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

June 2005 Draft: Preview

Part 1: History of the Cubs draft Part 2: Trades & GMís Part 3: The Couldaí Been Cubs Weíve strolled through the tortured history of the Cubs draft, which perfectly leads us up to draft day 2005. A number of excellent articles exploring the history of the draft have come out in recent days and I recommend checking these out. Alan Schwarz The Magic of #5 Alan Schwarz Best, Worst Draft Picks Peter Gammons A Draft Unlike Any Other As for the Cubbies, theyíre slotted to pick 20th and scouting director, John Stockstill has only one philosophy when it comes to the draft,
We take the best available talent. To me, the only way to [draft] is to stack up the players, take the best ones, and that's it."
Here are some of the names being rumored to possibly be the Cubs first round pick. OF/LHP Brian Bogusevic (Tulane) A lefty pitcher or power hitting right fielder? No one is quite sure yet although the betting line is favoring a pitcher. Heíll most definitely be a first round pick and should go somewhere near the Cubs pick. Heís got a Mark Mulder type body (6í3î, 200)and has three good pitches, a fastball with some late sink, a circle change, and uses his slider as an out pitch. LHP Ricky Romero (Cal-State Fullerton) It appear the Blue Jays have a liking for him at the sixth spot but some say they may pass on him because of concerns with his velocity. Heís had a great season for one of colleges powerhouses, Cal-State Fullerton and had a good run with Team USA last year. Everyone raves about his competitiveness as well as his repertoire of pitches. Two fastballs, a 12 to 6 curve, a cutter and a late-breaking slider. INF Justin Bristow (Mills Goodwin HS, Virginia) Basball America just did a piece on Virginia becoming a new hotbed of amateur baseball talent. Also, as pointed out in the comments of a previous thread, the Cubs have been scouting the region heavily in recent years. Heís committed to the University of Auburn but a nice signing bonus may change those plans. Most believe heíll play the left side of the infield in the majors, probably a shortstop, maybe a third basemen, but he pitches as well reaching the low 90ís. Heís a big boy at 6í4î, 220 pounds, already plays good defense, has good power and above average plate discipline. My hunch says this is the Cubs pick, for what itís worth. OF Jacob Ellsbury (Oregon State University) Boydís World, one of the best college baseball web sites available, has devised a strength of schedule rating for college baseball teams. The top 5 are Oregon State, Cal-State Fullerton, Tulane, Texas and USC. In Pac-10 play, Ellsbury put up a line of .415/.504/.604 in 207 at-bats and even stole 21 bases in 29 attempts. He hits lefty and Baseball America says heís a Johnny Damon look-a-like with Damonís tablesetter skills. Plays some good defense as well. The Scott Boras class Since many teams donít want to deal with Scott Boras or the personalities associated with a young kid whoís decided heís worth millions without ever doing anything in professional ball, some of these players may drop on draft day. LHP Mark Pawelek (Springville HS, Utah) He's ranked as the top high school pitcher available in the draft, his stock has been rising of late due to an impressive performance in the Utah state playoffs. He's 6'2", 190 pounds with a fastball that touches 95 mph, a good curve and throws a change and splitter as well. Cubs haven't drafted a high school pitcher with their top pick since 1997 (Jon Garland), but might be too good a talent to pass up. RHP Luke Hochevar (University of Tennessee) Should go in top 10, possibly top 5 and is considered by many as the top arm in the draft. 6í4î, 198 pounds and has a K rate well over 9 so far this season. Emerged as one of Team USAís top pitchers last year. RHP Mike Pelfrey (Wichita State University) Itís between him and Hochevar for top pitcher in the draft. 6í7î, 210 pounds and a fastball that reaches the upper 90ís. Hopefully heíll turn out better then the only other Wichita St. alum I know, Darren Dreifort. RHP Craig Hansen (St. Johnís University) A relief pitcher who should go in the top 10, he emerged after a successful campaign in the Cape Cod league. Heís said to be the most major league ready player in the draft and throws both his fastball and slider with command. Apparently has an odd arm angle that throws off hitters as well. RHP Mark McCormick (Baylor University) 6í2î, 190 pounds with an upper 90ís fastball, nasty curve and a power slider. Listed having the best fastball among the college prospects but has some control problems, so sounds like the perfect fit for the Cubs. SS Tyler Green (Georgia Tech University) Green wasnít a certain first round pick before he signed with Boras and now he may be around in the second round. Supposedly an excellent baserunner with an okay glove and respectable swing. Iím hardly excited. Here are some other potentials.... RHP Wade Townsend Selected 8th by the Orioles last year but didnít sign. Stock has been dropping of late and goes with the Cubs philosophy of trying to pick up upper-round talent that other teams may have soured on (think Bobby Brownlie or Grant Johnson). Can't remember if he's a Boras baby or not. RHP P Cesar Carillo Small frame but went undefeated the last 2 seasons for Univeristy of Miami until recent loss. C Jeff Clement Plays for USC and has been projected as high as #3. Great plate discipline, power and defense has improved this year. God knows we could use a catching prospectÖwhy canít we trade picks again and move up in the draft? I believe the first round of the draft is being broadcast on mlb.com and we shall soon see who the Cubs will select. May his name be synonmous with Corey Patterson, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior and NOT Luis Montanez, Ty Griffin or Ben Christensen.

Comments

casey close is townsend's agent...a mini-boras...made a nice living fleecing brian cashman and others.

Wasn't Ben Christensen going along nicely until he got injured?

If teams shy away from the Boras pitchers, we are likely to end up with one. Unlike some other GMs, Hendry has a good working relationship with Boras.

>Unlike some other GMs, Hendry has a good working relationship with Boras. The Cubs are also a major market team that doesn't mind digging deep into its pockets to sign draft picks. Scott Boras has got to like that.

The NYM signed Danny Graves today. Terms were not disclosed yet.

I don't know when Christiansen got injured but he only had one good year in 2000. That is it, so I cannot say that is my definition of "going along nicely." He is simply a mediocre reliever at AA now with a heavy conscience.

If you can't watch the draft on mlb.tv, you can also use the MLB drafttracker, which updates live as the picks are made. It can be found at mlb.com. 12 picks are in and most of the names above are still available.

17 picks down, Hochevar, Bogusevic, Pawelek and Hansen still available.

18 picks down...all 4 still available along with Bristow.

MLB.com's only critique of Pawelek had nothing to do with his talent or makeup - the only downsides they mentioned were his age and his signability.

Hochevar did not get taken in the first round...the Boras factor at work?

I'm pretty excited about the pick, it looks like he has some serious big league potential. Now lets get him signed right now and started in the minors ASAP ;-)

How about those Giants, no picks until the fourth round, and all so they could afford to field that great MLB team they've fielded this year.....

If Pawelek is Mormon, won't he need to do mission-work some time in the next few years, and could that impact his development? (I guess it's possible that the Cub clubhouse could be considered mission-work, given the team's seemingly current focus on "positive personalities").

Marlins four picks in the first 43, draft four pitchers, three of them out of high school.

DC Tom, Check out the article posted by daniel. There's a quote posted at the end from Pawelek about his mission: Like many Utah natives, Pawelek is a Mormon. But he has already decided that whether he plays college or professional baseball that he will pass on his two-year mission to focus on the sport he loves. "Both baseball and the mission are important to me," Pawelek said. "But I never want to give up baseball."

Thank's Shawn. Ivan De Jesus Jr. was just drafted by the Dodgers...

Maybe this is just me, but mormons creep me out. I would certainly hope that he'd realize it behooves him more to make millions as a baseball ace, than to make nothing trying to convince people that two civilizations (of which there is no archeological record) built enormous settlements across America back in the day and fought until one person was left from the two warring tribes. I'm going to take my pet bigotry back and put it in the closet now. Back to the baseball!

Correction, Marlins with FIVE picks in first 44, and 4 of those are HS pitchers.

"two warring civilizations" that "fought until one person was left from the two warring tribes." Sounds like a description of the 2004 ALCS.

Interesting book re fundamentalist Mormonism (which is totally disavowed by the "official" church):Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer

in other news, the newest ASG vote tallies are out, and Pujols still leads D-Lee by over 300,000 votes Pujols - 748,844 D-Lee - 435,404 But Nomar is still the leading NL SS vote getter......

what's with the Mormon bashing? I bet you wouldn't go on here and make openly bigoted comments if he was Jewish.

in other news, the newest ASG vote tallies are out, and Pujols still leads D-Lee by over 300,000 votes Pujols - 748,844 D-Lee - 435,404 But Nomar is still the leading NL SS vote getter......

in other news, the newest ASG vote tallies are out, and Pujols still leads D-Lee by over 300,000 votes Pujols - 748,844 D-Lee - 435,404 But Nomar is still the leading NL SS vote getter......

Yes, let's put some of the bigotry back in the closet. My HS was about 30% mormon and they composed about 50% of my friends. In grad school, I know a mormon married couple that that refused a traditional mormon wedding because (like most other forms of Christianity) the Vows included an oath of subserviance from the woman. And since ALL forms of faith require (by the very definition of faith) believing things that cannot be proven, maybe we should avoid comparing whether the faith of one religion is any more implausible than the faith of another. Generalizing from Extremely Large Groups to the Individual is just as dumb where Mormons are concernes as it is for any other Extremely Large Group. The fact that this guy has plans to go to ASU when he grew up in Utah and plans on skipping his mission work should, if nothing else, start puncturing some of the stereotypes...

Why wouldn't the Cubs go after Danny Graves? They still need some help in the bullpen!

I'm thinking that the main reason is that Danny Graves blows.

Dang, we already signed our first-rounder? Guess Hendry DOES work well with Boras. excellent.

re: Ben Christiansen. A few years ago he threw a ball at a guy in the on-deck circle who had been timing his swings and broke his eye socket, screwing up his face and vision for life. I think that had something to do with the Cubs decision to release Christiansen last year, although the official statement didn't make mention of it.

couple quick hits to resolve the mormon issue: 1) "Jew" is an ethnicity. "Mormon" is a religion. That's like knocking me for complaining about Scientologists (who creep me out as well) by saying "what are you going to knock Mexicans next?" 2) Any church that believes women can only enter the highest level of heaven if they have a husband to vouch for them and has a longterm crisis of child abuse deserves criticism in my book. Just not on a cubs blog. Anyway...anyone have any word on the other two? The names don't ring a bell.

Also...am I insane or did we already draft Donald Veal in 2003...?

While you can't ever have too much pitching, shouldn't the cubs draft some position players instead of loading up on pitchers that they will never trade.

Daniel, I think the White Sox drafted Veal in 2003, so you might have read about his drafting in the Chi-town papers. Unless, of course, by "us" you mean "The White Sox. If that's the case, i bite my thumb at you!

Re: Christianson I'm pretty sure the incident that is being referred to happened during his college career as I remember it was quite a big deal in my area. And the Cubs drafted him anyway.

that's what it was. sorry for the brain fart. rooting for the white sox? in the words of "the princess bride," death first.

jedi, you're right - i just researched it. i remember some people threatening to boycott the Cubs if he ever made the major league team.

Never mind the Holliman signing, that was my mis-reading the Baseball America blog.

Nate, Christiansen hit the guy while he was in college. The Cubs drafted and signed him after that. And as far as religion goes: as a devoted agnostic leaning toward atheism, I feel free to bash all religions. No one seems any goofier than another to me. Mormons want to believe Jesus walked around in the woods of North America? Why not? Christians and Jews think two of every animal were coaxed onto a boat and sailed around for 40 days? You go, girl. Religious fanatics, be they Christian, Muslim, Jewish are find a way to get us all killed some day. Here's a philosophical question: Can a fan of a team that hasn't won a championship in almost a century believe in an all-loving God?

Mormons don't hold identical beliefs any more than Moslems or Catholics or Baptists or Cub Fans or Republicans or Socialists or Chinese do. The Child Abuse thing is just nuts. Do you also hold all Protestants accountable for the 30 Years War? Dirk Nowitzki accountable for the Holocaust? Americans for genocide of Native Americans? Lay off of it, Daniel, before someone out there uses your logic to accuses all TCR readers of being bigots. Regarding Cub Fans and belief in God: Personally, I would wager that Cub fans are also more religiously observant than the average sports fan. You have to have a strong sense of faith, to wander around lost in the desert for forty years, or to wander around lost in Chicago for 100 years. To expand it further, think of all the temptation that Cub fans have had, with the False Prophets of 1945, 1969, 1984, 2003.... Cub Fans make Job look like a whining malcontent weeny. When they write the Third Testament, the book of Santo will make Ecclesiastes or Lamentations look like child's play.

Woah woah, sorry guys, can you elaborate a little more about this guy who throws at people in on-deck circles? He did it on purpose?? Is there an article or something I can be directed to?

I should add, that story is several years old. Hunting for more recent articles.

Thanks guys, though don't worry about finding newer stories-- you don't go out of your way to hunt for articles that will make me depressed!

you dont need to*** go out of your way Yeah, someone somewhere in my life had told me to proofread before I post...

Neither of the links posted seems to get into the culpability of the Wichita State pitching coach, who said that he ordered his pitchers to "brush back" people in the on-deck circle who tried to time pitches during warm-up..... The first article mentions it just briefly, but from what I've read elsewhere, the pitching coach got off much more lightly than what he may have deserved.

Jewish isn't a Religion? Interesting. I am Jewish, and I'll tell you that if you said about Jews what you said about mormons, I would have absolutely been offended, and rightfully so. You are are judging mormonism off of what you have read in a book, probably half of it is based on a few extremist headline grabbing cases. I had a very good friend in college who was Mormon. She told me how she thought Mormon bashing was one of the last acceptable forms of of stereotyping left in this country. I kinda laughed, but 10 years later, I realize she is absolutely correct. People read a couple tabloid wortthy articles, and judge a whole religion based on it, and feel that it is ok to rip it openly. Daniel, what you said is not ok, under any circumstances. You are stereotyping and showing a ridiculous prejudice, that is based in ignorance. So next time, before you use a baseball fan site to rip on any religion or group of people...think twice, and shut up.

transmission is taking things a bit personally. i'm not knocking individual people. i too have some friends who are mormon. but the statistic bear out what i said (i work in politics and among other things work on child advocacy issues). as a avid fan of religion, albeit a disbeliever, i've researched all the world's major faiths. only two really creep me out (other than minor cults): scientology and mormanism. does that mean their followers are all bad people? no. does it mean that i wouldn't be friends with someone who was a follower? no, unless i've been living a lie all these years. this conversation is totally silly to be having here, but i just wanted to say that while there are tons of words to describe me, bigot isn't one of them. un-PC, maybe. outspoken, for sure. but bigot, no. ok. back to baseball. for real this time.

We aim to serve, BC, even if it means making you depressed! Lol. Ben Christiansen is a name that is best forgotten, in my opinion.

daniel, your point is well taken - but as someone who's researched all the world's religion, i'm still surprised by your assertion that "Jew" is an ethnicity, not a religion. I think my aunt - who converted to Judaism and because a Rabbi - might disagree. I was born into a Jewish family but since I don't practice I don't consider myself Jewish. Replace "Jewish" in that sentence with "Mormon" or "Catholic" and it's the same thing.

religious jews are either hassidic, orthodox, reformed, etc. they aren't just "jewish." that was my point. they have a common ethnic link (jew) with different religious affiliations ranging from literalist to atheist. that's all i'm saying.

Fair enough, Daniel. It is something I'm personally sensative to, because as I mentioned, most of my childhood friends were mormons and I've never met one I haven't respected and liked. Have I mentioned that I'm an atheist leftist who also has a history in child-welfare work? But you're right, we've both taken away from what should be a happy day for the Cubs. I have nothing else to say about that topic. So back to ball! I love the Athletics. The third, fourth and fifth picks in the draft were all high-school pitchers. Bless them, they really aren't a dogmatic organization, they're just about finding the inefficiency in the system and exploiting it. Now that EVERYONE is drafting college players, the A's see that high-school talent perhaps is undervalued. So they zig just as everyone else has zagged.

I agree, Transmission. I feel horrible for Molina... that's a horrific story. Ew, now I'm ashamed to have the same initials as him. I need to think of a new posting name.

it's rare, but there are Jewish people who have converted, and aren't born Jewish - so they don't have the ethnic link. ok that's the last i'll post on the subject, i promise. Anyone know what number the next Cubs pick is?

Trans, The A's are a good way of brining this whole conversation together, as it seems from Daniel's comments that it is fundamentalist Mormon dogmatism that he disagrees with, not individual Mormons or the religion as a whole (not to put words in your keyboard, Daniel). Fundamentalist, dogmatic thought i think is one of the greatest dangers to any group in society, be it a religous group or a baseball organization. The A's aviodance of following the fundamentalist "draft college kids" dogma is why they're so good. Also note they don't follow the "on base hitter are the bomb!" dogma anymore, either, as they have moved on to the more severely underrated qualities of speed and defense. Another case of zigging when everyone else is zagging in their tracks.

I know this conversation needs to end. But Hassidic, Reform, Conservative are all religious sects of Judiasm. What ties them together is their belief in the old testament, and the belief that the messiah has not yet returned. That's a religious belief, that defines any religion. There are absolutely aspects of Judiasm that could be considered an ethnicity, but that is ancillory to the religious doctrine that makes one "Jewish". OK...end of that for me. I like our first pick in the draft...although I don't put a whole lot of stock in the draft personally.

Nate, its at 160 and its Scott Taylor, a RHP straight out of a high school in VA.

Trans, You'll be happy to know the A's took another high school hurler in the 5th round. The anchors on MLB.TV are befuddled as to why they've reversed their own trend. You should be there, telling them what is what.

There's any one of tens of thousands of A's fans and stat-people who could tell them. The A's are, above all else, a pragmatic team. But Moneyball was a dogmatic book. It was all "hooray science! hooray stats!" when it should have been "hooray creative-problem-solving-skills!" But "hooray science" tends to solve more books.

solve = sell.

So much for my hunch, as far as I can tell, Bristow hasn't been drafted. I assume he's decided to go to Auburn and scared away the big league clubs. The Cubs once again try to steal upper round talent cause of signability issues, hope this one works out for the Cubs. Sounds like Pawelek already has a fastball/curve combo that is pretty deadly, if he can develop his change and/or splitter, the majors will be waiting for him. Probably a top 5 pick if this draft was 10 years ago.

Well, personally I'm offended that you said Mormons weren't an ethnic group.

Very interesting draft day so far. To have selected and signed their #1 pick on the same day is significant for these reasons: 1. Pawelek is a Boras client, and Boras rarely has high school-age clients. Moreover, Boras clients aren't easy to sign. 2. I can't remember the last time the Cubs signed their #1 pick the same day they drafted him. 3. Pawelek, if he comes in without any overuse issues, can go straight to the Cubs' Rookie League team in Arizona and start pitching in a few weeks. I know it's not the same as the NFL draft and will never be, but I like MLB draft day. And, for the Cubs in 2005, Hendry, Stockstill, et al. are off to a great start.

More Pujols... The Cards just drafted Wilfrido Pujols, cousin of Albert. He was drafted at the end of the 6th round, 200th overall. Lets hope shocking the world doesn't run in the family...

With their 5th round pick, 160th overall, the Cubs have taken Scott Taylor, a RHP from Hermitage High School in Virginia. With their 6th round pick, 190th overall, the Cubs have selected Kyle Reynolds, SS from Baylor University. With their 7th round pick, 220th overall, the Cubs have selected David Taylor, a LHP our of Baylor University.

So..... it'd be fair to say that Albert and Wilfredo are just a couple of Pujols? (ducks)

I am pleasantly surprised to see a few athiests or almost athiests (Trans and TBONE) on here. That is great! I am a straight up athiest, no strings attached...

The Astros just drafted Koby Clemens, in a further attempt to keep Roger Clemens for a season or two more.

i'm a jack of all faiths, master of none. meaning that i think religion is really interesting and totally inapplicable to my life. so i'll go with agnostic, at that seems a bit more intellectually honest than atheism to me. maybe all these non-god-fearing cubs fans are the reason we're so starved for championships? not enough people praying we make the world series?

If anything besides Jewish, I'm agnostic...as I believe there is no evidence that there is a higher power...but also no evidence that there isn't as well. I don't pretend to be wise enough to know how the world turned out the way it did, so I question the existance of "God", but I don't discount it all together. "so i'll go with agnostic, at that seems a bit more intellectually honest than atheism to me." I just read that...exactly my opinion.

Didn't the Cubs just draft a pitcher they also drafted last year? I think it was Trey Taylor, taken in the 7th round, maybe. I think they drafted him in the 20 round last year.

and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the awesome power of the cubbies. adam and i went from arguing to agreeing on two things: agnosticism and a love of the cubs. kind of makes you cry, doesn't it?

I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones -- I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan...I know things. For instance -- There are 108 beads* in a Catholic rosary. And -- There are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. But it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. You see, there's no guilt in baseball... and it's never boring. --- * This actually refers to Buddhist beads, and represents the number of earthly desires a disciple must conquer

The Pawelek draft-and-sign is a tremendous coup and was clearly worked out by Boras and Hendry ahead of time. Long-term, if he wants to be a force with amateurs, Boras needed to duck the "signability" label -- what HS or college kid would risk his potentially only shot at a payday with slipping a round or two because of Boras's reputation? And Hendry gets a top 10 pitcher at pick number 20, and in a "thin draft" nonetheless... Can't wait to see Pawelek in Arizona!

That's a real good point, Tom. I have wondered for a while if Boras wouldn't be forced to make some constructive actions in order to change his reputation, since it seems to my untrained eye that his reputation is costing many of his clients...

"For instance -- There are 108 beads* in a Catholic rosary. And -- There are 108 stitches in a baseball." Is this actually true? If so, JackieT is my new favorite person. Yeah, so far my inclination is to say Hendry's done a great job today. I think you have to give him a lot of credit for this year so far. If only more things rhymed with his name we could supplant that "in dusty we trusty" tripe with something more apt. Also, am I the only person who is starting to feel like we got the better end of the Sosa deal, even with having to pay some money? Sammy's value was practically nothing, and we got a Hairston. Knock him all you want, but he's 7th in average on our team (4th if you don't include guys with a handful of hits) and second to D-Lee in OBP. He's a little rough sometimes, but he's hardly been the disappointment everyone claims. Could we really have fetched an a-list prospect from any team? Do you honestly think everyone else in the league didn't know, like we know, that Sosa is done?

108 earthly desires conquered? I do that daily. DAMN YOU KRISPY KEREME AND INTERNET PORN!!!

Trans, look at where Hochevar, another Boras client, went -- supplemental round. It would have been a disaster to Boras's ability to recruit amateurs if both Hochever and Pawelek has slipped. Hendry and Boras have helped each other out before (Maddux and I-Rod signings in particular). Talk about "problem solving" approaches...working with an agent that perhaps 1/3 of all GMs eschew is a credit to Hendry.

Chad and Daniel, I believe that Jackie is quoting from Bull Durham.

Regarding Boras, check out AB's Fourth Outfielder and the related story, not what I was expecting... The Cubs have had 13 picks so far today: 8 pitchers (5 Righties, 3 Lefties, 6 college, 2 High School) 3 Shortstops (2 college, 1 HS) 2 Catchers (Both college) Also the draft was instituted in order to give the weaker teams a fair chance to compete, but once again, what many consider to be the better talent has dropped to the lower picks because of money. Hochevar went 40th to the Dodgers despite being considered one of the top pitching prospects in the draft, Pawelek went to the Cubs at 20th and Craig Hansen went 26th to the Red Sox. The next time the CBA is up, I fully expect some rule changes such as fixed bonuses depending on draft slot and a few others.

http://www.whysanity.net/monos/bull2.html Annie: I believe in the church of baseball. I've tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there's 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there's 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. (she sighs) But it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. Y'see, there's no guilt in baseball, and it's never boring. (she giggles) Which makes it like sex. There's never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn't have the best year of his career. Making love is like hitting a baseball. You just gotta relax and concentrate. Besides, I'd never sleep with a player hitting under .250. Not unless he had a lot of RBIs and was a great glove man up the middle. Y'see, there's a certain amount of life wisdom I give these boys. I can expand their minds. Sometimes when I get a ballplayer alone, I'll just read Emily Dickenson or Walt Whitman to him. And the guys are so sweet, they always stay and listen. Of course, a guy'll listen to anything if he thinks it's foreplay. I make them feel confident, and they make me feel safe -- and pretty. 'Course what I give them lasts a lifetime. What they give me lasts a 142 games. Sometimes it seems like a bad trade. But bad trades are part of baseball. Who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for god's sake! It's a long season, and you gotta trust it. I've tried them all, I really have. And, the only church that feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the church of baseball.

Daniel, I agree with you that the Sosa trade has been well, but it's because Sammy has not re-found his knowledge of the strikezone that he lost two years ago and the play of Murton and Fontenot. I am disappointed in Hairston, a 3.6 VORP (compared to other 2Bs) simply is not the super-sub they they were getting. I would be surprised if Hairston is on the team next year -- and I could package Hairston and Mitre for a young and promising slugging corner OF (Jason Bay? Jason Lane? Jason and the Argonauts?), I'd drop my Rosary baseball in a heartbeat.

I heard that when Christensen came to Chicago and took a tour of the clubhouse, Morandini would not shake his hand or agree to meet him. Supposedly, that helped send Morandini out of town after the '99 season.

It's been kind of interesting reading today considering the fact that I'm a Mormon. It seems that there are a lot of people who are getting their information second, or third hand and a lot of it really isn't right. That said, It really doesn't bother me a whole heck of a lot. I like and respect all faiths, Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, Bhuddists, Muslims, etc......unless they're Mets fans.

I hadn't heard that. If it's true, I have even more respect for Morandini than the considerable amount I already had. Where did you hear that?

Cub Fans make Job look like a whining malcontent weeny. When they write the Third Testament, the book of Santo will make Ecclesiastes or Lamentations look like child's play. Posted by: Transmission at June 7, 2005 12:44 PM transmission. that was priceless. thank you for making me whoop, holler, and snort.

Bull Durham indeed. Sadly, Annie's a sucker for the sucker stat, RBIs. DC Tom, you'd be right regarding Boras if these players were harmed by being picked late. But this isn't necessarily the case. One, they are generally going to more successful organizations. The later the pick, generally the better the club, and the clubs that are able to meet Boras' signing bonus demands are generally the clubs that are also willing or spend more on their rosters. Two, it doesn't seem to be the case that salaries are slotted to draft order (like you see in the NFL). My impression was that Boras clients that slip are still paid based on their talent level, not their draft position. Do I think it's in the player's best interest to sit for a year dickering over their first contract? No. Presuming they will have successful careers, this simply delays their development and delays arb-eligibility. But presuming a Boras client slides but signs relatively quickly, he's not harming them a bit.

Maybe this was said in this thread already but Morandini paid for the injured kid's hospital bills. That was a huge black eye for the Cubs and why Morandini was dumped. I mentioned this when the "Dandy Little Gloveman" (as Chip used to call him) sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game. I'm suprised he was asked.

Daniel, I agree with you that the Sosa trade has been well, but it's because Sammy has not re-found his knowledge of the strikezone that he lost two years ago and the play of Murton and Fontenot. I am disappointed in Hairston, a 3.6 VORP (compared to other 2Bs) simply is not the super-sub they they were getting. I would be surprised if Hairston is on the team next year -- and I could package Hairston and Mitre for a young and promising slugging corner OF (Jason Bay? Jason Lane? Jason and the Argonauts?), I'd drop my Rosary baseball in a heartbeat.

Daniel, I agree with you that the Sosa trade has been well, but it's because Sammy has not re-found his knowledge of the strikezone that he lost two years ago and the play of Murton and Fontenot. I am disappointed in Hairston, a 3.6 VORP (compared to other 2Bs) simply is not the super-sub they they were getting. I would be surprised if Hairston is on the team next year -- and I could package Hairston and Mitre for a young and promising slugging corner OF (Jason Bay? Jason Lane? Jason and the Argonauts?), I'd drop my Rosary baseball in a heartbeat.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • 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?