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

Game 17 Thread / Pirates @ Cubs (2 of 3)

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP *Tom Gorzelanny
SP
Jason Marquis
  1-1, 6.75, 6 K, 11 BB
0-0, 5.23, 4 K, 6 BB
       
CF *Nate McLouth
CF
Reed Johnson
2B
Freddy Sanchez
SS
Ryan Theriot
LF
Jason Bay
1B
Derrek Lee
1B
*Adam LaRoche
3B
Aramis Ramirez
RF
Xavier Nady
RF
*Kosuke Fukudome
C
#Ryan Doumit LF
Mark DeRosa
3B
Jose Bautista
C Geovany Soto
SS
Brian Bixler
2B
Ronny Cedeno
P
*Tom Gorzelanny
P *Jason Marquis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No kidding--starting pitchers' combined K:BB ratio this season is 1:1.7.

The Cubs go for five in a row this season against the Pirates and their eighth overall versus the Bucs dating back to last September.

Chicago-area native Gorzelanny was the starter in the game last week at Pittsburgh which the Cubs wound up winning 10-8 in 12 innings. The lefty was charged with the first 7 Cub runs and was gone by the middle of the third inning. He has made three career starts in Wrigley, however, and in two of them, he pitched a combined 15 innings and allowed just one run.

Marquis is coming off a so-so effort last Sunday at Philadelphia (2 runs, 4 hits allowed in 5 IP), though it was his first game back after a strep throat, so maybe it was more Herculean than I'm giving him credit for.

Miserable weather forecast for Chicago this afternoon.

Murton update: The Cubs officially announced the Murton recall and the E-Pat demotion. In addition to the Pirate lefties in the Cubs' immediate future, the Mets, Rockies, and Nats, the Cubs' next three opponents, are all southpaw-rich, which could create opportunities for the Redhead.


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Comments

I haven't been able to watch the game, but according to Yahoo's game notes: "CHICAGO FIRST BASEMAN DERREK LEE LEFT THE GAME IN THE TOP OF THE SIXTH INNING WITH AN UNDISCLOSED INJURY."

I'm watching. Bob and Len don't think so. They said Lou is trying to get D-Ward some at bats in the blowout. Speaking of which - Ward is now on the board with a 2-Run HR. Apparently he got tired of getting ragged on for grounding out to the right side...

Would love an update on Lee. Too bad for the blackout. As a west coast denizen, I get to watch the Cubs mainly on the weekend (they play while I'm at work mainly) at a bar w/ DirecTV or Extra Innings. The wife and I went down to our favorite watering hole for bloody marys and breakfast for the 10:05AM game, only to remember it gets blacked out because FOX and MLB suck ass....sweet. Hey Rob, the new get up with the mobile phone redirecting broke something for me. My blackberry w/ OperaMini browser always gets a page not found error, while I can surf to just about anything else I desire. Any ideas? Used to work fine, and I actually liked loading the full main page with OperaMini's zoom features.

watching the reds lose in 10 innings to the brewers, and the little brennaman plus his color man are pretty baffled as to why dusty would double switch norris hopper into the 4th spot up in the bottom of the 10th when they're already down by two, when hatteberg is still on the bench. would you rather have a lefty with some power facing gagne as the tying (or winning run) or little righty norris hopper? doesn't matter, hopper ends the game in the on deck circle, brewers are now 4-0 in extras, all 10th inning wins. but it's ok, bc CUBS WIN! and marquis looked great.

(rotoworld) David Weathers left Saturday's game in the 10th inning with an apparent elbow injury. It didn't look good. Weathers clearly felt something in his elbow go while delivering a pitch that ended up well wide of home plate, and he signaled for the trainer immediately. Expect him to spend some time on the DL.

he had a "little stiffness in his neck" --Lou Piniella postgame

I'm sure most people are still pretty checked-out on Ronny Cedeno, but I've been fairly impressed with him in his admittedly small sample size. I am slightly encouraged by the 3 BB to 2 K he has put up in 15 ABs so far. If the scouts are correct, and his upside really is bigger than TheRiot's, maybe its not a bad time to see what we could get for TheRiot somewhere else...while he is hitting .302 and playing a solid SS. Of course, maybe the reverse is true, dump Ronny while he isn't completely reverting to his 2006 form.

[ ]

In reply to by Jordan

Ronny looks like he's still got a hole in his swing up and in and he often swings at pitches that he shouldn't (and often makes contact), but overall his plate appearances have looked more deliberate and more patient. He certainly has more pop than Theriot and more range and a stronger if not very accurate arm at SS, but his success at the plate will likely depend on his ability to make consistent contact and take more walks. Theriot will have to either hit for a high average or see his walk rate increase dramatically to be valuable offensively. Cedeno, on the other hand, will only have to hit for a moderate average if he can increase his walk rate because he has more doubles power and will occasionally knock one out. Cedeno is also plenty fast enough to steal bases, maybe faster than Theriot, but he hasn't demonstrated the ability to steal often or at a high percentage yet. I like his upside a lot more than Theriot's because of the tools he has, but I'm not sure why he hasn't put it together yet and I've heard some discouraging reports on his attitude and personality--for what that's worth.

Ronny is almost 3.5 years younger than TheRiot. He is only 25, and could take some time to develop. He does have a similar number of ABs in the bigs as TheRiot. Not sure about TheRiot's development in comparison to Cedeno, but I recall he played through college (LSU?). Not to compare the two directly, but ARam learned a lot after he developed through his 20's. Took him until he was 26 or so to really cut down on his K rate, he had 100 one year w/ the Pirates. ARam came to the cubs when he was about 25, and it was just then that he really started to consistently take walks and lower his K rate. He turned into a much better player than his previous record, except for his one standout season with the Pirates, which might damage my argument a bit. Either way, I think Cedeno is still *really* young for this game. I'd like to see the Cubs figure out a way to make him useful, or get some serious value for him. Not sure if TheRiot is the answer in the two-spot, but not sure Cedeno fits that bill either.

Excellent points on Cedeno, and I said before the season started he could be the best SS on the roster. I think we should give him an extended look. I LOVE Theriot on my bench, where his defensive versatiliy, speed, and ability to hit for contact are invaluable. But not in the lineup.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

I think Q-Ball is saying that Cedeno could be that "real shortstop" what would push Theriot back into the utility role, though I know many people would disagree. I myself am unsure. I would think, though, that if/when Theriot stops hitting, Cedeno will get at least a little time to show what he can do. I liked the Aramis Ramirez comparison that someone made earlier. A-Ram didn't become a consistent hitter or fielder until 2004, and he was older than Cedeno is now. I'm not saying Cedeno will turn into the type of player A-Ram is--they have completely different bodies, swings, and I'm sure they think about the game differently--but it does show that calling someone a failure when they are so young would be a mistake. Heck, DeRosa didn't turn into a decent everyday player until 2006. Of course, he also wasn't given much of a shot to be a starter until 2006.

Anyone want to look into the crystal ball and predict whether Monday's game on ESPN is going to be blacked out in the Cubs blackout territory? Its on WCIU in Chicago so I think there is some hope.

The wife and I are going to be in town on Friday, May 16 and are hoping to take in the Pirates game. We're hoping to score some pretty close seats, but I thought I would check here before forking over to StubHub. Please write to markhaab at hotmail.com if you have seats you want to sell. Thanks

Charlie, I made the ARam comparison, and I think its equally applicable to the situation Pie is in. Pie and Cedeno are VERY young, and still raw. We need to think about these kids who are on the cusp of the big leagues and understand that we aren't witnessing the zenith of their baseball ability right here. Its pretty easy to pan a lot of these guys for their "unintelligent" play, or the various holes in their swings. They are still a work in progress. Not everyone comes in like Pujols (still don't believe his age is real). Pie is 23, Cedeno is 25, and Ramirez is almost 29. Ramirez was given almost 600 ABs of suckitude with the Pirates before his first really decent season in '01, with a huge regression in '02 before getting shipped mid-season to the Cubs in '03. We would all have given up on him here in the TCR threads well before he actually hit 36 HRs with a .951 OPS in '04.

A-Ram didn't become a consistent hitter or fielder until 2004 Ramirez came into his own as a hitter at age 23 in 2001, his first full year in the majors (158 games, 603 ABs). He hit .300/.350/.536 with 34 HRs and 112 RBI. His stats were way down in 2002, but that was because of the ankle injury he suffered in April that year.

We may quibble over the definition of 'consistent,' but I wouldn't say he followed up his poor 2002 with a return in 2003, the year he came over to the Cubs. He hit an ominous .666 OPS in 375 ABs before the Pirates shipped him to the North Side. I would wager my car that people were bitching that '01 was an aberration at that point. I would also argue that few people, if any, were calling him a "consistent hitter." I welcome your point of view, but I'd have to disagree with his emergence taking place anywhere other than the North Side.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • 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)

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  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

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  • 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...