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

Where Have You Gone, Ozzie Timmons?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Ozzie Timmons smacked a two-out game-winning walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9th to give the Cubs the victory in the last game played at HoHoKam Park before the stadium was to be demolished... 

in 1996.

But it's now 2013, and in the last Cactus League Spring Training game played by the Cubs (as the home team) at HoHoKam Park before moving to their new facility at Mesa Riverview next season, Nate Tenbrink ripped a two-out two-strike two-run single and Kelly Shoppach followed with an RBI double into the LF corner, as the Seattle Mariners rallied for three runs in the 8th to defeat the Cubs 6-4.    

box score

Carlos Villanueva got the start for the Cubs and threw five strong inings (90 pitches - 59 strikes), allowing three runs (only one earned) on four hits and two walks in five inings (plus one batter in the 6th). He struck out three.  

Michael Morse put the Mariners on the board in the top of the 2nd with a solo HR over the fence in right-centerfield, but the Cubs came back to score three off SEA starter Hisashi Iwakuma in the bottom of the 3rd. Arismendy Alacantara (up from Minor League Camp) led-off the inning with a triple off the right-centerfield fence, and scored on a line-drive PH RBI single to right by Zeke DeVoss (also up from Ninor League Camp). Then with two outs, Alfonso Soriano clubbed a two-run home run (his team-leading 5th Cactus League HR) over the LF fence.

Villanueva was crusing slong with a 3-1 lead going into the 5th, but a throwing error by 2B Tim Saunders (another player up from Minor League Camp) on what should have been the start of a 4-6-3 DP put Villanueva behind the 8-ball, and the M's made him pay when Kyle Seager stroked a two-out two run double to left that tied the game at 3-3.

But the Cubs took the lead again in the bottom of the 6th, as Brett Jackson did his Jackie Robinson impression. 

Jackson drew a lead-off walk, advanced to 2nd base on a fly out to CF (the first instance of aggressive baserunning by B-Jax), and then scored on another bit of fancy baserunning. Dioner Navarro chopped a bouncer that was fielded by the third-baseman, who eye-checked Jackson back to 2nd before throwing Navarro out at 1st for the second out of the inning. But Jackson only pretended to go back to 2nd base, instead racing for 3rd once the third-baseman began his throwing motion to 1st, and he was able to slide safely into 3rd as 1st baseman Tenbrink's throw sailed past third-base and into LF foul territory, which allowed Jackson to jog home with the go-ahead run. 

LHP Hisnori Takahashi (who apparently has claimed the 12th spot on the pitching staff) relieved Villanueva in the 6th and retired seven of the first eight men he faced, before running into trouble in the top of the 8th. With one out, Jesus Sucre and Jason Bay singled, and then with two outs, Nate Tenbrink (a LH hitter facing LHP Takahashi) pulled a two-strike pitch into RF for a two-run single, and then Kelly Shoppach followed with an RBI double.

It is fairly obvious that while he has the ability to throw multiple innings and probably make a spot start when needed, Takahashi is not particularly effective against LH hitters, and so he's not the type of lefty you bring into a game to try and neutralize Joey Votto at a critical point. James Russell (who is basically a 7th inning guy who happens to throw LH) isn't especially tough on lefties, either, so the Cubs might want to keep their eyes open for a true LOOGY, should one become available.

Shawn Camp pitched out of a runner at 3rd & one out jam in the top of the 9th, striking out the last two men he faced to leave the runner stranded. (Camp struck out the side in a 1-2-3 inning vs SF on Monday).

Welington Castillo singled to lead-off the bottom of the 9th and bring the potential tying run to the plate three times, but the next three hitters went down 1-2-3.

No sign of Ozzie Timmons anywhere. 

So the Cubs spent their last day as the home team at HoHoKam Park. The stadium will remain open until December, with the AZL Cubs (June-August) and Mesa Solar Sox (October-November) playing their home games there later this season. The facility will then be closed for about a year while it undergoes a renovation (seating capacity will be rduced as grandstand seats will be removed and patio-picnic areas will be constructed), and then the Oakland A's will relocate to HoHoKam Park (and Fitch Park) in 2015. 

The Cubs have a lengthy history in Nesa. They moved their Spring Training HQ to Rendevous Park (southeast corner of University & Center) from Santa Catalina Island in 1953, thanks to the efforts of Mesa businessman Dwight (Pat) Patterson (the first Big Ho) and the rest of the HoHoKams (Mesa businessmen & boosters). The Cubs Spring Training home remained at Rendevous Park through the 1965 season, before being moved to Long Beach, CA for a year (Leo Durocher's first season as Cubs manager). Meanwhile, the Kansas City Athletics (later the Oakland A's) noved to Meaa and replaced the Cubs at Rendevous. The Cubs moved back to Arizona from Long Beach in 1967, but this time they were based at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, and this is where I first experienced Cubs Spring Training in the 1970's.

The Cubs moved back to Mesa from Scottsdale in 1979, but by this time a new Spring Training ballpark was in service (located at HoHoKam Park on Center Street north of Brown Road). The Cubs played in this stadium for 18 years (through Spring Training 1996), after which a new stadium (Dwight Patterson Field) was constructed on the same site. 

 

Tags
Cubs Spring Training Recap
Carlos Villanueva
Hisanori Takahashi
Alfonso Soriano
Arismendy Alcantara
Brett Jackson

Comments

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:02 am

<rumor> is jose valverde a cub yet? </rumor> i wonder who he's throwing for...he's supposedly hitting 95mph in the dominican showcasing himself for a variety of teams.

Submitted by Hagsag on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:31 am

Jason McCloud said yesterday during the Cubs game that they were having meetings to determine the minor league rosters later in the day. Let the speculation begin and hope AZ Phil will be on top of the movement.

Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:22 am

AZ Phil: Considering the entire minor league system, who would most likely would develop into the Cubs future "true" LOOGY by 2014-5. For 2013, Could the D-Train serve as a LOOGY or will control always be his issue? Any other near term candidates from the minors for LOOGY this year? I was expecting Beliveau to fill that role last year until they lost him to roster mismanagement

Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:24 am

peering into Anthony Rizzo's future... per Roto...
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Diamondbacks and Paul Goldschmidt have agreed to a five-year, $32 million contract extension with a club option for 2019. ESPN/XM's Jim Bowden first broke the story, and Rosenthal provided the contract terms.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:12 pm

also... "Tigers signed RHP Justin Verlander to a five-year, $140 million extension with a vesting option for 2020." and "Giants signed C Buster Posey to an eight-year, $159 million extension with a $21.4 million club option for 2022."

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:04 pm

at the going rate of extensions, there may never be a premium free agent again...

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:16 pm

"Cubs sent RHP Guillermo Moscoso outright to Triple-A Iowa." take that goldschmidt, verlander, and posey news...

Submitted by MikeC on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 03:17 pm

Kinda hits at the point that Hendry and McPhail were complete ass hats when it came to scouting and development..... Theo Epstein has also taken steps toward increasing the size of what had been one of the smallest front offices in the game. The moves that have gotten the most attention have involved an embrace of analytics, with the Cubs signing a big deal with Bloomberg Sports to provide them with data. Less heralded but perhaps more significant, the Cubs have hired a bevy of new scouts in all aspects of the game—amateur, pro, international, and major league. Creating scouting depth is a critical part of any plan that involves significant investment in building through player development. In a few short years Theo has done light years better work with our minors than 15+ years of failure from Hendry and McPhail.

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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