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

TCR Donation Drive

So we've escaped the clutches of MVN, poked fun at Sam Zell's misguided attempt to sell naming rights to Wrigley Field and we have Arizona Phil. You're probably asking yourself right now, how can I help support this amazing website and make sure it lasts longer than Jason Marquis will as a Cub? Well, you can dress up in a Cubbie Bear costume, put on a sandwich board that says "Visit the best Cubs site on the web, THECUBREPORTER.COM" and stand outside Wrigley Field during each game of the next homestand. Be sure to get pictures if you do indeed go that route. We suspect that might not be your style, so if you're looking for a simpler alternative, you can just send us a bit of pocket change.

We're starting a little donation drive this month and we hope all that can help us out, will take a moment to do just that. This site did cost us a bit out of our own pockets to get started and now we have expenses such as domain names, server costs, Parachat and potential lawyer fees when the AngelFan Wife finally gets fed up with me burying my nose in a laptop. We'll take whatever you can scrounge up from the bottom of your couch cushions, whether it's a dollar or forty (or more if you have really deep couch cushions). If you're looking for a little guidance on an appropriate amount, if we could get 100 people to donate $20 each, that should cover our costs for the year (including Parachat) and leave a little left over for site improvements and advertising. We're even offereing some wonderful gifts to the top givers.

I have one copy of the Chicago Cubs Legends DVD set for the most charitable reader. For the second and third higest donations, you'll get a one year sponsorship on our Cubs 40-man roster and Cubs Depth Chart pages, similar to what Baseball Reference does. If there happens to be a tie anywhere among the top three, we'll literally have to flip a coin to determine the giveaways. So if you are donating, please be sure to include your TCR username in the notes section, if you have one, and at the very least, include your email address in there.

Now, we understand not everyone has the means to help us out with a straight cash donation, so there are a few other ways to support the site. One is by clicking some of the ads on the left and right sidebars or the bottom of the page (and soon on the top of the page). We've been instructed that we cannot directly solicit clicks by our readers, so only click on ads that interest you (lots and lots of times). And if you're wondering why are we asking for donations if we have advertising, well the answer is they don't pay much. You also have to reach a certain threshold before they pay out and we're not on pace to reach those for a few months.

If you like fantasy baseball, consider creating a free team on Rotohog as we get a little kickback from each new registrar from that referral link. Or what about opening a savings or checking account on ING Direct? With an initial deposit of $250 or more, they'll deposit $25 into your account and we get $10 put into ours. Unfortunately they don't have a direct link that works, but drop me a note and I can send you a referral email. It costs you nothing (you actually make $25) and you'll get some of the highest interest rates available on a standard savings or checking account. You can also visit our "TCR Approved" Amazon store and buy one of our recommended items. And this isn't just all the Cubs crap we can find on Amazon. All the items found there are items someone on the TCR staff has owned or viewed and endorsed.

Or just send us $20(or whatever you can afford)....

 

 

Comments

You can't charge for the Internet, maaaan. It's free and ethereal, like music. No, I'm in.

Hmm... I really want those DVDs. Is Rob willing to pony up for the s&h?

[ ]

In reply to by carlosrubi

Hmm... I really want those DVDs. Is Rob willing to pony up for the s&h?

Sure, what I'll actually do is get one of your countrymen that hang out at my Home Depot looking for work to bring it down to you. That should save me a few bucks. :)

 

 

On a just barely related note, how come all of Pittsburgh's first seven runs yesterday were earned w/ Cedeno throwing it into the stands & Ramirez throwing it underground & all? Not to defend Teddy's ERA since he too was culpable, but if either of those plays had been made the inning would have ended w/ less blood lost, right?

[ ]

In reply to by Mike Wellman

Yea... I was wondering the same thing, but I think it is because they called the Cedeno play a hit+error, so it wasn't "supposed" to be an out. That would explain the first two two runs. But I have no idea why the last three runs were considered earned.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

I know it's 'tradition' and all, but it doesn't seem right posting "Go, Cub's Go!" after a game like the one we saw yesterday. That thing should have been a 3 or 4 run win in the 9th. And how about some love for Lieber? Dude had a couple 3-minute innings (I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea).

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Both Ronny's and Rammy's errors in the inning were scored H+E's. Those runs only become unearned when they score on a play they normally wouldn't score on because they were either one or two bases further from home plate. Por ejemplo, a runner is on third base on a single as opposed to second base, where he would be without the H+E. Only then is that run unearned to the pitcher. Since the runs all came in on the McClouth triple, they would have scored after being on base anyway, so they are all earned.

Rob, one tip on the google ads to the left - it would be great if they could open in a new window or tab like the larger picture ads on the right do. I'm happy to click them a couple of hundred times during each Cubs game since I normally just sit with my computer on my lap anyway - but not if I have to keep using the back browser. I suppose you are not allowed to tell us the thresholds for the payouts on partiuclar ones?

I am a poor college student, or else i would. But i'll do my part by clicking on the ads in new tabs so i can just do it for the whole 90 minutes i sit in class and NOT watch the cubs game

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

i've known people who had sites that have click ads and get paid at X amount. However, for example the google ads they had, tracked the IP addresses of the clicks and disregarded clicks from repeat IP addresses within the same week (or some timeline) to avoid...well...what we're proposing to do...

[ ]

In reply to by CPH2133

You're right. I have Google ads on many websites I run and if you have repeat clicks from the same IP address not only will Google not count them but if they occur often enough Google will warn the publisher or even suspend/terminate them for fraud. So don't encourage people to click on the ads multiple times. No more than once or twice a month, maximum. Rob, another good supplementary source of income is Kontera. Kontera does in article advertising, simply by highliting a word and turning it into a link. They do that for 6-10 words per page, so it's not intrusive. Of course the regular readers won't click on them, but they aren't likely to click on any of the ads. One other source of income TCR should sign up for is to be a Stub Hub affiliate. You can sign up on Stub Hub or if you're a Commission Junction affiliate you can sign up through there. CJ runs the Stub Hub program anyway. I know the Google ads often come up with links to Cubs tickets, but with Stub Hub people can actually get decent tickets at normally competitive prices, to any sporting event, concert, etc. That's one of the affiliate programs that actually would be of value to the regular readers here - and casual readers.

The Public Broadcasting News team......Taking a break from our pledge drive........ to Kick some Burgundy Ass

The authors of TCR not named "trans" really do bust their assess, and the switch to an independent site required them to front a good amount of startup costs without any guaranteed return on it.

 

Please respond to this message with suggestions for how I might sweeten the pot for potential. contributors.  Personally, I am thinking along the lines of taking whomever finishes just outside of the top three donation spots, and incoporating them into a Very Special Game Recap or Very Special Letters from the TCR E-Mailbag..... Something like

 

Inning 5 - Top

  • Before the inning begins, Dr. Aaron B, that generous and quite good-looking TCR donor, streaks the field, doing cartwheels out to the pitching mound where he gives Zambrano a high-five.  Isn't Dr. Aaron B the coolest guy around?

Maybe CarlosRubi can smuggle some sort of Contriband to LA for Rob G? That could be his contribution to the TCR cause.

Rob, Have you guys considered BlogAds? They differ from traditional web advertising in that they aren't click-based. I have no idea what kind of traffic TCR is pulling or how much your current ads make you, but it looks like Dodger Thoughts is selling one ad space for $75/week and Baseball Think Factory is pulling $150/week each for two ads.

[ ]

In reply to by vorare

aw thanks...we're in the process of putting together some sort of ad model and package. We just threw some ads up now to get this thing going. They pay okay for our audience, but as I said, won't be seeing anything from it for a few months.

 As for a "clicking party", probably best you not do that. A few clicks a day would be great. Eventually we'll add a top ad banner and maybe some small text ads between posts, but that should be about it.

Just sent my donation based solely on the fact that you guys busted your asses taking us away the evil lords at MVN -- thanks for the hard work! Don't spend the dough on Angels tickets, Rob. Please.

BTW how about adding a donation-o-meter to the right sidebar right below Go, Cubs, Go?

[ ]

In reply to by carlosrubi

BTW how about adding a donation-o-meter to the right sidebar right below Go, Cubs, Go?

the sidebars are getting a bit cluttered already for my tastes...how about I just give an update each week in the TCR Friday Notes? 

 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I don't know. I'm not sure I've ever seen a successful donation drive that didn't have a large thermometer that could be colored in... Alternatively, maybe we can do a WGN TV-spot. We can all make mean faces and say things such as "Don't write me off" like we are really pissed off. And then Rob can say "TCR posters are our posters, please donate generously."

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

By and large, MVN treated us just fine.  Frankly, we're a rather hard-headed bunch of folks, and the Little Things just built up to the point where going independent was the logical thing to do.  Our most strident loyalists like playing it up, and we tend to encourage that "renegade" notion a bit.  But it really was about as amicable of a parting as you could expect, on all sides.

[ ]

In reply to by Transmission

Although, it must be said they didn't like us cussing so fucking much.  We kept asking to be exceptions to the uniform policies MVN was foisting upon other blogs, on the grounds that it'd cramp what we do and your enjoyment of what we do, and for the most part MVN relented.  But not on the cussing, those butt-assed shit-flingers held firm.  

 

So if you like your TCR occassionally rated PG-13, chip in a few bucks for that.   :)

Will you guys accept a 3rd party Out of State Check as a donation? I can send you one if you promise to hold it til next tuesday.

For the most part, Trans is right. However, MVN's advertising scheme, their tech support and their president, Evan Brunell, are God awful. They act as if writing for MVN was a privilege, not a hobby or --maybe-- resume-filler. I swear, if I had a dime for every time I was promised something that never arrived, I'd own the Cubs by now. I have a lot of respect for mr. Brunell; he's a very talented and successful young entrepreneur, but he has no people skills whatsoever. What is worse, half his top collaborators (like an anonymous former MVN baseball director) would rather deal with bloggers by themselves than to forward the issues to Brunell and they openly comment that with everyone who is willing to listen. MVN has all the makings of a web-dictatorship, a la Al @ BCB. I'm so glad TCR went independent. So friggin' glad.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

Rob is holding ST at an undisclosed location, and eventually will use it to shake down our readers:  pay up, now, or he releases ST back onto the message boards.

 

Ok, this has been fun, time to run.  

 

(and thanks, Tito) 

You folks need Senator Barack Obama or Congressman Ron Paul raising money for you. Those guys can rake.

Michael Barrett on the 15 day DL with a right elbow injury...word is he might be facing Tommy John surgery.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

That IS 3/44. Anyhow...with quotes like "Mark Prior, who had to end his throwing session on Tuesday halfway into it after experiencing tightness in his surgically repaired right shoulder" and "We just want him to keep feeling good about his shoulder" and "Prior was told by doctors that the tightness he experienced on Tuesday was not unusual"... ...I'm not going to go and call him a pussy like other people have, but doesn't this indicate to people that Prior is a lot more sensitive to twinges and pain than his peers? This indicates to me at least part of his injury problems over the years have been mental.

[ ]

In reply to by SheffieldCornelia

but doesn't this indicate to people that Prior is a lot more sensitive to twinges and pain than his peers?
You would be sensitive too if you had gone through what he has with his injuries. He SHOULD be sensitive, and he SHOULD be extremely careful with how he comes back. The last thing he wants to do is try to pitch through any tightness or pain right now.

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.