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

Q & A with Bruce Miles

Those of you who may still be stuck in the rut of only reading the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune have probably been missing out on some of the best Cubs-related writing out there. Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald has become a must-read on my morning periodical tour, offering a critical, but objective voice on all things Cubs with a sharp wit to spare. And the fella knows what OBP is as well, which is refreshing. He was kind enough to answer a few questions on what it's like to follow the Cubs on an everyday basis and give us his thoughts on the past season and the future off-season. ------ Letís start off with a quick autobiography, how did you eventually come about landing what I can only imagine is a dream job, that of covering a major league team on a daily basis. And if Iím not mistaken, the team you grew up following? Yes, I grew up in Chicago, following both the Cubs and White Sox in baseball season and the other Chicago teams in their seasons. I wanted to get into sports journalism early on as I had a love of sports, reading and writing. Like many writers, I started off covering high school sports before moving to other things, including a stint on the Sports copy desk at the Daily Herald, where I learned how to put the paper out every night. Iíve always found the life of a reporter that follows a certain team to be rather intriguing. Iím guessing that over a course of a season you end up forming some decent relationships with the players, coaches and management, yet at times you may need to be critical of that individual in one of your articles. How difficult is it to balance the personal relationships you form and your duties as a journalist? And how difficult is it to face someone after youíve taken them to task in print? Itís a balancing act, but Iíve always found that if Iím fair in my criticism and never get personal in that criticism, things will be fine. The good players will tell you: ìIf I played poorly, write that I played poorly. Just donít get personal.î And Iíve always made myself available whenever Iíve criticized a player, manager or management person. Earlier this season, Paul Sullivan of the Tribune made some headlines when Andy Macphail and Jim Hendry took exception to a few of his articles (I believe regarding Jacque Jones). Have you ever felt any pressure from the Cubs powers-that-be to temper your criticism of anyone in the organization? Never. Youíve made your presence felt a few places beyond your own paperís site, most notably showing up on the message boards over at North Side Baseball. Why have you embraced fan sites like ours and do they help you in any way with your writing? Iíve never wanted to feel ìaloofî from the readers. I learn a lot from them. Many are much more well versed in aspects of the game than I am. I have the advantage of access. Everybody has their blind spots. Iíve learned to cover a few of mine by listening to the readers. Thereís been much made about the Cubs not being able to get practice time at Wrigley Field this season, either out of lack of desire or scheduling overruns for corporate events. Is this something that has been happening for years and weíre just hearing about it now? Or are these Cubs as ill-prepared as theyíve looked all season? The most recent bunch of Cubs could have been made to work harder. That will be addressed this off-season. The Cubs have held fan clinics before games for several years. This is the first year, however, that I canít remember a Cubs team out there for regular early work. Paint us a picture of the Cubs clubhouse. Who are some of the stronger personalities? How would you compare the clubhouse atmosphere to past teams and possibly to some other organizations? This is a pretty laidback clubhouse. Scott Eyre was a very vocal presence. Phil Nevin tried to bully the reporters. He found out that doesnít work in Chicago. The veteran players the Cubs had this year were more ìlead-by-exampleî types, but I think Derrek Lee has emerged as a ìgo-toî guy. The atmosphere was good overall, even with all the losing. What have you heard about how Dusty Bakerís contract situation will be handled? Aramis Ramirez? Juan Pierre? Kerry Wood? We demand details!!! Actually weíll take whatever you got, weíre easy. (These questions were asked last week before Dusty's departure) By now, you know about Baker. I believe Ramirez will be back. I expect the two sides to exchange proposals next week. The Cubs will allow Pierre to test the market. I believe Kerry Wood will be back, taking an incentive laden deal to be a reliever. Have you heard any names that the Cubs might be coveting this off-season? Donít be vague now. Iíll know more after their organizational meetings. Theyíre evaluating every player in pro ball right now. Certainly, theyíll look at center-field candidates if Pierre leaves. Guys like Dave Roberts, Carl Crawford and Vernon Wells will be talked about a lot. Correct me if Iím mistaken, but you coined the nickname, ìThe Riotî for one of our favorite new Cubbies, Ryan Theriot, is that right? Do you have any other ones you care to unleash? You know, Bob Brenly may have come up with ìThe Riot.î Or we thought of it at the same time. But Iíd be glad to give Bob credit. Iíve come up with no others. Can we get one behind-the-scenes story that your editor wouldnít let you print or at least one you didnít think would fit in one of your articles? Iím not a real big gossip monger, so I donít have much for you here. Pretty much, if I know it, itís going in the paper. I will say that one of the most impressive things Iíve seen was Carlos Zambrano acting as interpreter for Juan Mateo after one game this year. I remember was Carlos first came up and could barely speak English. The fact that he now can serve as interpreter speaks volumes to me. Thatís really a lot of progress. ----- Thanks to Bruce for his time and insight on the state of the Cubs. It's good to hear about Zambrano maturing into a mentor. Not so good to hear about the Cubs not practicing on a regular basis. You can read another Q & A with Bruce over at Bleed Cubbie Blue as well and of course his writing via The Daily Herald.

Comments

"Now that Andy MacPhail is out as Cubs president, keep Tigers president and G.M. Dave Dombrowski in mind as a possible successor. A Chicago native, Dombrowski not only has put the Tigers back on top after a long run of down seasons, but his five-year, $10 million contract just happens to be up. It was Dombrowski who hired Hendry away from Creighton University to work for the Marlins back in the early 1990s..." Mike Berardino, Sporting News

FWIW... Buster Olney was on Mike & Mike this morning. He seemed to think that the Torre/Pinella switch will happen. He also said that a lot of teams are going to spend big this offseason. He said Soriano and Lee would both get $80-85M. I assume he's talking 6 years. I don't see the Cubs giving out that kind of contract.

bruce and rob g.- thanks. nice to hear the tidbit about zambrano; the more he is put into a position of leadership/takes on a position of leadership the less likely he is to unravel on the mound at a critical moment.

Cubs 1st post-2006 roster move: LHP Les Walrond has been assigned outright to Iowa. So the Cubs 40-man roster currently stands at 39 players, plus one more (Kerry Wood) on the 60-day DL. If the Cubs decide to buy-out Wood's contract (which seems almost absolutely for sure), they will need to reactivate Woody from the 60-day DL sometime prior to the start of the Free-Agent Filing Period (which runs for 15 days, starting the day after the conclusion of the World Series). If the Cubs somehow were to decide to retain Wood at $13.5M for 2007, they would not need to reactivate Wood from the 60-day DL until November 20th. Les Walrond is now added to the list of Cubs minor leaguers who are eligible to be six-year minor league free-agents (have until close of business on Monday October 16th to file with MLB office). SIX-YEAR MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENTS (PLAYER OPTION) IF NOT ADDED TO 40-MAN ROSTER BY 10-15-06 Cliff Bartosh, LHP (DID NOT PLAY IN 2006) Hugo Castellanos, RHP Gary Cates, IF-OF Wilton Chavez, RHP Jeff Deardorff, OF-1B Brandon Emanuel, RHP Cristian Gonzalez, RHP Nic Jackson, OF Casey Kopitzke, C (is now a Cubs minor league catching instructor) Albenis Machado, SS Luis Montanez, OF Augie Ojeda, INF Carlos Perez, LHP Carmen Pignatiello, LHP (see NOTE) Brian Reith, RHP (DID NOT PLAY IN 2006) Michael Restovich, OF Brandon Sing, 1B Jon-Mark Sprowl, C-1B Mac Suzuki, RHP Carlos Vasquez, LHP Les Walrond, LHP Aron Weston, OF NOTE: Although Carmen Pignatiello is eligible to be a 6Y MLFA after this season, the fact that he has been assigned to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League as a "Cubs" player means he must have already agreed to a 2007 Cubs minor league contract (probably with an NRI to Spring Training 2007, as happened with Brandon Sing last year). It is possible that Bartosh and Reith have retired, but they did sign 2006 minor league contracts with the Cubs and there was no report of either being released. The MLB office will release the list of players who have filed to be a 6Y MLFA on October 23rd, and starting that date, 6Y MLFAs can be signed to 2007 contracts.

DAVE: "Could Torre be an option for the Cubs?" I hope that was a joke. He is the most overrated manager EVER. If he would come here I will picket outside Wrigley for the next two years begging for Hendry to be FIRED!!

Sheff blasts and sells out Torre in Monday's USA Today: "We were worrying about all of that stuff (ARod batting 8th), and we still had a game to play. If I'm on the other side, and all of a sudden they're putting Rodriguez eighth and putting me or Jason on the bench, you wonder what's going on. Those guys [the Tigers] were asking me about it. I think it boosted their morale. It gave them confidence they didn't have," Sheffield told the newspaper. Even though Sheff will very likely not be a Yankee next year, this can't be good for Torre.

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/rozner.asp?id=235501 got some choice quotes from Girardi, two things I found hopeful were: -- As for the perception that heíd be better with young players, Girardi said itís a simple matter of managing what you have. ìIf you have seven home run hitters, you probably canít run a lot,íí Girardi said. ìSame thing with kids or veterans. The kind of players you have dictates how you manage. You adapt.íí ìWith the Scott Olsen thing, itís grown to where people make it sound like I dragged him by the ear and threw him down. All I did was grab his shirt and tell him I wanted to talk to him. ìI told him not to focus on the umpires. They make mistakes sometimes. You canít waste your time on that. Iím a lot about focus. Focus on what you can control.íí -- That quote about adapting to your talent gives me great hope for Girardi. If you want to talk about "getting it", there's a good example. Easily my biggest problem with Dusty is that he never did adapt to the talent given to him, constantly trying to pigeon-hole the players he had into his one-track attitude on how to win. Anyway Girardi already has a broadcasting gig lined up, so it doesn't sound like he's in a rush. I think it'll come down to Bochy vs. Girardi, imho.

Manny -- I don't think Torre is a good fit for the Cubs, but I think it is a huge overstatement to say that he is the most overrated manager ever. As I stated in a previous thread, every manager has their own leadership style. Torre's worked well during some seasons with the Yankees, in other seasons it didn't. Even your boy Dusty has a leadership style that would work if the situation was right. Obviously, the situation was not right (with the possible exception of 2003) with the Cubs. But that doesn't mean he's necessarily a bad manager. It just means that he didn't have the leadership skills necessary to do a good job with the Cubs.

Here's another thought on Joe Torre. In a lot of ways, Torre and Dusty are the same manager. They both do well when they have their "horses," and they don't get in the players faces when they screw up. They both are good at keeping a clubhouse calm and they both are good at protecting their players from the front office and from the media. Of course, the big difference is that this year, Torre didn't do as good of a job as he has in the past of keeping peace in the clubhouse and he uncharacteristically went behind one of his players backs (ARod) to talk to the media about him. For all of the things you can say bad about Dusty, at least he never sold out one of his players to the media.

#8 of 12: By mannytrillo (October 9, 2006 10:47 AM) DAVE: "Could Torre be an option for the Cubs?" I hope that was a joke. He is the most overrated manager EVER. If he would come here I will picket outside Wrigley for the next two years begging for Hendry to be FIRED!! - So basically the Anti-Hendry propoganda gets moved from the TCR board to the streets of Wrigleyville? Sign Torre up !!! Just poking some fun at ya Manny. I think Torre is overrated also, although maybe not the most overrated manager ever.

Sweet Lou: "Torre's worked well during some seasons with the Yankees, in other seasons it didn't." How did he work out at his other gigs prior to the NYY? Hiring Torre, IMO, would be the worst possible hire Hendry could make. Luckily I don't think Torre would would be looking for a job this next year or possibly ever if he gets fired from the NYY.

Rory: "Okay Manny I will bite - why is Joe Torre overrated?" Torre could never win in any of his previous gigs. Then he goes to the NYY and gets the best talent money can buy. He does win a few WS, but now hasn't won one in 6 years even though their payroll is heads and shoulders above everyone. That is just a few reasons. I also lived in CT for 3-4 years after college and got to watch him manage on a near everyday basis. Take a look at Game 4 as an example.

Manny -- I'm surprised at you. The same thing you are saying about Torre has been said about Dusty, but you defended Dusty. Torre couldn't win anywhere but NY, so that makes him overrated. Dusty, won in SF, but couldn't win with the Cubs, but you point to Dusty's record before coming to the Cubs and claim he's a winning manager. The situations in SF and NY were very simlar. High payrolls, star players, plenty of HR power. And for both Torre and Dusty, they have been unable to win when they didn't have their "horses." As I said in post #13, Dusty and Torre are very similar. I'm not sure why you defend one while calling the other one "overrated."

Girardi was on espn1000 a few minutes ago...no real news, he stated that his interview with the Nats went "extremely well" and is expected to meet with them again soon. Pointed out positives like new management with committment to winning(might want to see if Soriano signs first then we'll see how committed they are), new stadium on the way etc. He also said that he and Hendry have a meeting "soon" but wouldn't bite on which day it was...I'd assume sometime this week. Said despite the rumor of Torre's impending axe he'd be surprised if George pulled the Pinella trigger, but that he would interview with the Yanks if asked. Also said that he and John McDonough have a very good relationship dating back to his days on the Cubs caravan circa 1989. That was about it.

fantastic, I guarantee a 320/370 BA and OBP from Pierre next year if he signs with the Cards.

Did anyone else hear that the Cubs contacted the Padres to interview Bochy? What's the hardon for him ?

Sweet Lou: "Torre couldn't win anywhere but NY, so that makes him overrated. Dusty, won in SF, but couldn't win with the Cubs, but you point to Dusty's record before coming to the Cubs and claim he's a winning manager." Yes, Baker overall had a losing record with the Cubs, but he did make it to the NLCS with the Cubs. "The situations in SF and NY were very simlar." Yeah really similar. $60 million payroll compared to over $200 million. Yeah, very similar. "As I said in post #13, Dusty and Torre are very similar. I'm not sure why you defend one while calling the other one "overrated." That is your opinion, I don't see it that way at all. Maybe if Dusty would go on to have 2 other stints as a manager and be a loser, then the comparison will be similar, but not yet. Torre has proven he can't win without a payroll that dwarfs the rest of MLB, and even with one that does, he still hasn't won a WS in 6 years. He has proven that over 14 years and 3 different stints.

I really was in favor of the Pierre trade at the begginig, but even after his solid second half. I rally don't want him back. You never really know a player that well until he's on your team on you watch him daily. No thanks.

Sorry about the typos I was trying to eat and type.

I don't know, Hendry seems to really like him though. He lasted 11 years in San Diego despite a lot of ups and downs so I'm assuming he's pretty well-respected. From what I saw in this series, I didn't see anything alarming about his moves. Padres simply couldn't buy a hit with runners on base, hard to blame the manager for that one.

With Bochy under contract next year, SD would have to fire him for him to be availible. Has there been any credible stories out stating he might be fired?

or the Cubs would pay the padres and there have been whispers that Sandy Alderson wants his own guy in as manager. But those were awhile back.

Manny -- "Yes, Baker overall had a losing record with the Cubs, but he did make it to the NLCS with the Cubs." I don't think we disagree on this point. When Dusty and Torre don't have their big guns, they don't win. "Yeah really similar. $60 million payroll compared to over $200 million. Yeah, very similar." As I recall, the Giants had one of the higher payrolls in MLB at that time. I do know that during Dusty's last year in SF the team said they were going to have to cut payroll because they were losing money. "Torre has proven he can't win without a payroll that dwarfs the rest of MLB, and even with one that does, he still hasn't won a WS in 6 years. He has proven that over 14 years and 3 different stints." How can you complain that Torre hasn't won a WS in 6 years (although he did win 4 so far with the Yanks), but totally disregard that Dusty managed to lose nearly 100 games with a $100 million payroll? Obviously, it doesn't just take money to win. When the Yankees win, you disregard any contribution Torre had for the wins, but when the Cubs lose, you absolve Dusty for the loses. I don't want to be in the position of defending Torre because I'm not that big of a fan, but I would like to see some consistency in your opinions.

Miles: The most recent bunch of Cubs could have been made to work harder. That will be addressed this off-season. The Cubs have held fan clinics before games for several years. This is the first year, however, that I canít remember a Cubs team out there for regular early work. Confirming what we knew from reports by Hairston, Nevin, et al.

Rob G.: That quote about adapting to your talent gives me great hope for Girardi. If you want to talk about "getting it", there's a good example. Me too! jacos: What's the hardon for him ? (Bochy) Supposedly Jim Hendry's a big Bochy fan. From Fox Sports Rumors... Padres manager Bruce Bochy, who has a year remaining on his contract, has been a Jim Hendry favorite, and Hendry and the Cubs might approach the Padres for permission to speak to Bochy.

Sweet Lou: "I don't want to be in the position of defending Torre because I'm not that big of a fan, but I would like to see some consistency in your opinions." Well, I don't see Baker and Torre as a close comparison, you do, so that is why my opinions of the two are not consistant. Again, if Baker gets another managing stint or two and can't win there, then the comparison will be close. I am sure Baker will get another gig, so time will tell.

cwtp: Joe Frisaro, who covers the Marlins for MLB.com, thinks JUAN PIERRE will sign with the Cardinals. Again, Pierre would get to terrorize Cub pitchers. Fanfreekingtastic. It really makes me sad that no one sees the value of Pierre. I guess we'll all see it by the end of next year when we can't find a leadoff guy, and Theriot has "unexplicably" tanked in the leadoff role.

SF: "As I recall, the Giants had one of the higher payrolls in MLB at that time." You recall wrong. Besides 2002, when SF ranked 10th in MLB in payroll, SF was middle of the pack the other years Baker managed.

asked some good questions...great content. thnx.

"Well, I don't see Baker and Torre as a close comparison, you do, so that is why my opinions of the two are not consistant. Again, if Baker gets another managing stint or two and can't win there, then the comparison will be close." Um, Baker has never won it all, so how does him having more losing seasons make him a better comaprison with a guy who has won 4 WS and 10 or whatever consecutive division titles?

anyone could put a collection of all-stars on a field and "manage" that pile of tallent. what would cubs fans think of all the playing time given to cairo, a.phillips, etc? this is the same crap people bitched about dusty for and torre had a 200m club to work with. torre is an attitude manager...a peace maker...a babysitter. 7m dollars worth of it...

Real Neal, When I say win, I don't mean win the World Series necessarily.

Baker's Managerial Career: Year Payroll Finish Payroll Gap 1993 3 2 3.60 1994 1 2 -2.90 1995 1 4 -3.80 1996 3 5 0.30 1997 4 1 10.00 1998 4 2 7.65 1999 4 2 24.90 2000 5 1 38.50 2001 4 1 35.90 2002 3 2 24.50 2003 2 1 3.80 2004 1 3 -7.30 2005 2 4 5.10 2006 1 6 -1.90 Average 2.71 2.57 138.35 Feel free to do the same for Torre and Cox. Just ranking on the difference between ranking and payroll I bet Baker comes in third.

Keep in mind, Torre won his titles before his team's payroll got out of hand.

where are you guys getting your payroll info from? Honest question, I couldn't find much.

"He is the most overrated manager EVER" Maybe the most overrated manager still under contract. But the most overrated manager ever is out of a job right now............Thank God

Crunch -- I'm hesitant to jump back in this fray, but didn't you just say yesterday that one of the manager's most important jobs is keeping peace in the clubhouse? If that's the case, how can you say that anyone can put a collection of all-stars on the field and manage that talent? Isn't there more to managing than just filling out the lineup card?

sweet lou... "torre is an attitude manager...a peace maker...a babysitter." doesnt that sum it up for you? dont mistake my shortening of a multi-paragraph summary into a few words being a negative. that's basically what those qualities lead to. keeping attitudes in check, making peace, and pretty much being a baby sitter.

asked some good questions...great content. thnx. glad to be of service. :) Figuring you can read Bruce's thoughts on the Cubbies at his paper, I thought I'd try to find out a little of the behind-the-scenes action that we're not privy to. Hope people enjoyed it...

usa today's scoreboard is also a really nice tool...tracks EVERY baseball game from short-season to AAA and points in between.

Crunch -- That's what I'm getting at. If keeping the peace is so important (and I agree with you that it is), then how could just anyone manage the collection of all-stars that is the Yankees? It seems to me that to be successful with that team, you need someone with a specific skill set to manage all of the egos. I don't think just anyone could walk in there and do as good of a job as Torre has done.

thanks manny

sweet lou... i used the "manage" word...but not really clearly. i was more reffering to the in-game management of the plug-and-play yanks colleciton of tallent...and how guys like cairo/phillips still manage to get 100s of ab's in the mix (enrique wilson, tony womack, etc.) over the years. just going with the flow of the convo, not trying to stand out from it. i wasnt really clear about that, though.

Crunch -- Gotcha. We agree on that point. In fact, one of the announcers of the Yankees vs Tigers games mentioned that Joe Torre could simply pull his lineup out of a hat. They didn't mean and disrespect (I don't think), but what they were saying is true. It doesn't take all that much baseball knowledge or stretegy to trot out so many good players every day. When every one is an all-star, it's hard to make a mistake with the lineup.

#53 MikeC -- All of the complaints about ARod are ridiculous, but that auction is really funny. Thanks for the link.

ON BOCHY: He has a sub .500 record with the Padres including a couple of 90+ loss seasons I believe. Are you folks really that impressed?

Managers are only judged by W-L records? So thats why Dusty keeps getting props. Why would anyone hire Jim Leyland when his last two teams lost 108 and 90 games. Those stupid ass Tigers, boy they sure did pay for that mistake.

after watching Dusty barrel through this organization the last 4 years, I think it's safe to say that managerial records don't mean a whole lot. I'd want to know more about how Bochy handles the clubhouse, does he adapt to the talent or is he stubborn on how things should be done. Does he trust youngsters or will he go out of his way to plug-in vets cause he knows what they can do? Does he have a clue on putting together a lineup? Bullpen usage? What should a major league bench look like? stuff like that means more to me...

I went to the Bears game yesterday. Great time. I hope that being a Cubs fans that some of you are a Bears fan, it's a great distraction until February(hopefully). Although the game yesterday didn't sound as loud as game 2 against the Marlins.IMO.

Good article Rob. Nice insight on some behind the scenes type happenings. I enjoyed reading it.

"When I saw Kent get hit by Ramon, that was the end of my fantasy days. It was out of control." I ran the story by Kent. He shrugged. "Gettin' hit's part of the game," he said. "I've been hit for many reasons, so a rotisserie league (is no big deal)..." --- vintage kent.

Justin Jones was just released by the Twins.

Is Hendry's progress on hiring a manager being impeded by baseball's rule that minorities need to be interviewed whenever there's an opening? Florida avoided it because Gonzalez is a minority, but all of Hendry's likely candidates are white men. You'd think the Cubs would get an exemption since their last TWO hires were black managers, but then again, maybe not. If that's the hold up, I think the word that the Cubs are waiting for Oakland to get eliminated so they can talk to Ron Washington might make some sense. It also means no WAY can Steinbrenner simply dump Torre and replace him immediately with Piniella. He has Tony Pena on the staff, he'd need to at least give him a cursory interview. My current take on likelihoods for the Cubs? Girardi 60%, Piniella 20%, Brenly 10%, Bochy 10%. I think it's Joe's job.

What about a woman? Does that count? Like, Mark Prior's wife - or Dutchy Carey? Or, would it have to be an African-American woman? Condi Rice?

#65 of 66: By Eric the Great (October 9, 2006 11:00 PM) Is Hendry's progress on hiring a manager being impeded by baseball's rule that minorities need to be interviewed whenever there's an opening? ---- ERIC: No. One of the two Cubs in-house candidates (2006 AA West Tenn manager Pat Listach) is African American.

That explains the interview then, because the Cubs aren't about to make a AA mgr the new field boss. I think this makes it a given that Girardi is the guy. Brenly deserves an interview, and he'll get one, and at that point Bochy is the only other guy Hendry might talk to. Since I don't think he's leaving San Diego, Joe is the guy.

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.