Cubs MLB Roster

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

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

"A" Team Throws "Live" BP at Fitch

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Twelve Cubs pitchers (essentially the "B" team -- Mitch Atkins, Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Jeff Kennard, Marcos Mateo, J. R. Mathes, Mike Parisi, Blake Parker, David Patton, Vince Perkins, James Russell, and Jeff Stevens) threw their first "live" BP session (25 pitches) at Fitch Park yesterday (six on Field #2 and six on Field #3), and 14 more pitchers (essentially the "A" team) threw their first "live" BP today.

FIELD #2: Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Silva threw to Darwin Barney, Sam Fuld, Blake Lalli, Bobby Scales, and Brad Snyder, Carlos Marmol and Tom Gorzelanny threw to Marlon Byrd, Brett Jackson, Derrek Lee, and Xavier Nady, and Esmailin Caridad and John Gaub threw to Andres Blanco, Micah Hoffpauir, Kevin Millar, and Chad Tracy.

FIELD #3: Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells threw to James Adduci, Steve Clevenger, Tyler Colvin, and Bryan Lahair, John Grabow and Sean Marshall threw to Starlin Castro, Kosuke Fukudome, and Alfonso Soriano (this is Aramis Ramirez's group, but he did not hit today), and Justin Berg and Rafael Dolis threw to Koyie Hill, Jeff Baker, Ryan Theriot, and Josh Vitters. Chris Robinson was the catcher on Field #2 and Welington Castillo was the catcher on Field #3, while Geovany Soto and Robinson Chirinos warmed-up pitchers in the bullpen.

Andrew Cashner and Jeff Samardzija threw "live" BP in an early morning session prior to the full-squad workout.

All of the pitchers who threw today looked good, except Rafael Dolis. The 22-year old fireballer was obviously over-throwing and was especially wild, most notably his final pitch, a high/tight fastball that came up under Theriot's chin, causing The Riot to take a nasty spill that resulted in an injured hand that required treatment by the training staff.

Jeff Gray (groin strain), Angel Guzman (knee surgery rehab), and Ted Lilly (shoulder and knee surgery rehab) are not yet able to throw BP, although Gray has been cleared to start throwing off a mound and Guzman is particpating in PFP and pick-off drills while throwing off flat ground only.

Prior to the "live" BP sessions, the pitchers broke-up into two groups for PFP and pick-off drills on Field #1 and Field #4, while infielders took fielding practice on Field #2 ("B" squad" with Lahair at 1B, Barney and Scales at 2B, Castro and Camp at SS, and Vitters at 3B) and Field #3 ("A" squad with Lee and Hoffpauir at 1B, Baker and Blanco at 2B, Theriot and Fontenot at SS, and Ramirez and Tracy at 3B) and the outfielders (Adduci, Byrd, Colvin, Fukudome, Fuld, Jackson, Millar, Nady, and Soriano) practiced running down fly balls and playing balls off the "Green Monster" (batter's eye) in dead CF.

After the "live" BP sessions, most of the squad reported to Field #3 for agility drills, while the catchers who did not have the opportunity to take "live" BP earlier took their usual end-of-workout BP (with coaches throwing) on Field #2.

Tags
Cubs Spring Training

Comments

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:47 pm

The article is in response to a deadspin article, he's making fun of bloggers, hence the title. As others have said, he's pretty good. Better than anyone Chicago has going for it at the moment.

Submitted by toonsterwu on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:16 pm

Hey, great to have AzPhil posts again. I'm wondering if you could answer a question that's been bugging me forever. I noticed that you had Jordan Latham listed on the Cubs depth chart again. BA also had the Cubs reactivating him, and Bruce Miles indicated that he was at XST all last year (which I assumed, as I figured that's how you knew to put him on the charts). What exactly happened to him, though? I remember there was some spec on personal issues, but I don't recall a definitive answer ever given. Been bugging me for awhile. Thanks.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:52 pm

Submitted by toonsterwu on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 3:16pm. Hey, great to have AzPhil posts again. I'm wondering if you could answer a question that's been bugging me forever. I noticed that you had Jordan Latham listed on the Cubs depth chart again. BA also had the Cubs reactivating him, and Bruce Miles indicated that he was at XST all last year (which I assumed, as I figured that's how you knew to put him on the charts). What exactly happened to him, though? I remember there was some spec on personal issues, but I don't recall a definitive answer ever given. Been bugging me for awhile. Thanks. ===================================== TOONSTER: RHP Jordan Latham is a power-reliever (94 MPH fastball & a hard slider) who was the Cubs 29th round draft pick out of the College of Southern Idaho in 2006. He received a substantial bonus when he was signed as a JC "draft & follow" in May 2007 (he otherwise would have transferred to Arizona State). Without getting into really specific detail, Latham was involved in an off-season DUI/Hit & Run in his hometown (Boise) a while back where he crashed his SUV into a house and then ran away. I don't know what the outcome of that matter was, but he was on the Restricted List in 2009. He is now active again, however, and I would think he has a reasonable chance to make the Daytona or Tennessee Opening Day roster with a good Minor League Camp and no further personal issues. Arms like his don't grow on trees. Likewise, RHP Julio "Animal" Castillo (who was convicted for assaulting a fan with a baseball during a brawl in 2008) spent the entire 2009 season on the Inactive List at Fitch Park while dealing with his legal troubles (he threw "sim games" about once a week throughout the season), and if he can get an H-2B visa, he should have a shot at making the 2010 Daytona Cubs Opening Day roster or possibly even the Tennessee Smokies staff. (Castillo throws 95 MPH). Like Latham, Castillo will certainly be on a "short leash" no matter where he is in 2010. If Animal can't get a work visa to get into the U. S. because of his standing felony conviction, he could possibly remain a member of the Cubs organization and spend the 2010 season pitching in the Mexican League for Los Broncos de Reynosa (he's too old and has too much minor league experience to pitch in the DSL). The Cubs have had an informal working agreement with Reynosa (the former Los Potros de Tijuana franchise) for several seasons and usually loan one player to the Broncos (previously Potros) each season. (RHP Oswaldo Martinez was there last year). BTW, while MLB recognizes the Mexican League as an "unaffiliated" AAA league, scouts have told me that it really is more equivalent to A+ (like Daytona, but with older players).

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:32 pm

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/356/guzman-dealt-another… Angel Guzman doin' the Ted Lilly thang...got his knee scoped so he could rest his shoulder. per Bruce Levine...
"He had some discomfort in his shouldfer," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "We just felt coming off of the [arthroscopic meniscus surgery] he's had on and off difficulties in the past, so we thought that we were just going to take the precautionary route." Guzman said he expected to be ready to go on the field in a week to 10 days. "I still think I will be back in a week or week and a half," Guzman said. "My knee is the main thing. I don't think the shoulder is anything I have to worry about."

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Submitted by John Beasley on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:21 pm

Gregerson's a no-brainer. Frasor would cause me a bit more trepidation due to his only one year of club control, but this team obivously has to play to "win now." I guess I think it's possible Colvin still develops. He did put up a 858 OPS in 320+ PAs as a 23-y-o in AA. There's enough potential there that you don't just give him away for a one-year bullpen rental who may not even work out.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:21 pm

I'd like to hold on to Colvin for one more year. I realize that there's risk there, in that he may totally wash out any value, but I think there's still a chance for a .775 OPS hitter who can play CF and not embarrass himself.

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Submitted by thedirtbag on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:51 pm

I would not be opposed to moving Colvin. He is roadblocked for the time being.

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Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:37 pm

Colvin doesn't have the plate discipline to be an MLBer. If he was a SS with a gold glove it would be one thing. As a corner OFer it will be too much of a liability. Best case for Tyler is an MLB 4th outfielder IMHO. Frasor or Gregerson should be able to net us that at the deadline/August waiver deadline if we aren't in the race. Worth the gamble if Colvin is all we part with.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:17 pm

the +3 K/BB ratio is probably more of a concern with Colvin, Byrd was in the 2:1 range mostly. and Byrd was generally considered one of the better prospects in the game coming up. But maybe Jamarillo can fix Colvin too :) fwiw, Colvin in AA: 17.2% K/PA, 3.56 K/BB ratio career: 18.25% K/PA, 3.24 K/BB ratio he actually had better ratios in 2008 at AA but worse overall numbers Byrd in AA at 23: 15.97% K/PA, 1.79 K/BB ratio career minors: 17.18% K/PA, 2.07 K/BB ratio better slugging by Byrd too, although did get a little boost from some rehab games or whatever the last few years.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Sat, 02/27/2010 - 02:45 pm

Let's see, you asked for a handful of studies and I asked for one link, and you got your panties in a wad? Interesting. To explain it to you in maybe a manner that you can understand, walking is an offensive skill like power hitting and base stealing. If someone has a 1:1 BB/K ratio that doesn't make him any more likely to be a successful major league hitter than someone with a 1:3 BB/K ratio. If the first guy hits two doubles on the year and the second guy hits 40 HR's, guess which one is more likely to become a major league hitter? Picking out BB's to compare to K's makes approximately the same sense as SB/K's. If a guy doesn't strike out an inordinately high number of times, he's likely to be able to hit in the majors. Now, whether that hitting will be valuable enough to make him an effective player depends on other skills, his walk rate and his HR rate being the most important of them. To give some divergent examples. Player 1: 5.26 BB/K ratio when he made the majors Player 2: .50 BB/K ratio when he made the majors Both of them had long major league careers (including playing for the Cubs). But player A played a premium defensive position, hit for more power and was able to steal bases and wound up in a couple of All-Star Games. Player B mostly walked and put the ball in play.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Sat, 02/27/2010 - 02:32 pm

think you're confused on who has their panties in a wad and I asked for a link to just one study, not a handful. No reason to make up stuff or distort what I wrote. As for the rest, I already wrote I agree that it's not as important as K rate, but anything over 3:1 is going to have me worried. Not saying they can't overcome it with other skills, but it's a big warning sign. Picking out BB's to compare to K's makes approximately the same sense as SB/K's. so you say, both(BB and K's) are indicators of a players' ability to control the strike zone imo you don't use it, great, I'm sure your batting 1.000 on how prospects will fare in the majors, just as I am.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 02/28/2010 - 02:33 am

Let me quote you "a handful of links". You were the one too lazy to search for it. Quit being a child. "so you say, both(BB and K's) are indicators of a players' ability to control the strike zone imo". No, I never said that. In fact, I've been explaining to you for two years that K rate and BB rate are relatively independent. You're either willfully ignorant or too stupid to understand it, but I'll wash my hands of it. Have an "expert" explain it to you.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 02/28/2010 - 02:42 am

I'm not being too lazy, you brought it up, I'm not buying your word. You prove it. And I said one study or a handful of links to people who say it's irrelevant, you tried to put those phrases together. the "so you say" was in response to Picking out BB's to compare to K's makes approximately the same sense as SB/K's. the rest of the sentence was my own opinion on the relation of BB/K's. I realize you don't believe they have anything to do with each other. You're either willfully ignorant or too stupid to understand it speaking of being a child...

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sun, 02/28/2010 - 02:00 pm

This exchange pretty much sums up why I stopped arguing with Neal a long time ago. He first tells you that you are completely wrong. Not that there is something else you could incorporate, or that you could look at things differently, or that he has a different opinion - you are utterly, and completely wrong. In addition, how could you have even thought you were right when EVERYONE knows this stance is wrong? It is a widely established fact. When you ask for proof of this, even one link or a cite to one study, he says that it is soooo widely accepted that he doesn't need to give you anything. In fact, the burden of proof is on YOU to show support for your original point. When you question this as being a bit odd - which of course it is! - he resorts to name calling and tries to make it appear to everyone else that you are either too stupid to understand the point, too lazy to prove it, or are being purposefully combative with him when you know you are wrong. This takes a few days and a half-dozen or more posts, when it all could have been avoided had he simply said in the very first post: "here's a link to an interesting article that shows that stat X may not be as good of a measure as Y." Ah, but that would be way too easy, wouldn't it?

Submitted by rokfish on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:21 pm

If Mike Fontenot shows he still sucks at shortstop,what are the odds that he is left off roster,obviously being left handed will help him but there is not many bench players that can only play one position besides catchers.

Submitted by DavidP on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 02:55 pm

ArizonaPhil - Can you tell us what a typical minor leaguer makes over the course of a season? Assuming no special contractual arrangements, Does everyone in all levels of the minors make the same amount, or does it vary as they rise through the system? Also, if they play in the fall instructional league, do they get extra? How about the Arizona Fall league. Finally, do you have any idea how much they may make in the various winter leagues?

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Submitted by thedirtbag on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:07 pm

How can you blame him? He is not the best SS in the league, but he is certainly not the worst. Right now he is feeling like he has to win his job again. He is probably fielding questions from idiots like Phil Rogers on a daily basis.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:22 pm

Right now he is feeling like he has to win his job again.
Good. He should feel like that every day for the rest of his baseball career.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:57 am

feels like Tracy and Millar are probably fighting for the same job as Millar's working out at third base as well as first and he said earlier he'd try the outfield. That being said, they could easily have 6 bench spots to start the season as they don't need a 5th starter for a few weeks.

Submitted by navigator on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:06 pm

Whoa. The Rangers just voided Khalil Greene's contract. He hasn't reported to ST. Wish we could do that with Silva.... Too much of him reported for ST.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:29 pm

The higher the dose, the more pronounced these side effects typically are. But some people feel sleepy, foggy, and uncoordinated even on low doses of benzodiazepines, which can cause problems with work, school, or everyday activities such as driving. Some even feel a medication hangover the next day. Because benzodiazepines are metabolized slowly, the medication can build up in the body when used over longer periods of time. The result is oversedation. People who are oversedated may look like they’re drunk.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_medication_drugs_treatment.htm Not really good for a professional athlete. I don't think Grienke is on medication. There's obviously varying degrees of problem.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:38 pm

not the most reliable source http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/celebritieswithsad/p/zackgrei… does say he went on anti-depressant medication, no idea if he's still on it. You can still function quite well on them from what I've witnessed, although it takes some getting use to and definitely getting can put you in a fog. but as you said, probably not best to be on them when staring at 90mph+ heaters and anti-depressants and anxiety are different things...although some people use them interchangably, so not sure if Greinke and Greene are dealing with the same issues.

Submitted by MikeC on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 02:16 pm

Dealing with an anxiety dis-order or whatever. He isn't even remotely ready to play baseball and the Rangers can't/don't want to wait a year to find out if he can ride their bench.

Recent comments

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

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