine," Hendry said. "If he starts April 15 that will be fine. I don't see it being anything unless there is some kind of setback that happens in camp. It was a real minor procedure. In fairness to Ted, we're not going to rush him either. If he's 95 percent on Opening Day then we will wait until he is 100 percent." http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4900494

j.moyer, from the philly inquiererererer via ye olde world o roto: "The way I look at it, why limit myself?," the 47-year-old right-hander said Saturday. "If I would have limited myself at 29, when I was released for the second or third time, I wouldn't be playing. That was what, 18 years ago?" ha. g'luck.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I love the one where the guy goes on for two paragraphs talking about how superior defenders know how to position themselves. Sammy Sosa is the only MLB player I know who got to position himself in the field, everyone else stands where the bench coach tells him to.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

SIERA does look interesting, but I only read the first article. At least BP is actually putting their methods out there for once. For those curious about it, it's essentially FIP or xFIP with these supposed corrections.
As a result, SIERA accomplishes the following: 1. Allows for the fact that a high ground-ball rate is more useful to pitchers who walk more batters, due to the potential that double plays wipe away runners. 2. Allows for the fact that a low fly-ball rate (and therefore, a low HR rate) is less useful to pitchers who strike out a lot of batters (e.g. Johan Santana's FIP tends to be higher than his ERA because the former treats all HR the same, even though Santana’s skill set portends this bombs allowed will usually be solo shots). 3. Allows for the fact that adding strikeouts is more useful when you don't strike out many guys to begin with, since more runners get stranded. 4. Allows for the fact that adding ground balls is more useful when you already allow a lot of ground balls because there are frequently runners on first. 5. Corrects for the fact that QERA used GB/BIP instead of GB/PA (e.g. Joel Pineiro is all contact, so increasing his ground-ball rate means more ground balls than if Oliver Perez had done it, given he's not a high contact guy). 6. Corrects for the fact that FIP and xFIP use IP as a denominator which means that luck on balls in play changes one's FIP.
speaking of Sickels rant :) I don't get #3 or #4 to be honest

[ ]

In reply to by tem99

I think what #4 means is that under the theory that groundballs are more likely to be hits than flyballs, groundball pitchers are more likely to have runners on base when pitching, so subsequent groundballs are more useful since they are more likely to be able to induce double plays. The logic seems to be a bit circular, but that's possibly because I'm either not getting it or not explaining it correctly :)

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

3. I think is just saying that the difference between say 4 and 5 strikeouts per 9 will give more benefit than say 9 to 10. Say your HR adjusted WHIP is 1.5. So in an average inning you have one and a half baserunners. If you record all your outs via groundball and flyball, you're going to give up more 'productive outs'. If you get all your outs via strikeout, you don't care how many guys are on base, because they're not going anywhere without a hit (or a forced in walk). I think that's what it's illustrating. 4. Groundballs tend to be singles and maybe doubles. Flyballs which go for hits are rarely singles.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

...Randy Wells, Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, Jeff Stevens, Tom Gorzelanny, Michael Parisi, David Patton, Jeff Gray, John Gaub and Vince Perkins. Gorzelanny is one of many who said he decided to report early just to get out of the snow up north...
Snow, my Aunt Fannie. Looks to me like Gorzellany, and the rest of those cats, know how much room there is in the rotation. Good for them for getting in early.

I just read that the A's are talking a one year deal with Gabe Gross. If so, it looks like ex Cubs Eric Patterson, Jake Fox and Aaron Miles could be fighting it out for the last seat on the Oakland bench.

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

Off topic: I was at a friend's house today while he was cleaning out a storage cabinet with old baseball memorabilia in it. He found a box of Slammin' Sammy Flakes, commemorating his 66 home run season. I had to read the fine print, and it said "Free Toy Syringe in Every Box!" I didn't remember that on there before:)

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I agree, and he's got more upside. But I wonder whose job the Cubs would have to give him in order to keep him on the active MLB roster. Probably Fontenot's, right? And then Fontenot would be released or traded? Which leaves the Cubs with Jeff Baker or EPatt (whose defense I at 2nd is still suspect, right?). It's a risk I'd be willing to take. I suppose giving Hoffpauir the shaft would be an option as well.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 12:32pm. Fontentot is shitty defensively just like Epatt is. Both are lefthanded. Difference is that Epatt is 55% cheaper. 4 years younger. Has a much higher ceiling. Can play the Outfield as well. Really no downside that I can see? ======================================= DR AARON B: Thanks to the Cubs optioning him to the minors for disciplinary reasons on 9-3-2007, Eric Patterson is out of options a year earlier than he should have been. E-Pat had a nice little run with the A's in 31 games in 2009 (287/373/394, playing 2B-LF-CF-RF) after hitting 307/376/494 with 29 doubles, 11 triples, 12 HR, and 43 SB (6 CS) in 110 games at AAA Sacramento while playing all over the place (2B-3B-1B-LF-CF), and is projected as the A's IF-OF super-sub in 2010. And being out of options certainly should help solidify his chances of making the A's Opening Day 25-man roster. While he is definitely an "offense-first" type of utility guy, I suspect the Cubs would seriously consider taking Patterson back if given the chance. He would be a good "25th man" on an N. L. club, with the ability to PH and PR in addition to having the versatility needed to play a number of different positions (albeit none of them well). BTW, despite what was reported at mlbtraderumors, both Eric Patterson AND Jake Fox are out of minor league options.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 2:36pm. I'd like to get Dr. AZ Phil's opine on this matter. He has seen Epatt's work at 2nd more than anyone else has. His rate and fielding %'s don't look terrible. ================================== DR AARON B: Eric Patterson has plus-range and an above-average arm for a second-baseman, is capable of making spectacular plays, and he's a good flyhawk. He has a lot of the physical attributes you usually see in a young shortstop. On the negative side, he has difficulty turning double plays (rhythm & footwork problems) and he has Steve Sax Disease (the closer he gets to 1st base, the more-erratic the throw). He plays 2nd base like a bull in a china shop. No finesse. He's like a guy who keeps stepping on his girlfriend's feet when they're dancing. He's a two-guard playing the point. I saw Eric Patterson as a prototypical CF or LF when he was coming up through the Cubs system, but the Cubs didn't try him in the outfield until mid-way through his third season in the organization. I know E-Pat prefers to play 2nd base, and sometimes a player's "comfort zone" in the field matters more than aptitude because it helps the player perform at his best at the plate. The more he hits, the better chance he has to play 2B. But he is a liability in the field.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Wed, 02/17/2010 - 9:29am. What is your opinion of Fontenot's defense ============================= DR AARON B: When Mike Fontenot was acquired by the Cubs, he was very stiff and had a lot trouble turning the DP (very much like E-Pat), and he had (and still has) minimal range going to his right. While he doesn't bring a "Gold Glove" to the field, over time Fontenot has made himself into an average defensive second-baseman, capable of making most all the routine plays. He's not versatile enough to be a true utility player, though, so either he plays 2B (in a platoon if not every day) or he goes back to AAA. And he has to hit, too. His just average defense & speed won't carry him if he doesn't hit. On the other hand, Eric Patterson does have the athleticism to be a utility player. He is below-average defensively no matter where he plays, but his combination of bat/speed/occasional power can help a manager overlook some of his defensive shortcomings, as long as he keeps hitting and continues to show patience at the plate. I believe Patterson has a much brighter future than does Fontenot. I wouldn't be surprised if by 2011 Fontenot is playing 2B somewhere in AAA while E-Pat is on an MLB roster.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

I thought his defense at 3rd was pretty solid last year, and think he could get by as a emergency replacement at SS or a corner outfield spot. He certainly needs to hit better than he did last year, though. I think he's the guy who suffered the most from Aram's injury ... well other than Aram. He had to play a newish position, and then he tried to pick up the offensive slack and didn't handle it well.

Recent comments

  • 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. 

  • 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...