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

2010 Rule 4 Draft

The MLB Rule 4 Draft (AKA “First-Year Player Draft”) starts at 7 PM ET tomorrow (Monday June 7th) and will continue Tuesday and Wednesday. The first round (plus the 1st supplemental round) will be televised “live” on the MLB network Monday night, with the balance of the draft to be conducted via conference call (rounds 2-30 starting at noon ET on Tuesday, and rounds 31-50 starting at noon ET on Wednesday).

The Cubs will have the 16th pick in the 1st round, followed by the 65th overall pick (2nd round), pick #97 overall (3rd round), and #130 overall (4th round), and then every 30 picks (#160, #190, #220, #250, etc) after that until the 50 rounds are completed. More than 1,500 players will be selected by the 30 MLB clubs before the drafting is finished. Clubs have until August 15th to sign draft picks who have college eligibility remaining, but there is no deadline for signing college seniors who have exhausted their eligibility. Players who are not selected in the draft can sign with any club as a Non-Drafted Free-Agent (NDFA), with the same deadline as drafted players applying to NDFA.

If a club fails to sign a 1st (or 2nd) round pick in a given year, it gets a replacement pick one slot lower in the 1st (or 2nd) round of the following year's draft. (Not signing a 3rd round pick nets a club a compensation pick between the 3rd and 4th rounds in the following year's draft).

Projected 1st round picks “connected” to the Cubs in recent mock drafts include catcher Justin O’Conner (Cowan HS - Muncie, IN), RHP Asher Wojciechowski (The Citadel), RHP Alex Wimmers (Ohio State), and RHP Karsten Whitson (Chipley HS - Chipley, FL). O‘Connor has one of the best arms in the draft, and could be moved to RHP if he doesn’t hit enough to stay behind the plate. The fact that the Cubs think nothing of moving a catcher to pitcher makes O‘Conner the “logical“ Cubs choice if he is available when the Cubs pick at #16.

I strongly suspect the Cubs will take a catcher somewhere in the first two rounds (at #16 or at #65), with LH hitting Kellin Deglan (a teammate of Cubs 2009 5th round pick SS Wes Darvill on the 2009 Canadian Junior National Team) a likely target if he is available at #65 and if the Cubs don't draft O'Conner in the 1st round. Switch-hitting catcher Micah Gibbs (LSU) is another possibility for the Cubs at #65 if the Cubs don't get a shot at O'Conner or Deglan .

The Cubs did give an extended work-out to Big South Conference Player of the Year (and Illinois native) CF Nate Roberts (High Point U.) at Fitch Park on Friday (he even played in an EXST game, getting an RBI single and two stolen bases), but he probably wouldn‘t get selected until maybe the 3rd or 4th round (if he‘s still available).

The Cubs have a history of drafting players they like two years in a row, most-recently TCU RHP Andrew Cashner (30th round in 2007 and then 1st round in 2008), Clemson 3B Marquez Smith (35th round in 2006 and then 8th round in 2007). and Stanford OF Sam Fuld (24th round in 2003 and then 10th round in 2004), so don’t be surprised if the Cubs select a player they drafted (but did not sign) a year ago. 2009 31st round pick 1B Andrew Clark (U. of Louisville), 20th round pick LHP Eric Ericson (U. of Miami), 34th round pick RHP Rett Varner (UT-Arlington), and 16th round pick OF Keenyn Walker (Central Arizona JC) are four players who were drafted but not signed by the Cubs last year who might get the Cubs attention again this time around (Clark reportedly turned down a six-figure offer from the Cubs at the deadline last August).

Last year, the Cubs signed 31 of their 50 selections, including their first 12 picks, and 25 of their first 29. Of the 31 who signed, two had their contracts voided, four have subsequently been released, and one retired. 14 of the Cubs 50 selections in the 2009 Rule 4 Draft were high school players, and the Cubs signed four of them (3rd round pick LHP Austin Kirk, 5th round pick SS Wes Darvill, 7th round selection IF-OF Blair Springfield, and 19th round pick C Sergio Burruel). The Cubs selected only eight high school players in the 2007 draft and eight in the 2008 draft (16 combined) and signed only five of the 16 (3B Josh Vitters and RHP Ryan Acosta in 2007, and C-IF Matt Cerda, INF Logan Watkins, and RHP Tarlandus Mitchell in 2008). The Cubs have also given $6M+ in signing bonuses to amateur players from Korea, Australia, and Taiwan over the past three years, making the First-Year Player Draft somewhat less important than it would be if the Cubs were not actively pursuing players in Asia and Australia.

This will be Wilken’s fifth draft since joining the Cubs as Scouting Director in December 2005.

Here are last year's Cubs Rule 4 selections, and where they are now:

NOTE: Players who signed with Cubs are in bold

* bats or throws left
# bats both

2009 RULE 4 DRAFT
1. * Brett Jackson, OF (Cal) – SIGNED (CF at Daytona)
2. D. J. Lemahieu, SS (LSU) - SIGNED (INF at Daytona)
3. * Austin Kirk, P (Owasso HS - Owasso, OK) - SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
4. * Chris Rusin, P (U. of Kentucky) – SIGNED (at Daytona)
5. * Wes Darvill, SS (Brentwood SS - Langley, BC) - SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
6. * Brooks Raley, P/OF (Texas A&M) - SIGNED (LHP at Daytona)
7. Blair Springfield, SS (MacArthur HS - Decatur, IL) - SIGNED (IF-OF at Fitch Park EXST)
8. Robert Whitenack, P (SUNY - Old Westbury) - SIGNED (at Peoria)
9. * Richard Jones, C (The Citadel) – SIGNED (1B at Fitch Park EXST)
10. Charles Thomas, 3B (Edward Waters College) - SIGNED (at Peoria)
11. * John Mincone, P (Suffolk County CC) – SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
12. Runey Davis, OF (Howard JC) – SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
13. Chad Taylor, SS/P (Jefferson HS – Tampa, FL) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at U. of South Florida)
14. Danny Keefe, P (U. of Tampa) – SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
15. Cody Shields, OF (Auburn U. - Montgomery) – SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
16. # Keenyn Walker, OF (Judge Memorial Catholic HS – Salt Lake City, UT) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at Central Arizona JC)
17. B. J. Dail, P (Mt. Olive College) - SIGNED (contract voided - subsequently signed with Gateway Grizzlies - Frontier League)
18. Matt Williams, C (Duke) - SIGNED (retired post-2009)
19. * Sergio Burruel, C (Trevor Browne HS – Phoenix, AZ) - SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
20. * Eric Erickson, P (U. of Miami) - DID NOT SIGN
21. Greg Rohan, 1B (Kent State) – SIGNED (1B-3B-LF at Peoria)
22. D. J. Fitzgerald, SS (Dyersburg State CC) – SIGNED (LF at Peoria)
23. Jeffrey Pruitt, OF (Cal State – Northridge) - SIGNED (contract voided - subsequently signed with Florida Marlins)
24. Gerardo Esquivel, P (De La Salle Institute – Chicago, IL) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at Kansas Sate)
25. * Justin Bour, 1B (George Mason) – SIGNED (at Peoria)
26. Steve Grife, P (Mercyhurst College) – SIGNED (at Peoria)
27. Corey Martin, P (Western Carolina) - SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)
28. Jordan Petraitis, 3B (Miami U. - Ohio) – SIGNED (released March 2010)
29. Tim Clubb, P (Missouri State) – SIGNED (released April 2010 - subsequently signed with Gateway Grizzlies - Frontier League)
30. Daniel Sheppard, C (Downers Grove North HS – Downers Grove, IL) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at U. of Iowa)
31. * Andrew Clark, 1B (U. of Louisville) - DID NOT SIGN
32. Trey McNutt, P (Shelton State CC) - SIGNED (at Peoria)
33. * John Lambert, P (NC State) - DID NOT SIGN
34. Rett Varner, P/OF (UT – Arlington) - DID NOT SIGN
35. Kevin David, C (Oklahoma State) - DID NOT SIGN
36. Brandon May, 2B (U. of Alabama) – SIGNED (3B-1B at Fitch Park EXST)
37. * Peter Mooney, SS (Palm Beach CC) - DID NOT SIGN
38. * Bobby Wagner, 3B (Panola JC) - SIGNED (C-1B at Fitch Park EXST)
39. Nick Struck, P (Mt. Hood CC) - SIGNED (at Peoria)
40. Eric Whaley, P (Cardinal Gibbons HS – Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at LSU)
41. Jake Schmidt, P (Concordia U. – St. Paul) - SIGNED (released March 2010 - subsequently signed with St. Paul Saints - Northern League)
42. Trey Ford, SS (Chaparral HS – Scottsdale, AZ) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at South Mountain CC)
43. Colin Kaepernick, P (U. of Nevada) - DID NOT SIGN
44. Frank DeJiulio, P (Daytona State CC) - DID NOT SIGN
45. Addison Dunn, P (Warren Area HS – Warren, PA) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at Kent State)
46. * Glenn Cook, OF (U. of Miami) - SIGNED (released post-2009)
47. Joey Jocketty, 3B (Ladue Horton Watkins HS – St. Louis, MO) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at Miami U. - Ohio)
48. John Nasshan, P (Niles West HS – Skokie, IL) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at Bradley)
49. Christian Segar, CF (McQuaid Jesuit HS – Brighton, NY) - DID NOT SIGN (enrolled at Bradley)
50. Zach Cleveland, P (Central Arizona JC) - DID NOT SIGN (transferred to U. of New Mexico)

2008 NDFA:
* Daley Cox, P (Santa Fe CC) - SIGNED (released post-2009)
Jesse Ginley, P (St. Petersburg CC) - SIGNED (at Fitch Park EXST)

Comments

Az Phil who do you think is the next Cub youngster to make it to Chicago?

Where do I lodge my official "no" vote against taking a high school catcher? Joe Mauer's been good... and I am sure I'm forgetting a player or two, but historically high school catchers are pretty much the worst possible pick you can make. More impact bats is good though, if they think they can find one.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I'm just shooting from the hip here, but a lot of guys start out as catchers and end up playing other positions. Marmol comes to mind. Maybe the scouts saw something in his game they liked? Otherwise, yes, I agree... find a slugger or a starter.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

I should have been clearer, specifically talking about the first round of the draft. There's plenty of guys who get drafted or signed as catchers and move to pitcher - particuarly with the Cubs. And there's plenty of college catchers who do just fine - a lot lately it seems like. High School catchers drafted in the first round, however, have produced the worst value of any position/level at the bigs.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Soto, Yadier Molina, McCann, Kendall to name a few current ones... unless you're expecting Johnny Bench or a 'roided out Piazza as the measure of a good pick. I would think the emergence of Cashner and Colvin would give Wilken the benefit of the doubt for a bit.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 06/07/2010 - 8:50am. Where do I lodge my official "no" vote against taking a high school catcher? Joe Mauer's been good... and I am sure I'm forgetting a player or two, but historically high school catchers are pretty much the worst possible pick you can make. More impact bats is good though, if they think they can find one. ==================================== REAL NEAL: One of the reasons the Cubs like Kellin Deglan is that he has played against international competition and against pro teams (in Spring Training), and is considered more polished & advanced than the typical U. S. HS kid. Deglan also worked out during this past off-season with Justin Morneau, which reportedly helped show him what he needs to do to develop his body and helped to light a fire under his ass. I think Deglan could actualy be the Cubs 1st round pick, especially if Justin O'Conner and Asher Wojciechocwski are gone. If those two are gone at 16, it would probably come down to whether the Cubs prefer a HS pitcher (Karsten Whitson) or catcher (Kellin Deglan) at 16 (presuming they are still on the board). But O'Conner would probably be their #1 choice, just because he can pitch if he washes out as a catcher (he was a 3B/RHP in HS before switching to catcher mid-season).

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

That "he can move the mound" didn't work out so well with Harvey. I think in the first round if you're rationalizing your pick like that, you're probably on the wrong guy. You want a guy that everyone agrees is going to be wearing a ML Cubs uniform in four years at the outside. It should be interesting - Wilken's been all over the board in terms of what he takes in the first round. That kid from Ohio State is my favorite among who's been mentioned, but I haven't really done much homework on the draft this year. Edit - holy run-on-sentences, Batman!

Theriot 2B, Baker 3B, Lee 1B, Nady RF, Byrd CF, Soriano LF, Soto C, Castro SS, Silva P lefty going for Pirates, dana Eveland Buster on twitter says White Sox are sending out signals they're open for business.

Pirates radio guy on XM is running through the numbers and is impressed that Eveland is 2-0 with a good ERA vs. Chicago this year. Problem is it's his first start against the Cubs and in the NL, those were against White Sox. After a very long pause, his partner on the broadcast says, "There are 2 teams in Chicago". Good radio.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

now Pirates TV guys with the funny... Byrd picked off and they're wondering why Soriano didn't take 2nd... "I don't know what Soriano was doing...other than not much."

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

WTF was Byrd doing? Naturally, Soto gets a hit right afterwards (whic woudl have scored Byrd), followed by a DP. Another scoring chance brutally botched by your 2010 Cubs. "Year 1". Aye Carumba. When was the last time Castro pulled the ball?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Last 17 ABs, not including today where he is 0 for 3 with an intentional BB: .118/.158/.118 And I have never seen Castro pull a ball yet, although I did see he made an out to SS the other day. Still, I am actually with you on this. For some reason I'm not worried about his approach to the plate. The league is making some adjustments on Castro but I think he'll be okay.

glad they fixed the scheduling from last year of the draft. I think last year it went up against a full slate of games and possibly the NBA finals. Pretty empty schedule tonight all around.

Silva well on his way to NL Comeback Player of the Year... baseball is funny.

Theriot doing a good impression of a leadoff hitter today. Byrd waking up again.

cubs trying to avoid first winless season in Pittsburgh in 124 years according to sun times. Silva could sell Slim Fast, I'm buying .

On ESPN's play by play: Sean Marshall pitching for Pittsburgh Wow, I hope we got McCutchen for him.

and millions of Marmol fantasy owners curse with the Cubs taking a 4-run lead -edit- 5-run lead

@CubsInsider #Cubs have the 16th pick in tonight's #MLBDraft. Coverage live @MLBNetwork and MLB.com. Draft begins at 6 pm CT.
be nice if the CubsInsider would actually give out insider info...

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

Every time I think I've seen it all in baseball -- there goes a Carlos Silva. I mean if we had a real GM, what do you do? Keep him through 2011 or trade him? And who has the willingness to trade value in return for him?

Carlos Silva: lower ERA than Lincecum, more W's than Carpenter, and a better WHIP than Santana. Who'da thunk?

Take that, Pennsylvania! Flyers and Pirates both drubbed by Chicago in less than 24 hours. Haw!

Wonder what today's actual attendance was -- according to Pat in the first inning: "Oh, about 1,00 folks or so as of now"

what's fear of crowds? agorophobia? maybe that's the problem w/ this team...heard an account elsewhere that makes hughes' estimate sound verrry generous...if silva could toss in a cg now & then he'd be downright fergiejenkinslike w/ all the strikethrowing he does...

[ ]

In reply to by Mike Wellman

I think that agrorophobia is fear of sweaters. That has got to be the first mention of Silva and Fergie in the same sentence... unless it was something like "Carlos is always listening to that new Fergie album".

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=11106
16. Chicago Cubs: Not at lot of feel here in the industry, some feel they'll be looking for an arm that can get to the rotation quickly like Alex Wimmers, and they'll have interest in Harvey if he gets this far. If San Diego passes on Castellanos, this could be his landing spot. Pick: Nick Castellanos, 3B, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL)
Has O'Connor going 10th, and Whitson 17th to the Rays, calling him a lot better than the 17th player in the draft.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

he is gonna demand a lot of money. he can go to FSU, have the time of his life, and get paid bigtime anyway a few years from now. 1/2 the teams scouted him as a pitcher and 1/2 as a hitter...if one fails he could easily slip into another barring arm injury. the guy's arm is just amazing...pitching aside....whether he ends up in the OF or at 3rd he can get rid of the ball like classic furcal when he was throwing the ball 10000000000 mph off flat ground. he's a hitting machine...he understands and adjusts his mechanics...this is stuff "kids" just don't do, but he realized long before the pressure mounted that he should do this. it wasn't enough to just hit .500-.700 in school...he doesn't rest his skills. mature dude...i'm a big fan (in case you can't tell by now).

@Kevin_Goldstein Team in teens: "It's a joke, we're ranking 11 f---in' guys in here because we have no idea what's happening in front of us."

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

y.grandal keeps dropping by the day. also, i can't believe the astros are so dead set on getting deshields and his speed/D game for a 1st rounder when there's power and pitching out there to be had. so many people are calling for astros/deshields and it seems no one wants to get in their way.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

allegedy grandal had a pre-arranged deal with royals at #4 to start the day and then another team said they'd pay more and he backed out. deshields was heavy with astros at #8 but has dropped to the 20's on most of these mock drafts

mlb network has blocked 3.5 hours for this "1st round draft pick" exaggerated TV experience. it could be 60-90 minutes before the cubs even pick. wee.

by my math, Cubs will pick around 7:25 pm CST if everyone takes the full 5 minutes which they usually do.

colon a surprise pick at 4, Pilliere is saying Pomeranz will go #5 to Indians.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

pom's weird...his game is almost all fastball and his curveball looks/acts like a curve, but instead of using his wrist he flicks the ball with a finger to give it the spin. he does this to take the strain off his wrists and credits his dad with teaching it to him.

loux to dbacks, then hearing harvey to mets at 7 with choice going #10 to A's. keith law says A's would move o'conner to 3b if they take him

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Mayo says Astros will take Deshields at #8 -edit- Toronto, Texas and Rays were interested if they didn't take him there and waited until #19

Zack Cox w/o a home, wonder if Cubs would go for another 3bmen, otherwise O'Conner or Grandal also still available.

Ivy (Clark & Addison): 1st Draft w/ new Cubs ownership: Are they more likely to spend than in the past?
Kevin Goldstein: Not necessarily. Some internal battles as some of the front office might want near ready talent to help save their jobs.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Simpson has made a name for himself in the Division II ranks, going 22-1, 2.73 over his first two seasons at Southern Arkansas. Last year he set a new school record and ranked second nationally among all Division II players with 132 strikeouts. He entered 2010 as Baseball America's preseason choice for D-II pitcher of the year and the No. 8 prospect in D-II, and so far he has lived up to that billing. In his Feb. 5 season debut, Simpson struck out 13 over 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just three hits in a 13-1 win against Missouri Southern State. He followed that up with seven strong innings in a win against perennial D-II powerhouse Tampa last weekend. An American League area scout who was on hand for Simpson's season debut broke down his outing.
"The weather was terrible—it was really cold, and it had rained the day before. It's the first game of the year, and it's cold. The kid is 6-foot, 175 pounds—a slight build. He comes out in the first inning, and the first pitch is 94. Then 94, 94, 93, 96. There were about 20 scouts there and a handful of crosscheckers—he's no secret. He's throwing two breaking balls: a slider that he throws about 80 mph, and a curveball he throws about 76 mph. They're very similar pitches; the curveball has a little more depth, the slider has a little more run, and they're both tight and sharp.
"He faced 16 batters and struck out 13. The guy was good last year—an all-American. He's good. The only knock on him is his size, whether or not he can be a starter and hold up for a whole season with his size. If not then you've got a reliever who can come out and pump it, and shut you down with the breaking ball. But the second, third, fourth inning, he sat more 90-93. The fastball is pretty straight, he was kind of leaving it up a little bit—he's going to have to get it down. And whenever he goes to the stretch he loses a little bit of his velocity. But he has the ability to pump it back up when he needs to. I know it's Division II, so it is what it is talent wise, but he was just mowing them down. He's going to go pretty good (in the draft)."
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/weekend-preview/2010/26952…

Haden Simpson? Callis and Mayo aren't overly critical, but they don't seem too high on the pick. At least he was in the top 200 on BA's list.

goldstein not enthused... Kevin Goldstein: Our first complete and utter shocker in the draft as the Cubs take Heyden Simpson, a D-II pitcher from Arkansas. Just floored. Undersized righty with very good velo, but not a ton of other stuff.

should leave money for a signability drop in later rounds. --- great...hopefully they are scouting baseball players and not wide receivers

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.