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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Dempster wins, Lee hits, and Cubs blank the Dodgers

The Cubs beat the Dodgers, 3-0, on Tuesday night as Ryan Dempster outdueled Clayton Kershaw. Derrek Lee had a single, double, and two-run homer, and drove in all three Cub runs.

It was Dempster's first victory since April 23rd, Lee's first three-RBI game since April 16th, and his first three-hit game since the fourth game of the season way, way, way back on April 9th. 

Dempster held the Dodgers to three singles and fanned seven over eight innings. He looked capable of going the route, but Lou Piniella gave the ball to Carlos Marmol in the ninth, and the Cub closer made quick work of Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and Manny Ramirez to secure the win. 

Kershaw was pretty impressive as well. He held the Cubs to four hits and just one, unearned run in his six innings. He threw 104 pitches, however, and as Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts tweeted during the game, Kershaw is on a pace that would have him throwing more pitches in a season than any pitcher age 23 or younger since 2000.

Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Brian Campbell, and Adam Burish were in attendance Tuesday night. In their honor, here the 3 stars of the game:

Third Star...Clayton Kershaw. (Over his last four starts, spanning 28 1/3 IP, his ERA is 0.64.)
Second Star...Derrek Lee (Could he finally be regaining his stroke?)
And the #1 Star of the Game...Ryan Dempster (Now has a 15-inning shutout string vs. L.A.)

Game two in the series will be tomorrow night, when Tom Gorzelanny goes up against Chad Billingsley.

Comments

During the bottom of the ninth CSN showed a pretty young lady in the stands almost in prayer after Marmol threw his first pitch. THAT is a smart young lady, and it tells a lot more than announcer Len Kasper picked up. Everyone wanted a Dempster win and should have been allowed a chance at the complete game. Marmol was lights out tonight but hasn't been lately, allowing more than his share of base runners in his last 10 or so appearances. It worked out Okay and the complete game does not hold the importance it once did. CSN did not cut to the bullpen to show if Marshall sat down when the 9th inning began. However Dempster mentioned post game how important it was to win this game in front of the Blackhawks in the first row. With a 3-zip lead, how important to the rest of the season, and tomorrow night, would it have been to shut the Dodgers down with a complete game? Dempster is old school. But Lou has withered on the vine. With just 6 hits, 3 of them coming from D. Lee, any boost builds momentum. Seize the day, Lou. Stop saying "F**** ME," get some guts and go for the jugular when you are up against Torre. Save Marmol for when you are up by one. Take every edge you can until you win the Series. There, I said it and I meant it. Go Cubs.

Sullivan speculates on Cashner as being added as a power arm for the pen and uses this Hendry quote on Cashner...
"He has had three outstanding starts in a row at the Triple-A level," general manager Jim Hendry said. "He has been 95-97 (mph) every night, commanding his fastball really well. … He's certainly not far away."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0526-cubs-dod… also in same article, Sullivan says ARam's thumb is still swollen...
The Cubs may have to consider putting Ramirez on the disabled list if he's not ready to go in a few days.

the drums are beating for cashner...he throws a matinee tomorrow while I'm @ work, but I will be on the road to Chicago early Friday morning if he needs a ride...can't wait to see the premiere of 'Ballhawks' Friday night...thought Wittenmeyer's piece about Zorro was right on, btw...

nobody ever tossed me a ball @ a game when i was a kid...what needs to happen @ ballgames is drunks stop slopping beer & cussing like longshoremen in front of kids...the ballhawk phenomenon intrigues me because wrigley is unique as a place where you can be @ the game without being inside the ballpark; i do not aspire to friendship w/ their leaders, i just like the fact that it's possible for balls to be hit clear OUT of the joint & i bet the film will be interesting...as for the omission of deep threat, that's on sully & gordie...[jk too]

Saw Diamond for six innings and Jackson for 3 and I don't recall seeing either hit 91 on the speed gun---although the gun in Des Moines is reputed to be a couple mph slow. Not knocking them -- just reporting.

rf fuke, 2b riot, 1b lee, lf sori, cf colvin, 3b font, ss castro, c hill, p gorzelanny vs. Furcal 6 Martin 2 Kemp 8 Ramirez 7 Loney 3 Blake 5 Johnson 9 DeWitt 4 Billingsley 1

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-latest-news-from-May-042710
At this point, it doesn’t appear that any serious talks are ongoing. And let's be honest: It doesn't make much sense to trade a 27-year-old left-handed starter … who is earning $800,000 this year, won't be eligible to file for free agency until 2013 and has very good numbers (2-4, 3.09 ERA, eight starts).
then it lists all the teams that could be interested and the Cubs wanting bullpen help... then I ask, what about a 3bmen?

Aramis Ramirez is under contract with a player option for 2011 (THANK YOU Hendry). Seeing that unless the Cubs pick up a nice chunk of that in a trade to another team, and noting his annual injuries as well as his declining skills, I would say odds-on that he will be exercising that option and we will be seeing him for one more year.

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.