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

Can the Cubs Really Improve Enough to Make the Playoffs?

The Cubs won 73 games last year, which was the most the team had won since 2010 and a respectable improvement on the 66 wins from 2013. But 73 is still a long way from the playoffs. It took 88 wins to make it last year and looking back the last 25 years that is almost always what it takes (other than about a dozen odd exceptions). Yet many pundits are giving the Cubs a strong chance of climbing all the way to the playoffs, and Cubs fans, of course, are hopeful of such a rise. So what does it look like when a team climbs from a win total in the low 70s one year to the high 80s the next? Is it about free agent acquisitions, recovery from injuries, or maturing young talent? Is there a typical path that teams take and are the Cubs on that path?

To answer these questions, I examined all playoff teams over the past 25 years (since 1990) and noted the number of wins they had the prior year. I excluded years 1994-1996 given the strike-shortened schedules that made comparisons difficult. Overall, there were 166 playoff teams in that span, and most were in the playoffs or had solid records the prior year (the average was 87 wins). There were, however, 41 teams that finished below .500 the year before. Of those, there were 16 teams that had 73 wins or less. This includes the Cubs three times. I touch on all 16 teams below to highlight some the paths teams have taken and conclude with thoughts on whether or not such a jump is realistic for the 2015 Cubs.

 

 

Team

Prior Year

Wins

Playoff Year

Wins

Braves

1990

65

1991

94

Phillies

1992

70

1993

97

Giants

1996

68

1997

90

Cubs

1997

68

1998

90

Diamondbacks

1998

65

1999

100

Astros

2000

72

2001

93

Cubs

2002

67

2003

88

Tigers

2005

71

2006

95

Dodgers

2005

71

2006

88

Cubs

2006

66

2007

85

Rays

2007

66

2008

97

White Sox

2007

72

2008

89

Diamondbacks

2010

65

2011

94

Orioles

2011

69

2012

93

Indians

2012

68

2013

92

Red Sox

2012

69

2013

97

 

 

1991 Atlanta Braves – Veteran Additions Mix with Maturing Youth

The Braves of 1991, the beginning of their long dynasty, were not that different than the Braves of 1990. Greg Olson, Jeff Treadway, Mark Lemke, Jeff Blauser, Ron Gant, David Justice, and Lonnie Smith all anchored the lineup in both years. Moreover, the young core had already started to shine. Gant and Justice actually had a lower OPS in 1991 than 1990. On the pitching side, Charlie Leibrandt, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Steve Avery all started 20 games or more in both seasons. So what changed?

Two things happened in 1991. First, the young rotation went from good to great. Smoltz and Glavine put up WAR values of 3.6 and 2.2 in 1990 and Avery really struggled in his first season (-1.2 WAR, 5.64 ERA). In 1991, those values were 5.4 (Smoltz), 8.5 (Glavine), and 5.2 (Avery). So the team’s improvement was driven by incredible developments in young pitchers (in their ages 25-24-21 seasons).

Second, the team added several important veterans to the lineup that provided needed leadership and helped create a balanced team. Defensive specialist Rafael Belliard came over to play shortstop and anchored the middle infield (1.1 dWAR on the season). Speedster Otis Nixon swiped 73 bags. The addition of Sid Bream (and the exit of Dale Murphy) allowed David Justice to move to right field. Finally, Terry Pendleton, a veteran of two playoff Cardinal teams during the 1980s, had the best season of his career at age 30 and won the NL MVP.

Though the team struggled to just 65 wins in 1990, most of the core was already in place and with Gant, Justice, Glavine, and Smoltz entering their ages 25-26 seasons in 1991 the team was ready to compete. The addition of just a few veterans to fill specific holes and provide leadership helped the team reach its potential and the playoffs. In addition, Bobby Cox was in his first full season (he had taken over mid-way through 1990) at the helm.


1993 Philadelphia Phillies – Crusty Veterans Find the Magic

Very similar to the Braves above, the 1993 Phillies that reached the World Series were mostly in place in 1992. Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Mickey Morandini, Dave Hollins, and Lenny Dykstra anchored the lineups; and Curt Schilling, Terry Mulholland, and Tommy Greene manned the rotations. Perplexingly, most of the position players and pitchers had far better seasons in 1992 than 1993 (other than the young Greene who really blossomed in 1993). So what changed?

If there ever was an example of a group of scrappy veterans just “clicking” to make the playoffs, the 1993 Phillies were it. New additions Jim Eisenreich and Pete Incaviglia put up a combined 5.5 WAR in a fantastic OF platoon, Danny Jackson had 210 IP with a 3.77 ERA, and 40-year-old Larry Anderson put up a 2.77 ERA in 64 appearances out of the pen. The team finished below .500 for the six years prior to 1993 and for the seven years following, so the team almost certainly overachieved in 1993 in what ultimately seems like a case of veterans just finding ways to win.


1997 San Francisco Giants – Trading Up

Most of the 1996 Giants were on the wrong side of 30 and plagued by injuries. The team had a number of glaring holes in the field, and players like Mark Carreon, Steve Scarsone, and Marvin Benard were starters. But several developments in 1996 paved the way for a productive off-season leading into 1997. First, Bill Mueller hit .330 in 200 ABs as a rookie. Second, a 23-year-old Shawn Estes had a 3.60 ERA in 11 starts. Third, Kirk Rueter, brought over in a mid-season trade, seemed to respond well to the change in scenery.

With the emergence of Mueller, Matt Williams was expendable and traded in the off-season to the Indians in a blockbuster deal that brought back Jeff Kent, Julian Tavarez, and Jose Vizcaino. With Estes and Rueter slotted into the rotation, the Giants were able to ship lefty Allen Watson to the Angels for J.T. Snow. Darryl Hamilton was also signed as a free agent to man CF. With those three moves, 5 of the 8 starting position players were changed. Mueller, Kent, and Snow flourished in a lineup with Bonds, and the potent offense was enough to support a rotation anchored by Estes, Rueter, and Mark Gardner. Tavarez was also the key set-up man for closer Rod Beck. The team raced to 90 wins and the NL West title.


1998 Chicago Cubs – Sosa and Veterans Offense Propel Success

In Ryne Sandberg’s final year, the Cubs put up a dismal 68-94 record in 1997. But the team began building for 1998 during August, swinging a trade with the Mets that brought back Lance Johnson and Mark Clark in exchange for Brian McRae, Turk Wendell, and Mel Rojas. The Cubs continued to deal in the off-season, sending promising rookie Doug Glanville (who had hit .300 in 510 PAs) to the Phillies for Mickey Morandini. They then signed Henry Rodriguez, Jeff Blauser, and Rod Beck as free agents.

The 1998 team thus essentially sported a new middle infield, 2/3rds of a new outfield, a new starter, and a new closer. The veterans also brought much-needed post-season experience: Morandini had been part of the 1993 Phillies, Blauser was a member of several Brave playoff teams, and Beck closed for the division winning Giants of the year before. Rookie Kerry Wood also emerged as a dominant starter, and Jose Hernandez blossomed and hit 23 HR to take over 3B from a sophomore-slumping Keven Orie. Sammy Sosa moved his OPS from .779 to 1.024 en route to 66 home runs, and the team sailed into the Wild Card.

The addition of veterans, particularly position players, through trades and free agency was the key to the improvement.


1999 Arizona Diamondbacks – Buying Quick Success

Ignoring the expansion team label, the Diamondbacks won 100 games in just their second year. Without much young talent of its own yet, the team not surprisingly relied on trades and free agency to pull off the massive improvement. They traded for Luiz Gonzalez and Tony Womack, and signed Steve Finley and Randy Johnson as free agents. Gonzalez, Finley, and Jay Bell all had career-highs (to that point) in homeruns [yes, Jay Bell hit 38…], and Matt Williams added 38 of his own to bolster a loaded offense. Johnson earned his big contract by going 17-9 with a 2.48 ERA and 364 strikeouts on his way to winning the Cy Young Award. A mid-season trade for Matt Mantei helped bolster the bullpen.

Overall, the team showed that you can buy a winning team quickly, but also got lucky that they hit several position players who were just beginning periods of unexpected power.


2001 Houston Astros – Stars Debut

The 2000 Astros had strong offensive seasons from Jeff Bagwell, Richard Hidalgo, and Moises Alou, but that’s about it. The rest of the offense struggled or was banged up (e.g. Biggio) and the pitching was horrid: only one starter had an ERA under 5.00 and closer Billy Wagner was injured for most of the year. So the 2001 team was bound to better. Bagwell, Hidalgo, and Alou continued to hit, Biggio rebounded, and free agent Vinny Castilla added some pop at 3B. Wagner was fully recovered from his injury and retook the closer role, allowing Octavio Dotel to serve as a dominant set-up man (105 IP, 2.66 ERA).  

But the key to a 21-game improvement was the rise of several young players. First, Lance Berkman, who had done well in 100+ games in his rookie campaign, put up a 6.5 WAR season in his sophomore year, coming in 5th in the NL MVP voting. Second, Wade Miller had struggled to a 5.14 ERA in 16 starts in 2000 as a 23-year old, but went 16-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 2001 in his first full season. Third, Roy Oswalt debuted in the majors and never looked back, going 14-3 with a 2.73 ERA—and would have been Rookie of the Year if it were not for Albert Pujols.

Guys like Berkman and Oswalt don’t come around that often, and their emergence, combined with a now-healthy group of quality veterans already in place, fueled the meteoric rise of the Astros in 2001.


2003 Chicago Cubs – Veteran Acquisitions Mix with Young Talent

Jim Hendry took over as General Manager of the Cubs in July 2002. The team was very old, but new young talent was beginning to emerge. Mark Prior made his big league debut, Carlos Zambrano was given a longer look after a cup of coffee in 2001, and Corey Patterson, while struggling, was completing his first full season at age 22.

Beginning in July and through the off-season, the Cubs jettisoned a number of older players, including Tom Gordon, Jeff Fassero, Bill Mueller, Joe Girardi, and Fred McGriff. But then several trades brought in a different group of veterans who performed considerably better: Todd Hundley was sent to the Dodgers for Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek, and Damien Miller and Paul Bako were acquired in smaller trades to bring in an entirely new catching duo.

Most importantly, the young stars shined in 2003. Patterson had an .839 OPS in 83 games before going down with an injury, Prior went 18-6, Zambrano put up a 3.11 ERA in over 200 IP, and a 26-year-old Kerry Wood put up 14 wins of his own. A late season trade for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez sealed the Division title for the Cubs.

Miller had won the 2001 World Series with the Diamondbacks, Bako brought playoff experience from his time with the Braves, Karros had been in the post-season twice, and Lofton had been in the playoffs six times. The veteran experience meshed well with the young guns in the rotation and the team came within five outs of making the World Series.


2006 Detroit Tigers – Youth and Luck Provide a Winning Combination

The 2005 Tigers struggled to a 4th place finish with 71 wins, but soared to 95 wins and a Wild Card birth in 2006. Much of the team—Ivan Rodriguez, Brandon Inge, Placido Polanco, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez—was the same, but there were three key developments that led to the improvement.

First, two young stars emerged and played crucial roles: Curtis Granderson became the everyday centerfielder in his first full season, and Justin Verlander won Rookie of the Year by going 17-9. Second, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson had career years. Bonderman’s WAR was 3.2 and he was never about 2 for any other year, and Robertson’s WAR was 3.5 and he was never above even 1.3 again. Third, veterans Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones, in their ages 38 and 41 seasons, anchored the rotation and bullpen respectively.

Much of the core was in place already and the addition of a couple key veterans, the emergence of a couple of young stars, all combined with some luck, led to a World Series appearance.


2006 Los Angeles Dodgers – A Young Core Hits the Ground Running

It is not difficult to see how team where Jason Phillips, Hee-Seop Choi, Mike Edwards, Ricky Ledee, Oscar Robles, Olmedo Saenz, Jason Repko, and Antonio Perez received over 200 ABs struggled. The 2006 Dodgers received a sizeable facelift from that 2005 team. Veterans Nomar Garciparra, Rafael Furcal, and Kenny Lofton were signed as free agents to bolster the lineup, Aaron Sele was signed to add another veteran arm to the staff, and Takashi Saito became the closer in his first season in the US.

Yet youth also played a big role. Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Russell Martin all made their big league debuts in 2006, with Ethier and Martin serving as primary starters for most of the year and Billingsley starting 16 games in the rotation. In addition, Jonathan Broxton had 76 IP out of the pen as the primary set-up man in his first full season in the bigs at age 22.

The veterans that were brought in performed well and youngsters with little to no big league experience adjusted quickly and the team climbed to 88 wins under new manager Grady Little.  


2007 Chicago Cubs – A Free Agent Splurge Brings Immediate Rewards

The 2006 Cubs finished with a dismal 66 wins in Dusty Baker’s last year at the helm. On offense, Derrek Lee was injured for most of the year, Ronny Cedeno struggled to a tune of a .610 OPS in his first season, and Neifi Perez received 236 ABs, which was about 236 too many. On the mound, Prior and Wood were injured and 73 starts combined thus fell to youngsters Rich Hill, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Angel Guzman, and Juan Mateo—Hill was the only one to have an ERA even under 5.00. Moreover, Ryan Dempster blew 9 saves in just 33 opportunities in his second year as closer.

New manager Lou Piniella was given a much different team in 2007. The big free agent signing was Alfonso Soriano, but Mark DeRosa and Cliff Floyd were also brought in on offense. Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis were signed to add stability to the rotation, and allowed Marmol to move to the pen where he flourished.

Hill and Marshall both adjusted nicely in their second full seasons, and rookie Ryan Theriot supplanted Cedeno at SS and put up a .934 OPS. Michael Barrett, after his fight with Carlos Zambrano, was traded in the June and the team ended up with Jason Kendall and rookie Geovony Soto behind the place to finish the season.

The free agent acquisitions and improvement by several youngsters was enough to help the Cubs climb to 85 wins and capture a weak NL Central.


2008 Tampa Bay Rays – Longoria Joins a Talented Core

The 2007 and 2008 Rays were largely the same. There were only a few moves in the off-season, one of which was dropping the “Devil” from the team name. So what were the keys to a 31-game improvement?

On offense, the only major change was Evan Longoria, who made his major league debut and won the NL Rookie of the Year with a 272/343/531 slash line.

On the pitching side, youngsters Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine improved considerably from the year before, and Matt Garza (acquired in trade with the Twins) also performed well. Troy Percival was signed as a free agent to be the closer and add a veteran presence to the pen.

But that’s about it. The core was already in place in 2007 and most of the players (Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton) had performed well. The addition of Longoria and marked improvements by young starting pitchers was all that the team needed to find its groove and make it all the way to the World Series.


2008 White Sox – Youngsters Become Stars

The 2007 White Sox that won 72 games was largely the same team that won 89 games in 2008. Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, and Jim Thome anchored the offense, and Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd manned the rotation. The rise was primarily fueled by the addition or development of four young players.

First, a young Chris Carter was shipped off to Arizona for Carlos Quentin, who had struggled in 81 games for the Diamondbacks in 2007. But Quentin blossomed in his age 25-season, hitting 36 home runs and putting up an OPS of .965 en route to finishing 5th in the AL MVP voting. Second, Cuban Alexei Ramirez made his debut in the US and finished second in the AL ROY voting while playing second base. Third, in his age-22 rookie season in 2007, Danks had gone 6-13 with a 5.50 ERA (1.1 WAR). He adjusted well and went 12-9 with a 3.32 ERA (6.4 WAR) in 2008. Finally, Floyd had likewise pitched poorly in 10 starts in 2007 in his age-24 season, but went 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 2008.

Already a decent team in 2007, the White Sox jumped 15 wins because of star performances from young players.   


2011 Arizona Diamondbacks – Youngsters Rebound

The 2010 Diamondbacks struggled to 65 wins. The main position players (Chris Young, Justin Upton, Gerrado Parra, Stephen Drew, Miguel Montero) all played well, but not great. In the rotation, Rodrigo Lopez, Edwin Jackson, and Dan Haren all had poor seasons. And the team did tried several different closers, without success.

The improvement in 2011 was fueled partly by general improvement across the offense, with Upton, Montero, and Parra having much better seasons, and Young continuing his excellence. Several key developments, however, also advanced the pitching staff. First, J.J. Putz was signed as a free agent to hold down the closer’s role and saved 45 games with a 2.17 ERA. Second, Daniel Hudon, who was acquired in a late season trade with the White Sox for Edwin Jackson, flourished in Arizona, going 16-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 222 IP. Third, rooking Josh Collmenter went 10-10 with a 3.38 ERA.

These improvements and additions propelled the team to 94 wins and an NL West Division title.  


2012 Baltimore Orioles – Young Core Hit Their Stride

The 2012 Orioles are a perfect example of a group of young, core players developing simultaneously and hitting their stride. Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Chris Davis were all in their mid-20s and had solid seasons. A 19-year old Manny Machado also flashed some talent in 200 plate appearances. On the mound, 26-year old Wei-Yin Chen, making his debut in the US, anchored the rotation, while Miguel Gonzalez shined as a rookie and Chris Tillman put up a 2.93 ERA in 15 starts. Finally, 29-year old Jim Johnson was handed the closer’s role and compiled 51 saves.  

The team won a Wild Card spot with 93 wins, a huge improvement over the 69 wins from 2011. With much of the core still in place, the Orioles followed that up with a 3rd place finish in 2013 and 96 wins and a division title in 2014. Chen, Gonzalez, and Tillman continued to anchor the rotation and Wieters, Jones, Machado, and Markakis have fueled the offense. Overall, the Orioles have capitalized on their young players maturing, and have averaged 91 wins over the past three seasons, and look to remain competitive for at least the next few years.


2013 Cleveland Indians – Lady Luck Visits Cleveland

Like the Orioles above, the 2013 Indians also had several core players in their primes. Carlos Santana was in his third full season at age 27 and had a 4.3 WAR year. A 26-year-old Michael Brantley also put up decent numbers in his third full season in LF. In his first full season, Corey Kluber put up a 3.85 ERA in 24 starts. Brantley and Kluber would follow 2013 up with monster seasons in 2014, finishing 3rd in the MVP and winning the AL Cy Young Award respectively.

Yet a sizeable amount of luck also fueled the Indians rise in 2013. Taking a flyer on a minor league deal with Scott Kazmir, who spent 2011-12 pitching in Independent Leagues, they were rewarded with a respectable 10-9 record and 4.04 ERA in 29 starts. Ubaldo Jimenez lost 17 games in 2012, but rebounded to go 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 2013 (only to regress again with the Orioles in 2014). The talented Justin Masterson went 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA in one of just two good seasons he has had in a slew of bad ones. Zach McAllister posted a 3.75 ERA in 24 starts in just his second full season (but slumped badly in 2014). Likewise, in his second full year, Jason Kipnis had an OPS of .818, which now looks like an aberration given 2012’s .714 and 2014’s .640.

So some core players were in place in their late 20s, but career years from a number of players, particularly pitchers, led to 2013’s Wild Card finish and helps explain why the team finished in just third place last year.  


2013 Boston Red Sox – More Health and Less Drama

After a 10-year hiatus, Bobby Valentine returned to the field as manager, taking over the Red Sox in 2012. The outcome, predicted by many, was a disaster. Following five straight years of at least 89 wins, the Red Sox fell to 69 wins and the season was marred by clubhouse drama and fights between Valentine and his players and coaches via the media. Injuries also hurt the team, with David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, and Jacoby Ellsbury also missing significant time.

The transformation of the team began in August when the Red Sox ate much of the money they had recently spent and sent Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez in a trade to the Dodgers. Valentine was predictably fired the day after the season ended. The team then signed Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino as free agents to help the offense that was aided by healthy and productive seasons by Dustin Pedroia, Ortiz, and Ellsbury. On the pitching side, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz rebounded from poor seasons, John Lackey returned after missing all of 2012 due to injury, and after several productive seasons for the Orioles and Rangers as a set-up man free agent signee Koji Uehara was handed the closer’s role and responded with a dominant 1.09 ERA in 74 IP.

The result was a climb to 97 wins and a World Series championship.


Lessons for the 2015 Cubs

If there is anything the above analysis should demonstrate it is that there is no one way to succeed in baseball. Teams have gone from terrible to successful—even World Series Champions—through a variety of processes.

First, in some cases, talented teams were injured or underperformed and a rebound, and in turn success, was relatively predictable. The banged up 2012 Red Sox were not as bad as they performed under Valentine. Health, less drama, and a couple of free agent acquisitions did the trick. Similarly, the 2008 Rays and 2011 Diamondbacks were mostly the same teams as they were the year before. Longoria’s debut and a couple of minor tweaks enabled the Rays to rise, and a general improvement across the lineup propelled he Diamondbacks to success.

The 2015 Cubs certainly do not fit this type of team, having struggled for several years and with lots of question marks surrounding many of their young players.

In other cases, teams simply bought or traded for a contending team in the off season. The 1997 Giants, 1998 Cubs, 1999 Diamondbacks, and 2007 Cubs all fit this pathway. The teams were veteran-laden and changed dramatically from the previous year.

While the 2015 Cubs signed Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, and a few minor pieces (e.g. Jason Motte, David Rosse) and traded for Dexter Fowler and Miguel Montero, the majority of the team from 2014 is still in place, and so this is not the path the Cubs will take to success this time around.

Other teams simply got lucky. Those watching baseball in the early 1990s felt that the 1993 Phillies didn’t really “look” like a championship team, and the franchise’s lack of success before or after that season suggest that our gut was right. The 2006 Tigers perhaps fall into the luck category as well. The team would continue to be successful, and typically over .500, for the next few years, but wouldn’t reach the playoffs until 2011. The extra edge in 2006 was mainly due to a last hurrah from Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones, and career years from Bonderman and Robertson. I would place the 2013 Indians here as well. While several young stars were there, it is difficult to discount huge career years from 4-5 key players.  

The 2015 Cubs, of course, will take any luck that they can get, especially given the decades of bad luck that have seemingly hit the team. Looking at the roster, it would certainly be possible that Dexter Fowler has a career year playing for a contract. Perhaps a LF platoon of Chris Coghlan and Chris Denorfia clicks. And on the pitching side perhaps someone like Edwin Jackson rebounds or Jacob Turner or Felix Doubrant realize their potential.

Several teams were fueled by the blossoming of young stars. Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt propelled an already strong 2001 Astros team. Likewise, several youngsters emerged to push the 2008 White Sox forward. Finally, the 2012 Orioles were a very young team, with several players making debuts.

The 2015 Cubs hope to replicate some of this. Hopes are high for Kris Bryant to debut and become a Berkman-type of presence in the lineup right away. Similarly, the organization hopes that the late season exposure for Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara last year leads to them blossoming this year. But unlike those teams above, the Cubs are relying on only a few youngsters and have other options in place if they fail. Moreover, outside of Hendricks, there are virtually none on the pitching side. The Cubs, in other words, don’t need a Roy Oswalt or John Danks to carry the staff.  

Three teams followed a unique path of key free agent acquisitions, often with playoff experience, mixing with a developing young core. The 1991 Braves already had Glavine, Smoltz, Justice, and Gant in place. Having already shown success on the big league stage they were primed to continue to their success or breakout further in their mid-20s. A new manager (Bobby Cox in his first full season) was able to mix the veteran additions, including MVP Terry Pendleton, with the youth to bring about a winner and start a dynasty.

The 2003 Cubs look similar in many ways. Wood, Prior, and Zambrano were predicted to anchor the staff for years to come, and Corey Patterson was expected to be a mainstay in CF. The team brought in a veteran battery of Miller and Bako and added other free agents like Grudzielanek, Karros, and later Lofton with playoff experience to lead the team. The plan worked well for 2003. Injuries to the pitching staff, however, along with the failure of position players like Patterson, Choi, and Hill to develop into big league stars, prevented the team from continuing its success.

Finally, the 2006 Dodgers had a young core of Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, and Jonathan Broxton just emerging. The team then added several veterans, like Garciaparra, Furcal, and Lofton to the mix to take the pressure of the young guys and help provide leadership. The team has had 80 wins or more in every season since, falling below .500 just once.

The 2015 Cubs most resemble this type of plan for success. Rizzo and Castro are still young but have already demonstrated their stardom. Arrieta looks to be a potential front of the rotation starter going forward. The bullpen is filled with young, powerful arms that are just entering their prime ages. And the hope is that offensive stars like Bryant, Baez, and Alcantara are on the cusp of successful careers. The front office spent the off-season using trades and free agent signings to bring in veteran leadership in a few key areas. The new backstop duo of Montero and Bard mirrors the Miller-Bako move by the Cubs a decade ago—both have playoff experience. Fowler adds a bit more experience and stability to a key position and spot in the batting order. Most importantly, veterans Lester and Hammel were brought in to anchor the rotation, with Lester being a proven winner with 84 post season IP under his belt.

In conclusion, the best hope for the 2015 Cubs to improve enough to make the playoffs is a unique combination of veteran free agents and a core group of talented youngsters. And if a few veterans get lucky and have career years and/or one or more youngsters (e.g. Bryant or Baez) breaks out and becomes a major league start right away, the Cubs could make an even bigger jump and contend in the playoffs. Moreover, if the young players do develop as expected and avoid injuries, the future looks bright for the franchise going forward—this path is more likely to bring sustained success than others.

 

Tags

Comments

There hasn't been much up to read in a while so here's a longer piece to tide us over until we start to have regular things to talk about from Spring Training. A bit of fun history and comparison.

Cubs just don't have that vet base yet, like the other teams. I will be happy with .500 this year, and maybe the league will do what Andy McFail always hoped for and fall back to the Cubs, rather than the Cubs move up.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

that makes it so hard to handicap...the kids along with so many of the "vets" not having enough historic consistency to know what should expect in 2015, especially the SP. i doubt it would shock many to see the cub as a high-70s win team or a high-80s win team. i'm in the camp that's feeling mid/high 80s, myself. i like the deep mlb-ready coverage even if it's a toss-up.

Thanks for the great article. Would love to see what the pythag. records or other normalized win total for the playoff years on those teams. I suppose I could look this up, but you've spoiled me with all this great stuff.

[ ]

In reply to by Stevens

In response to your comment I re-did the table with each team's pythagorean record in each year. I didn't have time to look at all 166 teams to see if there are cases where teams really jumped that I might be missing by looking at actual records alone, but I looked at those 16 teams I examined in depth. In the table below it is worth nothing that the 1997 Giants and 2012 Orioles really over achieved. The other noteworthy team is the 1996-7 Astros. They really underachieved in 2006 and sligthly overachieved in 2007, so they jumped 21 actual wins but only 7 pythagorean wins.

Team Prior Year Wins Pythagorean Wins Playoff Year Wins Pythagorean Wins Braves 1990 65 67 1991 94 92 Phillies 1992 70 78 1993 97 93 Giants 1996 68 71 1997 90 80 Cubs 1997 68 74 1998 90 85 Diamondbacks 1998 65 66 1999 100 102 Astros 2000 72 81 2001 93 88 Cubs 2002 67 76 2003 88 85 Tigers 2005 71 75 2006 95 95 Dodgers 2005 71 74 2006 88 88 Cubs 2006 66 70 2007 85 87 Rays 2007 66 67 2008 97 92 White Sox 2007 72 67 2008 89 89 Diamondbacks 2010 65 69 2011 94 88 Orioles 2011 69 67 2012 93 82 Indians 2012 68 64 2013 92 90 Red Sox 2012 69 74 2013 97 100

How much improvement did the NJ Knights show when Roy Hobbs arrived? ah, Hollywood. Can't wait for Bryant to break the CF scoreboard light fixtures

Sporting News has the Cubs finishing 1st and winning the world series against Detroit. Another magazine on the rack (the one I didn't buy and have already forgotten the name of) has the Cubs finishing 4th, well out of wild card contention.

"Blue Jays signed LHP Johan Santana to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training." also... "Giants signed INF Ronny Cedeno to a minor league contract."

The 2003 Cubs look similar in many ways. Wood, Prior, and Zambrano were predicted to anchor the staff for years to come, and Corey Patterson was expected to be a mainstay in CF. The team brought in a veteran battery of Miller and Bako and added other free agents like Grudzielanek, Karros, and later Lofton with playoff experience to lead the team. The plan worked well for 2003. Injuries to the pitching staff, however, along with the failure of position players like Patterson, Choi, and Hill to develop into big league stars, prevented the team from continuing its success.
considering Hill was part of the package that brought Lofton's playoff experience to the team (along with ARam) and Choi was sent to Florida for MVP candidate Derrek Lee I'm not sure they deserve much blame for the team's lack of future success.

[ ]

In reply to by waveland

Fair enough, and I should note that I liked those moves a lot. My main point was that the Cubs were forced to continuously look to trades and, in particular, free agency in the years ahead to compete because they were not able to develop any cheap, young, contract-controlled homegrown talent--unlike some of the other teams that were able to sustain success.

We have talked about this on here a lot before, but the Cubs have been shockingly bad at developing position talent in the past few decades. From the Grace/Palmeiro days until Castro there was mostly a whole lot of nothing. Walton, Glanville, Orie, Patterson, and Soto all showed some talent but then flamed out. Castro and Rizzo have been very refreshing.  

Theriot had his .934 OPS season in 2006, not 2007 (you didn't say that but I thought it was implied). He put up those un-Theriot-like numbers over 53 games in the last part of that miserable, lost season.

I was pretty sure you were going to throw some stats at us to show that it never happens, so it's good to know that the stats suggest it CAN happen. A lot of things have to come together to make it happen, and it seems lately we not only have Cubbery to deal with, but Chicagorry. There is one thing that makes the Cubs a contender this year in my view: A very deep pitching staff. It may not be full of front liners, but there are lots of guys who can step in and give you innings if you get an injury bug. Of course, some of those guys will be released I guess - since it seems like they have 20 starters. And the relief staff is set up to make it so you have to beat them by the 6th inning or so, because you're going to get shut down in the late innings with the likes of Ramirez, Rondon, etc lurking in the pen. A fast start would help, which is why I wouldn't mind seeing them kick that service crap out the window and just start Bryant from Day 1 if he has a good spring. Last year I was all in on seeing what Olt had but I feel that ship has sailed. Bryant in early could give the team some early leads and help them get off to a fast start. Of course, he could also go all rookie on us and suck, but I don't see that happening.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Olt on Renteria, per the Sun-Times: “He helped me out a ton, especially being a rookie,” said third baseman Mike Olt, who struggled much of last season. “He just kind of made it an easy transition. “You obviously feel sorry for Rickey, but you’ve got to be thankful for the things that he did for you and know that we’re in good hands now.”

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

What's he supposed to say? He's probably being honest which is fine. But diplomacy might be smart for a guy with 400 career AB? "I was super grateful to play randomly, get pulled out of games every day, benched whenever I may have been getting hot, splitting time with Valaika, and having the manager talk about how I needed to be treated with kid gloves ... It's was easy!"

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Hahaha! No doubt! But even him - did anyone rip on him directly on the record to the press (much less a rookie starting their career)? And Renteria is decidedly a nice dude. There was some descent reported off the record in Cubs' front office about Ricky's in game strategy etc.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

dunno if the rumors of the front office running some managerial decisions are true, but any time the front office runs your team the manager is generally going to lose control no matter how nice the dude is. the front office obviously ran the baez decision, but that's one of those things that the clubhouse "gets"...well, maybe not him batting 1st (oops) 2nd so much, which was yet another "we've lost before we started" move that doesn't make for a great day at the office. when things like this pile up the manager very often fails to be a leader. it kinda sucks to be a good solider and still get thrown under the bus from renteria's view, but his leadership was already compromised from the view of others.

Watching those journeymen during the end of the Hendry era was too much, so I just started tuning them out. --- Amen. No more Jeremy Beernuts or Carlos Pena's to watch.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Exactly. Last year, other than the first month and a half or so, it was actually fun watching this team. Good baseball, for one thing, something Capt Happy doesn't get a lot of cred for - the first really good fundamentals team I've seen on the north side in a very long time. Sveum had the same crew and they played terrible baseball. Even when the kids struggle, it's okay. I just root for them all the harder. Go Olt, go Baez! And I do realize that Olt isn't homegrown, but I count any minor leaguer. Rizzo isn't homegrown either, but he's Theo-grown, and he's a Cub. A Cubs? Not sure what the correct grammar ought to be there.

Aramis Ramirez says he'll retire after this season.

probably 3rd best Cubs 3B-men of all-time behind Santo and Hack?

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I would say so. The only other player who might be in the running would be Heinie Zimmerman who accumulated 23.9 WAR for the Cubs from 1907-1916 primarily playing 3B. He won the Triple Crown in 1912 and had MVP votes in two seasons.

Beyond him, Ned Williamson (1878-1890) played over 700 games at 3B and had 36.4 career WAR as a Cub, but that was a very different era and he also played 400+ games a shortstop. At the same time, Tom Burns (22.7 WAR, 1880-1891) had a similar career with 700+ games at 3B and 400+ at SS. And Woody English did pretty well (24.5 WAR) as a Cub in the 1920s and 1930s, but played about twice as many games at SS as he did 3B. 

[ ]

In reply to by DavidP

Hmm, I am not sure I buy that. Ramirez had a higher OPS over his time as a Cubs (887 to 872) and that includes the last few years where he was down a bit. I think people forget just how good Ramirez was when he first came over. Let's compare Madlock to Ramirez's early peak. 

Madlock played 3 seasons with the Cubs. He put up an impressive line of 336/397/475 (.872 OPS) during that time and a total WAR of 11.5 (2.3-4.9-4.3). I listed his averages over those 3 years below. Ramirez played 8.5 seasons with the Cubs. He put up a line of 294/356/531 (.887 OPS) during that time and a total WAR of 23.8. But his first five years (2004-2008) were stellar. He was able to play at a higher level than Madlock and sustain that for all five years.  

Madlock (1974-1976 averages): 70 Runs,   67 RBI, 29 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR, 12 SB, and 3.8 WAR a season.
Ramirez (2004-2008 averages): 87 Runs, 105 RBI, 36 2B, 2 3B, 32 HR,  1 SB, and 3.9 WAR a season.

Madlock had the flashier average of course, and thus got on base more, and he had more speed. But Ramirez had a lot more power. Both played subpar defense, but Ramirez was better on that front.

And I should note too that Ramirez actually averaged 4.2 WAR from 2004-2007, so I hurt him a bit in that category by averaging in the 5th year.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

They were adamant he was ready to play last year, too. Derrick didn't agree. Everything Rose has done has been about preserving his long-term. The short-term needs of the team don't matter to him. It's understandable, but somewhat annoying for a guy who keeps referring to himself as "a great player". 3 knee injuries in 3 season, all without any significant contact. Hey kids-- who wants to buy some of them DRose Adidas shoes??

Juan Pierre officially retires. If there was ever an example of a guy succeeding on older counting and rate stats but failing on modern stats assessing value, it's him.

He had over 8,000 plate appearances across 14 seasons in the majors and hit an impressive .295 overall with an OBP of .343. He finished with 2,217 hits and 614 stolen bases (good for 18th all time). And he manned CF, a high value position.

Yet, overall, he accumulated a dismal 16.6 WAR. He didn't walk at all, had absolutely no power, his stolen base % was not that great (75%), and his defense was pretty bad (-2.5 dWAR for his career). 

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Kenny Lofton he was not...

remarkable he couldn't turn that speed into decent defensive numbers even with his rag arm, but those were large CF's he played in early in his career. Might be a bit skewed, although no one ever seemed to think he was anymore than adequate out there.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Pierre and Lou Brock are an interesting comparison. Their career BA, OBP and SB% are nearly identical. As for defense, Pierre could at least patrol center field. Brock was no ball hawk. He played left field for a reason. The difference in their reputations and ultimate careers was that Brock had some pop. Through his age-35 season (which Pierre concluded last year) he hit 135 home runs to Pierre's 18. I'm old enough to remember Brock, in his rookie season, hitting one over the wall in straightaway center field (475 feet) in New York when the Mets still played at the Polo Grounds. I can't picture Pierre doing that. Brock caught a second wind at age 35 and had a career year in which he stole 118 bases, breaking Maury Wills's 12-year-old record. (Wills had broken Ty Cobbs' 47-year-old record.) Then he kept going until he was forty. Speed and power are a potent combo. It's why I'm bullish about Alcantara.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I don't agree that Alcantara is a sub or a "supersub." I think you want his bat in the lineup every day. Splitting 2014 roughly equally between AAA and the majors, Alcantara had 69 extra-base hits. What 22-year-old had more? Trout had 84, all in the majors. Then there's Bryant, with 78, at two minors levels. That's it.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

I didn't see the word sub in that article at all.

Imagine he'll start season at 3B or 2B and be the #8 or #9 hitters on most days. Small chance he'll get LF job, but ultimately he'll be moved where needed.

Zobrist played 2B for the most part, except when they needed a SS or an OF or a 3B.

[ ]

In reply to by DavidP

He played SS in minors and when he first got called up, then played a lot of OF, then moved mostly to 2b in 2011 with some stints in OF, SS and 3b and 1b. 

Consideribg Alcantara's youth and speed, he should be able to move pretty fluidly for a few years as needed. If he keeps hitting, he'll find a spot.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

i look forward to his crappy 2nd, crappy 3rd, and semi-crappy CF play in between his LF and RF stints. yeah, that's more harsh than reality, but it's not too far from being too harsh. he's still learning his game and he's got youth...we've seen more spectacular adaptations from lesser athletes. maybe strap some catcher's gear onto the guy, too. that said, he's gonna have to be that type of guy if he has a prayer at 400+PA...pending injury or other's suckage, of course. the new CF'r that got picked up and the IF logjam pushes the issue.

one of the worst contracts around gets even worse...or better...it's probably better to have him not playing. your call... "Melvin Upton has been diagnosed with sesamoiditis in his left foot and is expected to miss all of spring training."

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Sesmoiditis involves two little bones (sesmoids) embedded in tendons under the great toe under the distal portion of the 1st metatarsal (foot) bone. There is the possibility it can fracture as a source of pain but more commonly there is some cartilage that rubs at the bottom of the joint and the area can get inflamed. Usually this condition responds to rest, anti-inflammatory meds, cortisone injection, etc. Not that often, but the sesamoid bones (one or both of them) can be removed if the pain doesn't go away with conservative measures. The surgery works but is for more chronic inflammation unresponsive to conservative rx. http://www.aidyourtendon.com/_img/sesamoid-bone-anatomy.jpg

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

Sort of Swami stuff but if the cult buys into it, they can crush Cardinals and Pirates for days on end. Some variation on his mantra about running hard for 90 feet (to first base). I heard Maddon interviewed on this on XM. It has to do with a quirky flight to Midland, TX when he didn't get a MLB coaching job with the Angels and was going to one of their minor league teams to coach. He was ticked off in general and even more so because he had to sit in the middle seat. The woman next to him picked up on his attitude and told him, 'Whatever you put out there will come back to you.' Maddon's attitude was adjusted ever since. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/110544406/chicago-cubs-manager-joe-maddon… "I guess Mr. Banks used to do it also," Maddon said. "This was more of an organic moment. I thought of it one day and said, 'God, I really like that.'"

per WSCR, Chris Sale has an avulsion fracture in his foot sustained not on the field (at home). No baseball activity for 3 weeks. I'm assuming the injury is to the base of the 5th metatarsal, which is the most common avulsion injury in the foot (but it could be some other area since the report didn't specify which bone). If it is the 5th Metatarsal base, it could be longer before he returns to pitching (like 6 weeks). Spring training DL, avoid it. re-run the video of Kerry Wood slipping in the hot tub

I really, really don't like this trend of Chicago teams losing (arguably) their best player to injury (Bulls, Hawks, now Sox). On the other hand, things happen in threes, so we're probably OK.

It just occurred to me that this really COULD be the year. It's not likely and statistically speaking we are probably a year away from serious contention. However they are actually putting the gas pedal down and how crazy will it be if things break right and The Sporting News is right about this year. It's possible. And that's really weird.

Rip Minnie Miniso Died just afte midnight to miss the worst February in Chicago sports history

Caferdo's Sunday column, Cub tidbits: Apropos of nothing
6. Former Red Sox roll call at Cubs camp: Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, Buddy Bailey, Mike Cather, Gary Jones, Ryan Dempster, Darnell McDonald, Tommy Hottovy, Peter Chase, Felix Doubront, Daniel Bard, Drake Britton, David Ross, Anthony Rizzo, Jonathan Herrera, Eric Hinske, and Lester.
Updates on nine
4. Welington Castillo, C, Cubs — Castillo will likely be dealt before the end of spring training with the Cubs going with Miguel Montero and David Ross. Castillo is drawing some interest, but it’s still too early in the spring for a deal. Scouts will soon begin their game coverage and that’s when reports are filed and dialogue begins.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/01/jake-peavy-reflects-winnin…

phillies down 4 runs to "university of tampa" in the 9th...their long season has already begun on a bright note even if it doesn't count.

THANKS WISC - Really interesting data you have provided. Another one of the many reasons why I have been coming around for 10 years or so. I noticed that of the 16 pythagorean examples you gave, 10 showed more wins than projected, 3 had less, and 3 had the exact pythagorean projection. So, by this sample, the pythagorean win total was wrong to the positive side of more than 60%. Wonder what the the historical accuracy is of this obsessive time waster?

Article in Trib today about Fowler - he's 6'5. That's one tall strike zone he has apparently mastered.

@CSNMooney Joe Maddon also confirms that Kyle Hendricks is essentially a lock for #Cubs rotation, leaving the No. 5 job up for grabs.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

Well, 7 pitches for 1 rotation spot, as Wittenmyer puts it, sounds bad, but it is really 5 because Beeler and Jokisch could simply go to AAA. I would guess 1 of Wood and Jackson is traded, and so Wood/Jackson and Wada will be the 5th man and long man, in some order. That just leaves Turner and Doubront, and if one of them really does really well, there could still be a spot in the pen. So if everyone performed great and no one got injured, at most they'd probably have one guy too many that they might have to trade on the cheap near the end of spring training. But chances are that someone will get injured and someone will shit themselves in Spring Training--it always happens--and this situation will work irself out. 

new spring training rule for all mlb players...foot protection must be worn at all times. "Corey Hart needed stitches after slicing his foot while getting into a hot tub at the Pirates' spring training complex on Sunday."

ZiPS projections are now available on Fangraphs player pages! Something to look at until there are spring training stats. So far I've noticed that compared to Steamer, ZiPS is high on Castro, Bryant, Fowler, Baez (30 HRs?!), and Alcantara, and low on Soler and Arrieta.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

I've read that the adjustment he's made to his swing is that he's lowered his hands. That would explain the continued high strikeout rate in Puerto Rico, getting used to doing something new after he's been doing it another way for awhile, but in the long term it should help him quite a bit. IF (all caps on purpose) this is an adjustment that he gets comfortable with, it may be all it takes to make him a dangerous hitter. If it isn't something that takes right away, it isn't like the Cubs don't have somebody (STELLA!!) who can probably step in at second while he gets more reps in Iowa. I think a change like that is a must. He's got a quick swing to say the least, but the high hands when he starts off seems to result in a crazy, wild thing approach at the plate. If he wants to stay in the bigs and avoid being the next Wild Thing, he's gonna need to master this change methinks.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

i know stats-based predictions generally only care about the past and are arbitrary in that respect in the grand scheme of things, but i feel like a chunk of people are really missing out on how soler swings a bat, his frame, and how decent of a selection he has if they're only paying attention to the stats-based projections. whatever harmed him in these projections (most likely all the time missed for some of them), i'd be taking the "over" on a lot of these projections. people expect good things out of him, but i think he's going to be mentioned in the same breath as bryant by the end of the year and i wouldn't be shocked at all to see him out-power rizzo.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I don't think we'll see Soler out-power Rizzo or Bryant any time soon only because he looks like he's got less loft in his swing. I do think it's possible that Soler will put more balls in play and maybe have a higher batting average than both Rizzo and Bryant and probably a K% more in Rizzo's territory than in Bryant/Baez territory. ZiPS seems to be predicting he'll only get about 1/2 a season's worth of plate appearances--they're carrying over the injury history for their prediction.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

i like how soler handles high pitches and inside pitches (especially fastballs). it seems his only real vulnerabilities are outside/wide zone pitches, which has made him look bad more than a few times, and some good breaking stuff. you can't really work him up the ladder because he'll put it over a fence, you're not going to fool the kid there. keep it outside, don't miss, toss some breaking balls late in the count, don't miss, keep it out of his power comfort area at the top of the zone, and most importantly don't miss. i really like how explosive he is at the top of the zone...really quick to get on the ball where many kids his age fail spectacularly (wuzzup, cpat?).

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I'm happy the story is raising awareness about this stuff, but I am not sure I give him kudos for deciding to get into a Twitter war with idiot college students. There were a bunch of stupid comments in response to his Tweet, he escalated with one of his own that was a bit threatening, and then the masses escalated in response.  What did he think was going to happen?  And I think it is funny that he views his veiled threat to these guys about having friends in the Special Forces as just something innocent that dads do and totally fine. That comment was not OK either. And he ends the article by encouraging cyber bullying of those who bullyed him, and he calls them out directly. If one of those kids commits suicide will he care as much as he seems to care about the issue at the beginning of the article. So much wrong with this from all sides, Schilling included.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Yeah, none of this is OK, and Schilling's response (and his description of the boyfriend's response, of whose "fighting streak" Schilling is proud) and the sexually threatening tweets are part-and-parcel of the same cultural problem. Schilling gets no significant kudos from me. Edit: I should say that publicly calling out individuals for threatening remarks made in a public forum (or, hell, privately) is totally appropriate.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

I wouldn't be a surprised if this was baiting by Schilling. He has been getting reamed on twitter about his creationist views, politics and video game company bankrupting Rhode Island. Wouldn't put it by him even if it involved his daughter. Not saying it was right of the idiots to threaten his daughter.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

No, hear me out. The assholes got everything they deserved (firings and expelled from school) I don't think Schilling thought it would go that far, but it did. I was listening to him on the DP show today and he was talking about "I've been on computers for 30 years" and then asked his daughter "if he could go after these guys" even though there would be "blow back". And how he's a target "because he's a republican". I'm sure I'm reaching, but it smells all Morton Downey with skinheads at the airport and Dusty and his "letters". It's not the Trestman daughters situation where people sought them out because they are his daughters. Don't mean to piss anyone off, but I wouldn't put it by him.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

put what past him though? Looking for attention, well, no shit.

In this case though, the attention is well-deserved at the assfucks that think they're are no repercussions for threatening rape over the Internet.

Or are you saying he staged all this somehow?

But if you're saying that this tweet was some convoluted plan to improve his image by inducing a twitter campaign about cyberbullying, then you're giving a guy who doesn't believe in evolution far too much credit for his smarts

Congrats to Gabby Schilling who will pitch for the Salve Regina Seahawks next year!!

I mean, just smell the baiting in that.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

probably a more reasoned response than mine, but I have two daughters and that shit scares the hell out of me and I can't say I wouldn't have done something similar.

The Special Forces comment is a pretty standard joke, a play off of let me get my shotgun, so it didn't bother me as much. As for the public shaming, maybe not the best effort, if he did it privately though, those 2 maybe still get reprimanded and maybe he could have made a posting about the whole situation and blacked out the names, but I'm not sure that would be a steep enough penalty. Those are 2 date rapists in training and no, I don't think it was just blustery internet talk. They are sick human beings and pretty much deserve to be brought up on sexual harrassment charges. I certainly hope they find the help and guidance and become better people over it, but they're pretty much sexual predators in my book. That girl was 17 they were talking about. They should be on To Catch A Predator and put in jail. So apologies for my bit of vigilante justice, but assholes are assholes, even at 18 and they deserved to be called as such. What those guys said, plus the two at the end, wasn't just inappropriate, it should be illegal and if they think it's okay because it's on the Internet, they need to learn a few lessons about the lack of anonymity.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

We are completely agreed in principle on the doucheness of those guys.

I just think there are better ways to handle it, through proper authorities. I worry, for example, that a Red Sox fan will get stirred up and attempt to be a hero for Schilling and there will be some sort of tragic dorm shooting incident or something. 

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

doucheness is too soft, criminal is far more appropriate...

The call to arms near the end was a bit much, but I have no problem whatsoever of reposting awful comments like that and leaving their identities up. They absolutely deserved to be fired from their jobs and discliplined by their universities.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I heard a story on the radio - probably NPR - about how some people think it's time to adopt some censorship laws on the internet, with the justification being the whole fire in the theater thing, that comments that threaten people should not be legal. I used to think that the supposed anonymity of the Internet allows people to think they can say things they never would say in public, but the more this stuff comes up the more I think that there are boys (real men don't threaten women) who really are a step away from actual rape. When you get to be my age, and you gradually learn that almost all women you've been exposed to in life in any kind of close way have been, at the very least, sexually harassed but usually worse, you then also realize that there are a lot of men who think it is okay to intimidate and sexually and/or verbally harass a woman. I'm not as interested in the criminalization of this activity as I am in pushing back against guys who have mentalities that belong in the middle ages. We all know, as men, it's wrong. Yet how many guys, including readers of this site, do it? More than will let on. They know it's wrong because they won't defend it here. So why do they do it? Because they can get away with it? Well, the rest of us need to stop letting them get away with it. So, thanks, Rob, for calling these scum out. And Schilling, too. I really don't care if he crossed a line here, and his politics are completely the opposite of mine.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

What's scary to me is that people have become so complacent that they will attach their real fucking names to these asshole statements. On my local city facebook page there was a post about how cops saved a girl from a heroin OD by giving her some new drug. Some asshole in the comments was like "why would they bother". I called him out on his assholeness.....especially because the name of his fucking business was attached to his name. I told him I would never use his business because he's a dick. He then visited my LinkedIn page and in the next comment threatened to blackmail me via my employer and/or sue me for slander. People are pricks.

Ok Cubs Fans....Sox Question. Is Minnie Minoso a HOF player? Much discussion going on, and just want a second opinion. Thanks.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Like a lot players who played in the Negro Leagues (Negro National League) prior to signing with an MLB club (like Monte Irvin, Larry Doby, and Roy Campanella), Minnie Minoso's career stats are a bit truncated. He also played in the Cuban major league (Serie Nacional) prior to signing with the NY Cubans.

As it is, he finished 2nd in A. L. Rookie of Year balloting his first season with the Cleveland Indians, was a seven-time All-Star, four time top-4 MVP and five-time top 10 MVP, a three time Gold Glove winner, and he was a premier player in the Negro National League prior to signing with the Indians, too.

He was the closest thing there was to a Jackie Robinson in the American League in the 1950's, a National League-style player who played in the league that generally devalued Negro League players (he probably would have been more-appreciated if he had played in the National League). But he led the A. L. in SB and triples three times, and in doubles twice, and he was a maniac on the bases and played LF like his hair was on fire. He helped put the "Go Go" in the Go-Go Sox of the 1950's, and he was the best all-around player on that team. 

BTW, I went to HS with Minnie's son Orestes Arrieta, who played on the state championship Evanston HS basketball team in '68. He was later selected to participate in the inaugural season of the Kansas City Royals Academy (which was originally designed to create baseball players out of athletes from other sports who had limited baseball backgrounds).  

 

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I also think he should be given much more serious consideration for the HOF. His entry to the major leagues was delayed because of the explicit color line (that Jackie Robinson broke), then possibly for at least a couple of seasons because major league teams didn't want to have "too many" black players on the team at once (which was the explanation for his trade to the White Sox). He put up a 5.5 WAR in his rookie season at 25 years of age and tore up AAA pitching for the previous two years. That indicates to me that he probably was major league ready before he was actually brought up to play. When a guy has borderline HOF numbers that were possibly held down due to things like the color line and he played such a pioneering role and did it with such enthusiasm and grace, I think he should be voted in. At any rate, a guy like him in the situation he faced should be given the benefit of the doubt

[ ]

In reply to by JoePepitone

JOE P: Minnie Minoso's birth year has been post-facto changed to 1922, meaning he was actually 23, 24, and 25 when he played for the New York Cubans in the Negro National League, 26 and 27 when he played in AAA, 28 in his MLB rookie season. and 37 when he had one of his best all-around career years (1960). 

BTW, a lot of established Negro League players (including Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Monte Irvin, and Minnie Minoso) were forced to spend one or two years in the minors prior to having a chance to play in MLB, even though they were established Negro League All-Stars in mid-career and had nothing left to prove in AAA. Future Hall of Fame 3B Ray Dandridge spent five years in AAA and never had a chance to play in MLB, despite winning the American Association batting championship twice. (Dandridge jumped the NNL Newark Eagles in 1940 and played in the "outlaw" Mexican League for a number of years, permanently red flagging him with MLB owners once he did begin to play white "organized" ball in 1949). 

There was a belief throughout MLB when black players first started to enter white "organized" ball that the Negro Leagues were strictly "minor league," when in reality they were an isolated shadow major league. But white Hall of Famers like Dizzy Dean, Ted Wiliams and Bob Feller continued to talk about the great Negro League players they played against in barnstorming games in the 1930's and 40's, and Ted Williams even mentioned the missing Negro League players in his Hall of Fame entry speech. 

So that's in large part why there was a special HOF committee established in 1971 to bring Negro League players into the Hall of Fame. Initially one player for each position (P Satchel Paige, C Josh Gibson, 1B Buck Leonard, 2B Martin Dihigo, 3B Judy Johnson, SS Pop Lloyd, LF Monte Irvin, CF Cool Papa Bell, and RF Oscar Charleston plus Manager Rube Foster) were elected, and a few more have been elected by HOF veterans committees in subsequent years.

But (somewhat unfortunately for him) Minnie Minoso was the rare Latin American Negro Leaguer, and he did not spend enough time in the Negro National League to be considered primarily a Negro League player. He spent 1945 playing in Serie Nacional (the Cuban major league) where he was voted Rookie of the Year, and then once he was given a chance to play in the Negro Leagues (with the New York Cubans, the one Negro League team that employed only black Latin American players) he was an East-West All-Star in both 1947 & 1948, and he was MVP in the Negro League World Series in 1947.  

BTW, he also played five seasons in the Mexican League (at age 42-46) after his MLB career was over. 

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

He's one of those guys that is right on the edge. JAWS has him as the 22nd best Left Fielder ever. By Peak (7 year) WAR he is 14th all-time for left fielders. His career WAR is in the Tony Oliva, Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Orland Cepeda range. Two of those guys are in but many don't think they should be. 

He really had a solid stretch from 1951-1960. Over those 10 seasons he put up 50.0 WAR. He was an All-Star in 7 of those seasons, won 3 Gold Gloves, was runner up for Rookie of the Year, and received MVP votes in 8 of those seasons with 4 top 4 finishes. And the team finished above .500 every year and made its first World Series appearance since the Black Sox scandal.

It's hard to ask for more than that.

But he was essentially done at age 34. He put up just 0.1 WAR for the remainder of his career, and he had the aforementioned stunts in 1976 and 1980 that hurt his image a bit.

Still, I think the trailblazing nature/ambassador to the game aspect of his career should put him over the line. No one has a problem with Larry Doby. They played at almost the exact same time, have almost identical career values (50.1 and 49.5 WAR), and Minoso did far better in awards than Doby. And Doby was essentially done after 10 years and his age 33 seasons too. So I'd give Minoso the nod.   

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

For me, he would be a no. Aside from being short in the counting stats (which I'd be willing to discount due to the historical context), I'd be looking for more in the way of big years for a corner outfielder. But he was a tremendous player. One note though: Minoso did not play on the 1959 White Sox pennant winners. He had been traded to Cleveland after the 1957 season for Al Smith and Early Wynn. The White Sox reacquired him following the 1959 season, as part of a deal that also included a young Norm Cash. Minoso was traded between the Indians and White Sox on three separate occasions.

[ ]

In reply to by dcf

Ah yeah, my mistake, misread that on the 1959 season.

As for big years, he had about 5 stellar seasons with WAR over 5.0 (one of which was over 8.0), high MVP finishes, and high placements on the league leader boards. Then he had another 5 just solid seasons, with WAR in teh 3-4 range.

He also tore up AAA pitching in 1949 and 1950 -- .855 and .945 OPS respectively. So had he been given a chance right away he'd probably be in (though you can say that about a lot of players throughout history)

[ ]

In reply to by dcf

it looks like Minoso got 8 votes (12/16 needed) in the last (Dec 2014) veteran's committee vote http://joeposnanski.com/the-veterans-committee-and-bad-math/
Here were the final totals — once more, players needed 12 of the 16 for election: — Dick Allen, 11 — Tony Oliva, 11 — Jim Kaat, 10 — Maury Wills, 9 — Minnie Minoso, 8 All of the following got fewer than three votes: — Ken Boyer — Gil Hodges — Bob Howsam — Billy Pierce — Luis Tiant
--------------------------------------- Ron Santo's year of election (Class of 2012, Dec 2011) went this way, (Called the "Golden Era" Committee):
Ron Santo Player 15 93.8% [16] Jim Kaat Player 10 62.5% Gil Hodges Player 9 56.3% Minnie Miñoso Player 9 56.3% Tony Oliva Player 8 50% [16] Buzzie Bavasi Executive < 3 < 18.8% Ken Boyer Player < 3 < 18.8% Charlie Finley Executive < 3 < 18.8% Allie Reynolds Player < 3 < 18.8% Luis Tiant Player < 3 < 18.8%
=========================== In 2011 the voting group was called the "Expansion Era Committee" and Minoso was not on that final ballot (Exec, Pat Gillick was voted in). It looks like Minoso was not on the final veteran's committee ballot of 10 names in 2009 but was on the preliminary ballot of 21 names. They had some rule changes that year because the previous 3 Veteran's committee had failed to elect anyone. Again, nobody was voted in although Santo got 39 of 48 votes. 2007, Minoso got 12 votes (63 required). Santo got 57 votes (Again, nobody elected). 2005, Minoso got 12 votes (60 required). Santo got 52 (Again, nobody elected). 2003, Minoso got 16 votes (61 needed), Nobody got in (Santo had 46 votes) all the other sources are from Wikipedia links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_balloting,_2009

Minoso's playing in 5 decade stuff made the BBWAA voting problematic. Because of the Post-career gimmickry, he got 8 PA in 1976 and 2 PA in 1980. His last year, 1980, which triggered when he was eligible for HOF voting was in reality 17 years after his real career had ended (1964). So many of the HOF voters probably never saw his prime. His true career went from 1951 (he had 20 PA in 1949) to 1964 and his last year of being an every day regular was 1961.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

it's all fun and games til the cubs miss the playoffs by a few wins and people non-stop muse about what might have been with bryant up earlier...stuff like this don't die til it's run it's course. if he breaks with the team in april it'll be a new narrative of whether it was worth bringing him up if he sucks for a couple months trying to do it and gets sent down. it's always something... that said, the service time thing needs some fixing...seems the mlbpa is setting up for a battle there next time they hash things out with the owners.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

they've been pissed with TB for a long time over this kind of stuff...practically a decade. the new guy in charge is pushing the issue a lot harder, though. i've read/heard angst going toward TB in the past, but the cubs got straight up put on blast over a potential "bryant issue" before it's even become a sure thing. at the end of the day, the cubs (especially being a very rich team) doing this might "ruin" it for everyone going forward. some smaller revenue teams have counted on this kind of stuff and being able to do it a little bit under the radar for quite a while even with rumblings from the union. it'll be weird to see where it all lands. service time is an extremely costly give/take for the players and owners...doubt anyone is gonna roll over on the issue no matter how much it's pushed.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

As I have posted before, I would think there will probably be some discussion going into the next CBA (the current one expires after the 2016 season) about changing the way players qualify for both salary aritration and Article XX-B MLB free-agency, not tying salary arbitration and free-agency to MLB Service Time, but rather connecting it to when the player signed his first contract. 

So for example, if the player was 19 or older on the June 5th prior to signing his first contract, the player would qualify for salary arbitation after five seasons and for free-agency after nine seasons (including time spent in the minor leagues) regardless of how much MLB Service Time has been accrued. For a player who is 17 or 18 on the June 5th prior to signing his first contract, it would be six seasons for salary arbitration and ten seasons to qualify for FA. And for players who were 15 or 16 on the June 5th prior to signing their first contract, it would be seven seasons for salary arbitration and 11 seasons for free-agency (again, combined time spent in the minor leagues AND MLB). NOTE: This is for players on an MLB 40-man roster ONLY.... minor league free-agency would remain the same, allowing a player on a minor league reserve list to be a Rule 55 minor league free agent (6YFA) after spending all or parts of at least seven separate seasons on a minor league Active List and/or minor league DL, including time spent in the minors on Opltional Assignment but not including DL rehanb assignments. 

That way an MLB club  could call up a player anytime, whenever they feel he's ready, last year, this year, Opening Day, mid-May, next season, whenever, and it wouldn't have any impact whatsoever on when the player would qualify for salary arbitration or when he would be a free-agent. And the club would get maximum value out of the player for as long as he is with the club (not keeping the player in the minors just to keep his Service Time clock from starting), and the player could start making big league money sooner rather than later. 

Since Kris Bryant was signed by the Cubs after being selected in the 2013 Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft) and he was 19 or older on the June 5th prior to signing his first contract, he would automatically be eligible for salary arbitration for the first time after the 2017 season (but only if he is on an MLB 40-man roster at that time) and he would automatically be eligible to be a free-agent after the 2021 season, regardless of whether he had made his MLB debut in September 2014, or makes it on Opening Day 2015, or mid-season 2015, or Opening Day 2016, or September 2016, whenever, doesn't matter. 

For a player like Javy Baez who was 17 or 18 on the June 5th prior to signing his first contract, he was signed after being selected in the 2011 June Draft, and so he would automatically be eligible for salary arbitration for the first time after the 2016 season (if he is on an MLB 40-man roster), and he would automatically be eligible to be a free-agent after the 2020 season, regardless of how much MLB Service Time he has accrued. 

For Gleyber Torres, who was signed as an Internatiional Free-Agent as a 16-year old in 2013, he would automatically be eligible for salary arbitration for the first time after the 2019 season (if he is on an MLB 40-man roster), and he would automatically be eligible to be a free-agent after the 2023 season. 

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

RYNO: In most cases, a player selected by a club in the Rule 4 Draft will remain on the club's Negotiation List until either the player signs, or until 5:00 PM (EDT) on the Friday that falls during the week July 12-18 (whichever comes first), and if a club does not sign a Rule 4 Draft pick by the deadline, the player is removed from the club's Negotiation List and becomes eligible for selection again in the next Rule 4 Draft in which the player would be eligible for selection. The exception to this rule is any college senior with no baseball eligibility left. This class of player remains on the club's Negotiation List until the player signs or until one week prior to the next Rule 4 Draft (whichever comes first). So (for example) the Cubs had to sign Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Javy Baez, et al, by the July deadline, or else they would have lost the right to sign the player.

Also, any player eligible for selection in the Rule 4 Draft who is not drafted ("Non-Drafted Free-Agent" or "NDFA") can sign with any club after the conclusion of the draft any time up until one week prior to the next Rule 4 Draft, unless and until the NDFA enrolls in a junior college or four-year college, in which case MLB Rule 4 Draft eligibility rules apply. But any player not selected in the Rule 4 Draft probably isn't much of a prospect, or he would have been drafted. 

In the case of 16-year old International free-agents, the best ones are signed on July 2nd (the first day they are eligible to sign). If a club were to try and string out the signing until after the conclusion of the season to gain an extra year toward free-agency twelve years down the line, the delay could result in the player signing with another club in the meantime, and the player's agent would likely not agree to such a delay (which would help out the club but harm the player), either. 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Two other issues which ciould be addressed in the next CBA are the National League adopting the DH, and an international draft on July 2nd with a pre-assigned Signing Bonus Value (SBV) for each  draft slot (like there is in the Rule 4 Draft) and with a signing deadline of August 31st. The draft could have as few as one or two rounds, and then all other international players would be free to sign with any club, just like they are now. 

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Not to me. I'm very aware that this might be the practical financial outcome of rooting for my team to have a competitive advantage. (You could also argue that if the team succeeds the players might thrive a bit too - though I'm not a fan at all of trickle down.). What I'm saying is that if I have an emotional attachment to the Cubs succeeding, that it transcends the immediate good of the owner and any player. Especially if they are both doing extremely well socio-economically. And that if my team plays within the rules to keep Bryant longer, and it doesn't effect him psychologically in a performance degrading way, and if the team succeeds. Then I and fans like me win. How am I being any more selfish than a player wanting money, or an owner wanting value? Especially given the fan's socio economic place comparatively.

AZ Phil, How are the minor league teams shaking out? Thanks.

HAGSAG: There are a number of minor league players attending the Cubs pre-season mini-camp at the Under Armour Performance Center at Riverview Park, and some of the position players attending mini-camp will probably get to play in MLB Cactus League games.

Minor League Camp officially opens next week and the first minor league Cactus League games should be on or about March 19th.   

"Maddon said he plans to get career second baseman Tommy La Stella acclimated to third base this spring, move middle infielder Javy Baez around a little bit, play super utility candidate Arismendy Alcantara all over the place and mix-and-match outfield combinations. Out of the gate, Anthony Rizzo – who batted third in 135 of 140 games during his breakout season last year – is hitting second in Thursday’s lineup, Maddon said. “I just want to try guys in different slots,” he said. “You’re going to see them in different spots the whole camp.”" http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/414462/batter-joe-maddon-look…

I am in fact worried about the left-handed bullpen depth and ecstatic to see Coke on a minor league flyer. I still think Doubront is likely to end up as Maddon's primary left-handed bullpen option.

Phil Coke is an Article XX-B minor league player, meaning he gets an automatic $100K retention bonus if he is not released by the 5th day prior to MLB Opening Day or added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster by MLB Opening Day, and he also gets an automatic 6/1 opt-out if he has not been added to the Cubs 40-man roster by that date.  

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.