Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

ABH - Anybody But Hamels

Submitted by Rob G. on

I think I'm taking the 2008 Cubs for granted. I headed to my car for my commute home last night just as the Phillies were scoring three runs in the sixth. And even with Cole Hamels carving up the lineup, I never thought we were out of it. I tuned into XM radio by that point and it had Pat and Ron going and Pat was carrying on that the Phils bullpen has been worked hard lately. If the Cubs could just work up  that pitch count up on Hamels. If he could go eight, the Phils would just go to Brad Lidge which probably wouldn't have done the Cubs much good considering he's a perfect 31 for 31 in save opportunities. The key was to get into the pen before that. After seven, Hamels was up to 108 pitches but due up third, and Charlie Manuel obliged by pinch hitting for him.

Boom. Mike Fontenot goes yard on Ryan Madson. As I heard Bob Brenly say on the replay, "ABH - Anybody but Hamels".

Next up, Soriano sounds like he just missed one for a double. After the Theriot single, Derrek Lee stepped up and I'm sure many the skeptical Cub fan were expecting the double play that he seems to be so prone to hitting to this year. But he already had two hits on the night and his one out sounded like a well-struck ball to the outfield. He's also managed a .923 OPS over the last 7 days. Chad Durbin left his control in the bullpen though and the bases were loaded for tonight's hero.

Whenever a Cub hits one deep, you can always tell with Pat if it's going out or not by the first or second word. He tries to put some excitement in any ball that looks like it has any chance but there's just this little extra inflection he puts in his voice when a ball is definitely going out. When Soriano hit his double, it wasn't there. When Fontenot and Ramirez hit there blasts, I could tell right away just by the subtle change in Pat's voice.

After missing on the first pitch to Ramirez and considering Durbin just walked Lee, I figured Ramirez would be taking. Instead I'm listening to Pat Hughes calling yet another Cubs comeback victory. 

Ramirez is certainly the game's hero, but let's be sure to give Kerry Wood his deserved praise. Working on his fourth straight game against the four best Phillies hitters was no small task. He had a bit of breathing room, but an outstanding outing by him as well to navigate the ninth inning for his 28th save.

The Win Probability chart after the jump...

phils_cubs fangraph

Not quite as impressive as Daryle Ward's shot in Florida a few weeks back (.647 WPA vs .414 for Aramis's home run), but impressive nonetheless.

Tags
Game Recap
Pat Hughes
Aramis Ramirez

Comments

Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:51 am

Neat, that leadoff single in the 9th caused that little dip, and if you factor in who was coming up behind Rollins it probably should have been more pronounced. Kerry didn't look too sharp, but he got the job done, and Marmol can close it out today if necessary so all's good in Cubdom. Eyeballing the chart it looks like AramRam got about .4 of a WPA for that HR - that would move him from 6th to 5th among NL guys (not counting Carlos Lee). Still a ways behind Albert and Lance for the lead league, though. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&t…

Submitted by djchi on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:12 am

Interesting...according to the graph, the Cubs were favorites after the walk to Lee, despite still trailing by two runs in the eighth. Very cool.

Submitted by MikeC on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:13 am

The Cubs are much better suited for the playoffs this year with a lineup that gets on base more and makes pitchers run up their pitch counts. Without that kind of lineup Hamels goes 9 innings on us.

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Submitted by djchi on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:38 pm

Honestly, I think Hamels goes at least one more inning if this game is played in October, even with the pitch count. Mebbe we get to him in the 8th instead, but I don't think there's any way he doesn't start the 8th in a playoff series. I think most of the advantage of being able to get into bullpens is lost in October.

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:20 am

"Whenever a Cub hits one deep, you can always tell with Pat if it's going out or not by the first or second word." Very true and observant. Now if we can find how the Cubs are doing against #1 pitchers this year. :-)

Submitted by Dmac on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:10 am

It seems that Hamels always pitches lights - out against us, both here and in Philly. Hate to use an hoary sports cliche', but this team never seems to believe they're out of any game, despite the score, opposing pitcher, late innings, etc. Can't remember the last time a Cubs team showed this much confidence in their abilities - maybe 1984.

Submitted by nohit on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:40 am

Cubs are the thousand pound gorilla in the NL. I cruised the Phillies blogs yesterday, and as hot as the Phils been this last week or so, their fans were just desparately hoping for the split. I'm so used to thinking as the Cubs as the underdogs, it's hard to picture them as the favorites. Cats and dogs, living together...

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:05 am

What's that line from? I am really enjoying the Cubs being the beast of the league - I think in yesterday's game post it said no one has a winning record against us now - which is pretty damned impressive. It would probably take a couple years of just kicking the crap out of everyone before I'd get tired of it, and start to feel a little embarrassed (assuming we do it with league leading payrolls - Yankees style).

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Submitted by jacos on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:20 am

Ghostbusters. Here's Dero doing long interview with Waddle and Silvy here in Chicago yesterday- http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1000/archive?id=3095454 Funny story in there- 2nd game of season last year Dero was not in lineup and he went to Lou's office. He opened door and Lou was doing crossword puzzle. Lou looked up saw Dero and said "This is why I didn't want to get back into managing." Dero said he should be the every day 2nd baseman, Lou said "Do you son?" Lou got up went to lineup erased Theriots name and put in Dero's. Dero said Theriot is mad at him and now the pressure is on for him to perform. Gotta to listen to it.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:08 pm

great interview...

telling quote:

"Everybody snaps...I'm on my 4th helmet this year, just no one can see it when I snap."

good stuff about Z in there and his personality. And the Lou story is good too. 

Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:33 am

the win probability chart has buried treasure under the "Big" W... it's a Mad, mad, mad, mad world. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057193/ Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, Milton Berle, Jimmy Durante, Spencer Tracy, Ethyl Merman, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Mickey Rooney, Jim Backus ...all Cub fans (alive and mostly dead)

Submitted by The Joe on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:21 pm

I just noticed this, but it seems Eyre is still on our side. I miss him even more: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5869/news So Chase Utley sat next to him on the flight to Chicago and asked for advice about how to attack the Cubs' pitchers. Eyre wasn't much help. "Chase was like, 'How's Dempster going to try to strike me out?'" Eyre said. "I was like, 'He's probably going to get you to swing and miss three times.' I said, 'I really don't know, man. I didn't watch that closely. I was in the bullpen. I didn't pay that close attention.'"...Three weeks ago, Eyre was designated for assignment by the Cubs and dealt to the Phillies. In 7 2/3 innings for the Phillies, he hasn't allowed a run. Opponents are batting .087 against him. "The best thing was to get this opportunity," Eyre said. "Jim Hendry didn't send me somewhere that doesn't mean anything. He sent me to a playoff contender, and I'll be forever grateful."

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • 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.

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