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 

 



 

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Rule 5 Draft 
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Soriano Blast Is All Cubs Need

Alfonso Soriano had three hits including a two-run HR and Carlos Silva threw five innings of shutout ball, as the Cubs blanked the Colorado Rockies 2-0 before 10,005 fans in Cactus League action at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in breezy & (mostly) sunny Mesa, Arizona, this afternoon.

 

box score

This was the last Cactus League game for the Cubs, although they will be staying in town for a couple of more days while playing pre-season exhibition games with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

2010 Opening Day for the Cubs will be Monday in Atlanta.

Carlos Silva got the start for the Cubs today, and Jeff Francis was the starter for the Rockies. Both threw five innings of shutout ball.

Although Silva did not allow a run, he did give up six hits in his 5.0 IP (plus one batter faced in the 6th). He benefitted from some big defensive stops (one of which was Silva himself catching a hot-shot liner on the mound), but he also absolutely shattered a bat into slivers with one of his heavy sinkers. He also retired seven men in a row at one point between the 2nd and the 4th (6-3, P-6, 1-3, Ks, 1-3, F-9, L-7), his best stretch today.

Silva was relieved by Carlos Marmol in the top of the 6th, after allowing a lead-off single to Ryan Spilborghs on his 75th pitch of the game (48 strikes, 5/8 GO/FO). Koyie Hill then threw out Splilborghs trying to steal 2nd base, and Marmol struck out Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki (both swinging) to end the inning.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 6th, when Derrek Lee roped a lead-off double off Rockies RHRP Matt Daley that sailed over CF Dexter Fowler's head. Then after Aramis Ramirez and Marlon Byrd struck out swinging, Alfonso Soriano clubbed a two-run HR over the LF fence. And that's all the runs the Cubs needed.

Jeff Samardzija faced only two batters in the 7th (L-7 and a single) as Manager Lou Piniella apparently just wanted The Shark to throw two days in a row at least once during Spring Training (Samardzija was moved back to the bullpen last weekend). LHP John Grabow relieved Samardzija with one out and promptly walked lefty-hitting Ian Stewart to put runners on 1st & 2nd, before striking out Jonathan Herrera (looking) and getting PH Jason Giambi on a 3-1 inning-ending ground out.

RHP Jeff Gray was brought up from minor league camp and worked the 8th (21 pitches - 14 strikes), getting into immediate difficulty when he walked Dexter Fowler and allowed a single to Ryan Spilborghs to lead-off the inning. But then Gray retired the next three batters on an F-7, a 9-6 FC (a bloop that fell between Mike Fontenot and Kosuke Fukudome in short RF, but Fukudome was able to quickly pick-up the ball and force the runner at 2nd base), and an inning-ending 4-3 ground out.

Acquired from Oakland in the deal that sent Jake Fox and Aaron Miles to the A's, Gray was a contender for a Cubs bullpen slot coming into Spring Training, but he missed about a month after suffering a strained groin the first day he threw off the mound in February, and he just never got caught up. But he will likely be one the first Iowa relievers considered for recall in case of Cubs bullpen failure.

Esmailin Caridad pitched the 9th (12 pitches - 9 strikes), and induced PH Melvin Mora to bounce into a game-ending 5-4-3 DP after allowing consecutive one-out singles to Eric Young, Jr and Jonathan Herrera that put the potential tying run on base.

Comments

I haven't seen Silva pitch this year and I realize he's everyone's dude to hate but I remember another big sinker baller who had a few decent seasons. Wrigley is a good place for a guy with a really good sinker. Hope springs eternal. If Alf can golf a few out over the left field fence this year that would be nice, too, but I'm not convinced yet he can hit a curve ball to save his life. If Rudy can fix that he'll deserve some new award.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

He looked okay today. Just okay. I mean at least come to camp in shape, or people will get the impression you just don't give a shit. His stuff, it didn't have a lot of giddyup on it, but he was staying away from the center of the plate. He has a nice, long arms and a nice downward angle to his delivery. It's easy to see why they drive those into the ground. All in all, I'd say he is almost as good as Marquis. Sweet dreams, TCR.

Thanks Arizona Phil for a wonderful job of bringing spring training to life for all of us. Now that they've completed their Mesa season, who had the most impressive spring as far as you are concerned, who surprised you the most and who was the biggest disappointment of spring training?

With S.T. winding down, it will give Az. Phil more time to concentrate on finding the Cubs a couple of "blue chippers" at Extended S.T.

Arizona Phil or anyone else who'd like to chime in, I know that Tyler Colvin has zero walks this spring and has a history of low walk totals in his minor-league career. My question is, are there good examples of good/great hitters who have a similar approach at the plate and have been successful? Especially guys who are more of a spray hitter than HR hitter? Most of the guys I can think of like that are power hitters with an all-or-nothing approach (HR or K) at the plate, but this isn't of course Colvin's style as a hitter. I can almost smell Opening Day! Go Cubs Go...

[ ]

In reply to by Chicago Jamie

I'm not an expert, but Jacque Jones seems like an easy comp to Colvin. Low BB%, relatively high K%, hits with some pop to all fields, likes to swing early, above average speed, decent center fielder when healthy. That may not sound so great, but Jones would've been much more appreciated his time in Chicago if he'd been playing out his league minimum and arbitration years rather than coming in as a free agent.

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.