Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Minor League Playoffs and More

The most exciting thing around the Cubsverse right now is the minor leagues competing in the playoffs. Meaningless as a victory may be to the big league club down the line, it's fun to follow and have a rooting interest in something, other than the Cubs losing for a better draft pick slot.

- Last night both Daytona and Boise advanced to the finals of their respective league championships, both sweeping their best-of-3 series. C.J. "#5 Cubs prospect" Edwards continued his domination with 5 no-hit innings on 8 K's against one walk for the win, Ryan Searle had a 4-inning save and almost closed out the committee no-hitter before giving up back-to-back singles with one out in the 9th. Kris Bryant provided the bulk of the offense going 3-for-3 with a run scored, a double, 2 RBI's and a hit-by-pitch in the 4-0 victory. Daytona will play Charlotte (Tampa affiliate) starting tonight, with Pierce Johnson taking the mound.

- Boise won 11-7 on the strength of 12 hits and the weakness of Salem-Keizer's defense that included 5 errors by the Giants affiliate. Justin Marra went 2-for-5 with 4 RBI's and 2 doubles and Kevin Encarnacion and Daniel Lockhart both had 3 hits. Not a good night for either team's pitching, but Duane Underwood's 1.1 innings that included 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs allowed was a particular lowlight. Regardless, Boise starts their finals series versus Vancouver (Toronto affiliate) on Friday..

- Tennessee starts their playoff run as well tonight versus Birmingham (White Sox affiliate). Nick Struck will go for the Smokies.

- MLB Trade Rumors put out an all-minor league team and Dan Vogelbach and Javier Baez were the 1B and SS representatives. An admittedly weak first base class at the moment, but still a bit of a surprise announcement on Vogelbach whom will likely slot between #6 - #10 on most Cubs' prospect lists this winter. Baez faced much stiffer competition at shortstop, but making a run at the home run title gave him the nod.

- BP ran some scout quotes and one had this to say on Junior Lake

"He is starting to figure it out. He has always had the physical tools but never really looked like a natural baseball player. To see him slow the game down makes him a viable player. Of all the defensive questions I had in the past, his athleticism is starting to answer them at multiple positions. He has the physical attributes to impact major-league games… and it is starting to show up more regularly than expected."

Being the skeptic I am on Junior Lake's major league potential, I thought it would be a good time to bring up that he has a .380 BABIP right now in the majors that has lead to his current and very average 294/339/428 slash line. If you discount his first 7 games, which I admit is a bit of cheating, but it's not much of a leap to assume that major league pitchers weren't too aware of his strengths and weaknesses yet, he's 255/306/365. But if you're looking for upside, he does have some very nice splits versus lefties (1.113 OPS vs. a .637 OPS against righties) and his slash line over his last 16 games (297/348/406) is right in line with his season numbers...and he's 23. Ultimately I still believe he'll make his career as a short-side platoon outfielder or 4th outfielder/utility man.

- Speaking of draft pick slots (check the lower left sidebar), White Sox have taken a 2.5 game lead over the Cubs for the third spot in the draft and Cubs have just a one game lead over the Brewers for the 4th spot, although the Cubs do own the tie-breaker in both situations.

Comments

just a guess, but what most top 10 lists will look like

Baez, Bryant, Almora, Soler, Edwards, Olt, Vizcaino, Alcantara, Vogelbach, Johnson

I imagine Baez will sneak into the top 10 of most major league top 100 lists and Cubs should have 4-5 on most of them.

White Sox have taken a 2.5 game lead over the Cubs for the third spot in the draft --- The WSux are riding a 6 game losing streak after getting swept in both Boston and NY, while the Cubs have gone 3-3 vs Phils and Marlins. Next they go to Baltimore before a home stand vs Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota. They end the year with one makeup game vs Toronto (in Chi), then at Detroit and Cleveland before the final series vs KC in Chicago So they have two series vs non-contenders plus the makeup game. 5 series vs contenders (counting the Indians). The Cubs remaining schedule is similar as they are against 5 contenders, except 2 series vs the Brewers. Starting this weekend vs Milwaukee, then a road trip to Cincy, Pitt and Milwaukee. Final home stand vs Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Then final series at St. Louis. So they have comparable end of season schedules with a slightly tougher mix for the Cubs (since they have struggled vs Milwaukee so far)

Daytona lineup for tonight...

RF Chen CF DeVoss 1B Geiger DH Vogelbach 3B Bryant LF Giansanti C Krist 2B Darvill SS Soto RHP Johnson

sappelt officially outrighted to AAA...hopefully he can get his foot issues cleared up and come back a better player (with 4th/5th OF'r upside that has a touch of speed) next season.

bottom of 2nd

  • Anthony Giansanti doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Kes Carter.
  • Chadd Krist strikes out swinging.
  • Wes Darvill strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Jesse Hahn. Anthony Giansanti to 3rd. Wes Darvill to 1st.
  • Elliot Soto walks. Wes Darvill to 2nd.
  • Pin-Chieh Chen doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Willie Argo. Anthony Giansanti scores. Wes Darvill scores. Elliot Soto scores.
  • Zeke DeVoss walks.
  • Pitching Change: Jared Mortensen replaces Jesse Hahn.

4-0 Daytona so far....

CHA, top 4th, Two outs... Hector Guevara singles on a line drive to left fielder Anthony Giansanti. Drew Vettleson out at home on the throw, left fielder Anthony Giansanti to catcher Chadd Krist. Still 4-0

0-0, top of third for Tennessee, both teams with just a hit, Villanueva for the Smokies.

Daytona goes up 5-0 in bottom of 4th on Geiger RBI double that brings in DeVoss.

Pierce Johnson done, 5 IP, 6 K, 5 H, 0 BB and leaves with a 5-0 lead

Jeffrey Lorick in for another 4-inning save opp.

Tenn still tied 0-0 in top of the 4th.

Just in case: Alas, poor Lorick. I knew him, Horatio: A fellow of most infinite jest, of most excellent fancy...

dueling home runs leave it tied 1-1 in bottom of 5th for Tennessee...Silva with the Smokies HR.

Szczur, Alcantara, Baez and Bour combined 0/8 with 3 K's.

5-0 Daytona through 7 and a half.

Bryant/Vogelbach combined 0/5 with a walk on the night.

D-Cubs win 5-0. Zack Cates gets 2 quick outs, then walks the next three before getting the last out with a K. Piniero pitches tomorrow night for the D-Cubs

from the Boston mlb.com beat writer on Daniel Bard...
Only 28, the Cubs have taken an interest in other pitchers full of talent but lacking in results. Bard could be a good fit for the Cubs, though Farrell warned that it might take some time before they see any results.
"There's still a player and a pitcher there that's motivated, and yet anytime that there's activity disrupted by an injury, that's going to slow that process," Farrell said. "Time was of the essence with us. We needed the roster space. But based on what we saw over the last couple of years, it needs to be built back gradually. How long that takes is the unknown in this."
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130904&content_id=59538236&no…

Leaving for Chicago in a few minutes. Have nowhere to be and nothing to do until tonight. So in a moment of impulse, went on StubHub and bought a Cubs ticket. It was only $7, and got a pretty decent box seat. Yet somehow I feel like I'm the one who got screwed.

Cubs foolishly beating Brewers 5-2 in the 3rd, Junior Lake with a grand slam.

d.lee was at the game today sitting down the line a few rows back near the cubs on deck circle.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Castillo does show up on the "Worst Frames of the Week" list. He catches a sinker outside that he sets up for inside, and in the process he slides his whole body toward the left-handed batter's box. The writer has this to say about it: Not sure what either of the people behind the plate is up to here. Close as I can tell, Ron Kulpa said "BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA," and Castillo got scared and slid to safety in the left-handed batter's box. What they don't mention is that there is a runner on third that Castillo clearly checks up on, and he appears to maybe have been crossed up as well.

4-0 Birmingham over the Smokies through 4 and a half, 2 runs were unearned thanks to a throwing error by the Golden Child at shortstop.

Boise up 1-0 through 4, Penalvar tripled and scored the lone run.

D. Maples: 4 IP, 6 K, 2 BB, 3 H

Boise scores 3 more in the 6th on a Rony Rodriquez rbi single and David Bote 2 run double. 4-0 Hawks Maples still pitching in the 7th

PIT DFA's James McDonald...wow. injured early (shoulder)...not good before the DL, not good since returning...still...wow.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

*shrug* if daniel "cannot find the strike zone for 2 years" bard can be a cub, almost anyone can. that said, SP is one area where they're pretty much full up on talent going into next season...who knows...

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

It all comes down to what it would take to get him, I think. If it takes very little, I don't see why the Cubs wouldn't go after him. Always need more young-ish starting pitching. And starting pitching can always become middle relief.

c.lim debut... 54th player of the season...cubs franchise record...which was set last year. ...and before the 2nd pitch of the game he goes to his mouth on the rubber (which isn't allowed) and the ump has to tell the dugout because lim didn't understand...which prompts welly to visit the mound to pass the message...which is weird cuz i don't think he speaks korean. evidently this is a message which transcends language or lim knows "baseball english". btw, they can't send the interpreter out because he has to be taken out w/ the manager and that would count as a mound visit. 1st batter walked on a full count. 2nd batter single to left on a 3-1 count. now the interpreter/manager come out. double play. end of inning. (he came in with 1 out) 90-93mph...lot of fastballs. he threw 3 very poor sliders through 14 pitches. he also works very slow.

Baez 2-run HR in 1st inning, Smokies lead 2-1 through 4...Jokisch pitching.

Daytona up 1-0 after 1, Vogelbach with a 2-out double to score Geiger...Pineyro pitching...5 straight K's to start the game.

 

Smokies final was 9-2, Game was close until a 6 spot in the bottom of the 8th: -------- Tennessee Bottom of the 8th Matt Szczur singles on a ground ball to shortstop Tyler Saladino. Arismendy Alcantara pops out to shortstop Tyler Saladino. Javier Baez singles on a line drive to left fielder Brandon Jacobs. Matt Szczur to 3rd. Justin Bour singles on a line drive to left fielder Brandon Jacobs. Matt Szczur scores. Javier Baez to 2nd. Christian Villanueva singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brandon Jacobs. Javier Baez scores. Christian Villanueva to 2nd. Justin Bour advances to 3rd, on a throwing error by left fielder Brandon Jacobs. Kevin Vance intentionally walks Rubi Silva. Pitching Change: Ryan Kussmaul replaces Kevin Vance. Jonathan Mota hit by pitch. Justin Bour scores. Christian Villanueva to 3rd. Rubi Silva to 2nd. John Andreoli doubles (3) on a ground ball to left fielder Brandon Jacobs. Christian Villanueva scores. Rubi Silva scores. Jonathan Mota scores. John Andreoli to 3rd. Fielding error by left fielder Brandon Jacobs. Taylor Davis grounds out, shortstop Tyler Saladino to first baseman Dan Black. Matt Szczur grounds out, pitcher Ryan Kussmaul to first baseman Dan Black.

Sounds like some clutch plays by the team with the glorious minor league type name "The Stone Crabs". Hit by pitch, two errors by Brandon Jacobs. Well done. With that Daytona lineup, I'm surprised they lost any games at all this year.

Nick Cafardo with a few paragraphs on Epstein/Bard:
That’s what Epstein and Co. are banking on. By claiming Bard on waivers, the Cubs took on an additional $275,000 in salary, the remainder of the $1.86 million Bard is earning this season. The Cubs, obviously, won’t be able to make an evaluation of Bard this season, so they’ll likely work out a pre-tender offer in a split contract for 2014, under which he’d make a certain amount if he makes the major league team or another amount if he’s in the minors.
http://www.boston.com/2013/09/06/sunball/AzuT5UD9PqCbJF6cBLuGPK/singlep…

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

does it not matter one bit to these catcher defensive "scores" how little some catchers have a guy attempt a steal off of them or the impact of keeping them near/on base? ...or how much they play vs what they do when they play? when a C can hold a guy on base through sheer threat it really impacts where the infield D can set up, especially on the 2nd/1st side of the field. ...as much as welly seems overrated in this system...matt wieters seems totally shit upon...

s.baker's final AAA start is going well through 4ip... 5ip 2h 1bb 1k - 0 r - 55 pitches on the day for baker ...and grimm/russell blow it out of the pen.

Alcantara hits a 2 run single up the middle scoring TDavis and Szczur...bottom 3rd. Alcantara goes to 3rd on SB plus error on throw which hits him on the helmet. Baez K's. Bour F8. On to the 4th tied 2-2.

h.rondon finally gets back to back 0er outings! it's his first back to back 0er outing since june 11th/13th. that only took almost 3 months. also, clubs lose.

Corey Black pitched 6 innings of 1 hit shutout ball. 2 walks, 2 K's. D-Cubs lead 2-0 in top 8th at Charlotte.

"MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports that the Dodgers are close to a deal with free agent Alexander Guerrero." that didn't take long. fwiw..."Sanchez says the pact is "between five and seven years" and will be worth $32 million. Guerrero is a power-hitting second baseman."

holy cubbery in the 1st inning...bad running at 1st...bad running at 3rd...a run that should have scored didn't...and a runner at 1st that should have stayed there tries for 2nd and runs into a very stupid + not-even-remotely-close out. btw, the attendance at this game @CIN is pathetic for a team in contention...it's wrigley-esque.

r.sweeney ties a career high in HR with his 6th...in 133ab (previous, 6 in 484ab). the cubs collection of b-teamers are achieving a lot of career power marks in way less ABs compared to previous seasons. ...and valbuena follows it up the next inning hitting a career high of 11 HR in 299ab, passing his career high of 10 in 368ab.

D-Cubs win FSL championship 4-0. CJ Edwards with 5 shutout innings, 1 hit ball. Then Ryan Searle retired all 12 hitters he faced. Woo. A championship Cub team!

CJ Edwards: 5 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K and the win

R. Searle: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K for the save

Vogelbach 3/4 with an RBI

Tennessee down 6-2 headed to bottom of 5th, Neil Ramirez roughed up for 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 K

Alcantara with 2 errors, Baez with 1

Boise starts Michael Wagner tonight in the winner-take-all Game 3 versus Vancouver

t.wood, the best 87-89mph fastball pitcher in quite a while, blanks CIN through 7 innings and 100 pitches (the 1st time in his 2 year cubs career he's been allowed to throw 100+ pitches 4 games in a row, btw...never threw more than 2 in a row last season and 3 in a row only once this season prior to this 4-game stretch). era/whip lowered to 3.05/1.11

Smokies lose 7-4....Boise down 2-0 in bottom of 8th.

At least we'll always have Daytona.

Cubs dropping Old Style in 2014, going exclusively with Amheiser. m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3890344?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003 I assume it won't affect availability of "premium" brands like Corona, Amstel Light, etc. I never liked Old Style, but it's still weird that it won't be available at Wrigley.

[ ]

In reply to by Doug Dascenzo

it's been weird watching the bleachers change over the years. it started before the ricketts left, but the "oldschool oldtimers" have been slowly/quickly (depending on the view of time) been pushed out of the bleachers by bros, hecklers who think this is a yankees game, and meat market bro hookup opportunities. i wonder if they still give out certificates to those who throw a ball back on the field from an opposing HR. a few weeks ago a bunch of bros and assorted douches were laying into a kid...maybe 10 or 12...to throw a ball back that he caught and was happy as hell about. the "oldtimers" would generally let that kind of thing pass without pressure (especially since he was a kid who brought a glove to the game), but the kid caught so much hell he ended up reluctantly tossing it back on the field to the cheers of dozens of young bros and his own disappointment. i can only hope that some bleacher fan gave the kid a replacement ball, but still...it's not the one he brought his glove to the game and caught.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

1998... i'm used to seeing the 'old guard' out with their certificates, replacement balls, etc as more highly visible fixtures in the bleachers rather than the newer crew (mostly based on TV viewing). i recognize some classic faces out there, but i'm also seeing a lot of them scattered or absent.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

wasn't quite so appalled by it...but some strange ones indeed

#1) 85 wins; you never know I guess, not that crazy to believe though

#2) Sveuem replaced - nope

#3) Castro will bat .300 - very possible

#4) Baez will win ROY - no idea of the rookie class next year, but if they find him a position I wouldn't call it impossible

#5) Baker and Bard key bullpen parts - I think Villanueva already has the long role for next year

#6) Ninja and Wood will combine for 35 wins - T. Wood's BABIP says that's not happening

#7) Wrigley purists will enjoy the video board - of course they will, but is it gonna be ready for next year?

#8) Cubs will stand pat at deadline - if they're flirting with .500, certainly possible

#9) Rizzo will be an All-Star - possible of course, Votto, Goldschmidt, Freeman in the way though, not to mention A. Gonzalez

#10) Cubs will win first and last game of year - sure, who cares...unless that last game is a playoff game.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Puig got called up late and he'll probably finish 2nd

Posey played his first game in 2010 on May 28th and won it that year

Harper started on April 28th last year

Chris Coghlan started on May 9th in 2009

off the top of my head, Kolten Wong probably won't lose his eligibility this year and should have a starting job...Oscar Tavares is a good bet for an early call-up. Jameson Taillon might get called up by June for Pirates. Chris Owings of the Diamondbacks may get a gig out of spring training although certainly a lower class prospect. Archie Bradley may have a gig out of spring training or soon after.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

most of these predictions are hard to gauge right now...and some pulled out of thin air without more than a wild hunch. they have a lot of money to spend unless the rickets family pulls the plug on it...the season isn't even over and they're already linked to choo. they could not only sign choo, but also other impact players (pending money not being taken away). this is before getting into possible trade-for-talent scenarios. the idea of baez coming up early enough to make a ROY impact seems like a huge stretch. nice power...huge step backwards with D...olt is going to get his shot at 3rd before they start to burn up baez's service time...the Ks issue (which may always be a part of his game)...and he doesn't have to added to the 40-man roster to keep protected from the rule-5 yet. maybe if he has an unreal winter/spring ball showing and castro/baez could be coaxed into 2nd base he could see time earlier...or if he starts to tear up AAA at an un-ignorable pace. what the hell is the love for d.bard? he's lost his killer velocity (4mph missing off his fastball) and has major control issues even while throwing it less hard...an odd combo that traditionally doesn't mix. ...and baker as a pen guy? doubt he'd go for that unless he's holding back as a starter and he can hit 91+mph out of the pen. ...a lot of the type of players they pick up this offseason will determine whether they're going to "stand pat" at the trade deadline. it was obvious before ST started this year that their offseason pickups were designed to be traded to build the minors system. "The Cubs will win the first and last games of the season"...full retard.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

i've always seen him a doubles-power guy...someone that's a 30+double, 10-ish HR type guy over 500ab (given his expected load as a mostly-starting C). he's never had moonshot power, but he's put together a lot of line drive deep hits. thanks to injury/soreness and navarro being kinda awesome with the bat, welly should only get 400ab this year, though.

another d.murphy HR...cubs lead by 4, top 4rd. 10HR in 107ab...and d.barney is still getting nearly everyday look at 2nd for some reason.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

i just wonder if d.murphy is capable of playing 2nd full time...he seems to have been given chances in the past...he may or may not be capable. if he is capable, though, it'd be nice to see him get an extended look along with seeing what his bat is like over an extended everyday playing time. d.barney is a nice/okay bench-injury guy...a weak regular at best...but ultimately, a guy i'm ready to see not get almost 600ab a year.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/19785/hoyer-baez-as-good…

The ultimate question about next year was put to Hoyer. Do any of these names have a chance to play for the Cubs coming out of spring training?

"It's likely none of those guys is going to start the season in the big leagues, so as we make out a lineup card for our 25-man roster that's not going to be a part of it," he said.

also says to expect Baez, Bryant, Soler and Almora to be trying different positions in the AFL, especially E-6 Baez.

Soriano 2 HR for yanks so far tonight, including a 2 run shot in the 8th to break up a 4-4 tie in Baltimore. Dude is smoking, matches last year's total of 32 HR I believe.

j.lake...wtf was that? that route...that effort...that result. manny ramirez-esque play in LF turns an out into a rbi double. neat.

b.hamilton getting his 1st mlb AB. 4sb, 3 runs in 4 games without a PA...not a bad start to a career. ...line drive out to castro...castro didn't even have to move his feet.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

rizzo's aug/sept (aside from the power in aug) has been really "ugg." i can handle a low BA + OB% if he can hit 25-ish HR and 40-ish doubles. i just hope he can keep it up in the following years...or improve... his pay is still reasonable through the length of his contract even if he keeps on the pace of this season with his overall numbers, even if they're paying too much a few years early. if he improves, his options for 2020/2021 could be quite a deal (along with the years before that 1.25,5,5,7,7,11)...it's a 2m per year folly if the 20/21 options are not picked up, though.

PIT is giving a.mccutchen the night off for rest even though they have a DH slot in an AL park...plus because grilli/melancon worked too much yesterday k.farnsworth is tonight's closer (if needed). ...it's like they don't care or something. =p

rosscup breaks 2 bats for outs in a scoreless inning...swank. take that m.rivera.

"Mark Carman @thecarm Mike Olt will not to play this winter according to Jason Mcleod. #Cubs will try to determine what role concussion played in his down year." yow...of all the guys that seemed to actually need to play this winter...hopefully rest will do him good.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

t.beede 10th? cold. ...he's a bit high on nick gordon at 9th, even if he is a SS. kodi medeiros is on his list and he's been absent or very deep on a lot of lists even though he's got great stuff. very interesting guy with extremely good fastball + slider combo and unusual mound delivery. he throws between 3/4 and sidearm...very deceptive...especially for a guy who's stuff, alone, doesn't need deception. the biggest hangup for him is it's been hard to gauge how good he is in competition because he plays weak competition in hawaii. it's hard to tell what kinda loot he's gonna want...he's not committed to any college (and it's thought that he doesn't want to go to college), but if he falls too far in the 1st he may go the community college route to raise his value. btw...i still don't like jeff hoffman as much as some people. he's getting a lot of positive buzz since he's one of an extremely small list of guys who had "sit up and notice" performances with summer ball exhibitions/leagues. still, it's one big crapshoot after c.rondon anyway...who's control/command doesn't excite me very much. killer tools on rondon, though...he's got the parts (fb, cutter, slider, curve, change, kitchen sink, etc)...he just needs to make it repeatable.

Speaking of Castillo, he has a higher DWAR than Russell Martin, 2.6 to 2.4, in spite of being bettered by Martin in every defensive column that I can see. Can anybody explain the magic of DWAR (defensive wins above replacement)?

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

DWAR is such a cocksuck stat...imo... a bad catcher or mediocre SS can be as important to the stat as a good 1st baseman based solely on how they weigh the importance of the position. total zone is part of the weight along with runs/to/win. before d.barney's 3.6 DWAR last year we had n.perez with 2.7 in 05 and 1.3 in 06. in 07 r.theriot had a 1.3 and soriano had a 1.2. in 2012 s.castro had a 1.2 DWAR...it's sitting steady at 0.0 DWAR this season. much like WAR, for every few players that belong on the list there's a few "statistical wtf dude?" listings that make it every year. last year in the AL...alex gordon (5), torri hunter (7), and denard span (9) were top WAR guys with 5-6.5 WAR. the stats, both WAR and DWAR need a little work or at least approached with caution...especially if one -CHOOSES- to use these values to project a player's value going forward for either batting or defense.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

"I've also added a column for what we calculate the player's defensive performance is worth (dWAR). Unlike with batting, it's generally believed that the replacement level fielder is around league average. The idea is that there are a lot more guys who can field in the major leagues than can hit in the major leagues. There our dWAR value is just the player's total zone defensive runs saved divided by the runs to win conversion (generally ten runs to a win)." http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/8219 ...also "Version 2.0, May 2012... dWAR now contains the position component as we feel this better captures player defensive value. In our view, even a poor defensive catcher is likely equally valuable to a good defensive first baseman in terms of team defense." http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml

rosscup in to pitch back-to-back days (though it's probably only for 1 batter). one thing he didn't do a lot (hardly at all) in the minors is work consecutive games.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Just that successful long-term SPs usually don't have such a diminutive physical frame. No doubt that the guy throws gas, but whether he can keep it up over a long MLB season for multiple years is quite another story. In his 6 starts after joining Daytona, he went the following IP: 5, 1, 3.2, 5, 4, 4.1. The game he went 3.2 was the only game he got torched. 1 was probably a rain issue or something since we are talking about Daytona 2013. But even on the days he was dealing, he's definitely not going deep into games.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

That's a good point. I would counter with, after throwing only 67 innings the year before, maybe they didn't want to increase his workload my more than 40-50%? 116 IP this year...If he can get 140 IP next year, and then 170 the year after? Just an idea.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I imagine every league organization is a little different, but the starters with the most innings in the FSL average less than 6 innings per outing and Edwards was pitching in a lower league before the trade where he had 93 IP over 18 (right around the 5-6 range).

There's a lot of piggyback starts as well at those levels as they're trying to get their eyes on more pitchers.

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In reply to by John Beasley

roy oswalt lists at 6'...but most everyone knows it's closer to 5'10". that said, cj edwards is skinny as all hell...but he's always been that way. his little bro chris, highschool senior, has more muscle than him and he's rather skinny, too. juan cruz was 6'2" and looked like a crackhead in street clothes for a good chunk of his early career...could still bring it 94mph.

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In reply to by JoePepitone

minor league numbers says he went from Boston to Cleveland to Pittsburgh before he signed as a minor league free agent with Cubs.

While he never came close to the year he had in Iowa at age 27 in 1993, he showed some signs of something interesting before that and his numbers with the Cubs in '94 were pretty good (115 OPS+).  Wonder if there was an injury or something, he ended up in Boston system next year and was pretty awful after that.

PIT with an extreme right shift on rizzo...he hit it foul, but he tried to put on into left. flied on out the track to just right of CF trying to pull on the next AB, though.

Nice to clinch not-100 losses, but as far as I'm concerned, this team can just roll over and die for Pittsburgh. Fuck St. Louis, and Fuck Cincinnati.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).