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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

Cubs Ready to Sign Jim Edmonds

The recently released Jim Edmonds should clear waivers on Wednesday and it looks like the Cubs are going to bite. The move would likely send Felix Pie to the minors and give Edmonds the majority of playing time in a center field platoon with Reed Johnson.

[UPDATE 4:00 PM]:Ruz has added his take, at the bottom of the article.

So it's understandable that the Cubs want to upgrade center field right now. It seems to be the only weak spot in the lineup and some of our guys are certainly going to regress substantially from their early season success. But could the Cubs actually find someone to upgrade with?

A tale of the 2008 tape after the jump...

  Felix Pie
Jim Edmonds
BA/OBP/SLG 222/286/286 178/265/233
Home 194/268/278 091/139/121
Away 259/310/296 228/333/298
vs Righties
245/317/321 192/286/247
P/PA 3.61 4.23
Age 23 37
Defense Really Good
Slipping Fast
Intangibles
Not a douchebag
Frost his tips, has a vanity license plate that says "Hollywood"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than pitches per plate appearance, Felix Pie is actually out-hitting someone in baseball and it happens to be the guy about to replace him. Granted, another bat in the lineup that is going to see over or near four pitchers per plate appearance is going to drive pitching staffs batty, but that's one small plus for this potential transaction in a sea of minuses.

Of course, it could be argued that Edmonds has a history of being a pretty good hitter and center fielder and he's going to bounce back at any moment.

I doubt it.

Edmonds OPS+

(Ed note: So as not to be misleading, 100 is a league-average OPS+, not 125 as the chart suggests. I assume most of you know that, but just in case.)

He's clearly on the downside of his career, I think he's actually going on the "put him out to pasture" part of his career.

But even if Hendry and the Cubs can catch some lightning in a bottle, it's Jim "Fucking" Edmonds. I hated this guy for every one of his eight seasons with the Cardinals. How the hell can you root for Jim Edmonds on the Chicago Cubs? There's part of me (a rather large part) that hopes he goes 0 for his first 20 or 40 or whatever it takes to get him cut as soon as possible. This is the guy that Zambrano drilled twice in one game after some home run showboating.

My stock response in these situations when the Cubs have a player that I'm not particulary fond of is, "I hope he does well, but I doubt it". In this case, I hope Zambrano drills him with a fastball the moment he walks in the clubhouse...and then another one the first time he takes batting practice...maybe one more when he's in the clubhouse shower.

Freaking Jim Edmonds is about to be a Cub...maybe Hendry can swing a deal to bring in AJ Pierzynski, Mark Buehrle, Roy Oswalt, Barry Bonds and Ozzie Guillen in as a bench coach. That would definitely take the "lovable" out of "lovable" losers. Oh sure, I want to the Cubs win, pretty much at all costs. But since I have serious doubts that Jim Edmonds will be anything other than a road bump for Felix Pie's eventual return to the club or a trade for legitimate upgrade, I'd rather the Cubs just let him ride off into the sunset. Or maybe off to the Reds.

Ruz's Take:

I will be so angry if this happens.

I have a visceral anti-Edmonds reaction, and the comments below show me I'm not alone. For me, it's not about his frosted tips (something which I will admit to having done myself). It's not even about the fact that he is more identified with the St. Louis Cardinals than just about any player in the last decade. That, in and of itself, wouldn't make this a bad signing. Believe me, if the Cubs traded for Albert Pujols, I would have no problem rooting for him.

No, the problem is that not only is Jim Edmonds Mr. Cardinal, he also sucks. He just got put on waivers by the Padres, who are currently the worst team in baseball. The Padres are hitting .233 as a team, and they decided they didn't want Edmonds any more, that they'd rather take their chances with Scott Hairston and Jody Gerut in center. Edmonds is about to turn 38 and is in the middle of his fourth-straight season of declining production. He's hitting 178/265/233 (yes, he's slugging .233!). Why send Felix Pie back to the minors to take a flyer on an aging veteran who might, but might not, regain his stroke?

Several years ago there was chatter about the Cubs acquiring Chipper Fucking Jones. Now there are few players in baseball I dislike more than Chipper Fucking Jones. In fact, there might not be any player in baseball I dislike more than Chipper Fucking Jones. But when the possibility of Chipper Fucking Jones becoming a Cub was raised, I got over my initial distaste because it seemed pretty clear that acquiring him would help the Cubs.

If Jim Edmonds was still getting on base at a .360+ clip and hitting 20-30 homers, I would be happy to see him in a Cubs uniform. After all, I'm a Cubs fan, and anything that makes the Cubs better makes me happy. But this isn't going to make the Cubs better; it's going to make them worse, at the expense of one of their young prospects, and it's going to come with the indignity of Jim Edmonds in a Cubs uniform.

DO NOT WANT.

 


One last poll on the NL Central Smackdown below this post or on the right sidebar...promise. I just want some data on what you guys think is the best overall staff in the NL Central. My ranks would be Cubs, Brewers (w/ Gallardo), Reds, Pirates, Cardinals, Astros.

Comments

In Lou's estimation, PIE is a proven **Dud** so if Edmonds is acquired it's possible that PIE is about to be traded, or at least offered in trade along with our other expendable outfielder MATT MURTON among others, to the team that showed interest in both, none other than THE SAN DIEGO PADRES. GM Kevin Towers is in Chicago right now and I'm guessing, given the deep hole SD finds itself in, he's serious-talking to Hendry.

Meh. Maybe this will be like Jason Kendall and produce some positive results. I tend to agree with Rob's skeptic stance though. Although I also have a problem with rooting for Edmonds, it isn't going to keep me from being pleased when he does succeed. Apparently Hendry freely admits Edmonds isn't really a fix in CF, and maybe more ABs in AAA will somehow be beneficial for Pie (though I doubt that too).

Just did my lunch-time walk in Chi. The winds are gusting 15-25mph! Left field bleachers will be a very busy place today, hopefully off of Cub bats. This is not the optimum conditions for Jason "I used to be a Sinkerball Pitcher" Marquis, who has had the ball up and over the plate his last three starts. Ugh...

I'm hoping this is just the Sun Times trying to dig up some sports news. I'd have one heck of a hard time rooting for Edmonds. I really feel like we should just let Pie play. We're leading the NL in runs scored, so who cares if he bats .230 for now? And, actually, hasn't anyone else noticed that his numbers have slowly been rising? If they want to make changes, move Fukie over to CF and bring Murt back up (he's recently collected his first 3 doubles of the season). Edmonds. I might vomit. I'd rather bring in Bonds. At least we could be pretty certain that Barry would hit.

Re: Edmonds...is there any definitive answer with respect to the previous 50 concussions the Dude has had? Isn't he still in "recovery"?

I'd be fine with it if it were a minor league contract. If Edmonds rebounds from the calf injury and starts hitting over .300 in a few weeks then bring him up and send Pie down for regular ABs. If not, then release him. But Hollywood is not going to agree to that.

Mark Prior had an MRI on Monday and is expected to fly out to Birmingham to meet with Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. Not a good sign.

One final, slightly more useful comment: the graph is a bit deceiving in that the "center" line isn't 100, but 125. The decline is steep, but if you shifted the graph upward to make 100 the visual centerpoint, it wouldn't be quite so spectacularly horrid a sight.

Chances are Edmonds will flop...but Felix Pie isn't exactly setting the world on fire, if he was then they wouldn't have to worry about signing anyone. I'd say give him a month or so and if he isn't the right fit for the team get rid of him. I don't see any real downside. Its Pie that is holding back his own progression, not Lou Piniella or Jim Hendry.

[ ]

In reply to by Jeff_Pico

Its not like were going to be trading anyone good to get him. we are are going to sign him for the Vetern minamium and if he sucks after a month, we cut him and Pie gets a month in AAA to work on his adjustments in his batting stance. As long as they are not sold on him as the solution no matter what it is a no-lose deal.

It is infuriating that Dusty is willing to play Edmonds over Pie with those numbers. If we are going to live with a line like that, at least let it be because we are building for the future. Pie has yet been given a chance to play a long string of games.

[ ]

In reply to by David S

Let's take a look at the few recent scrap heap pick-ups, by Hendry, shall we? Reed Johnson- Offense, C- Defense, A Jason Kendall - Offense, B/B-(NLDS RBI), Defense, C+ (better than Barrett) Chad Fox - Useless, D Whom am I leaving out? In any case, two of the three have provided value to the club. Both Johnson and Kendall have "new life" at their new teams. If this were to happen, it certainly would not be a long term commitment ala Jason Schmidt. Just like the above examples, it is a low risk, probably low reward type of move.

I would like to start a list of players the Cubs got too late in their careers. Perhaps they were serviceable or did a good job but still too late. Here are a few off the top of my head: Gary Gaetti Rick Aguilera Rod Beck Todd Hundley Jason Kendall Please add your own

My stock response in these situations when the Cubs have a player that I'm not particulary fond of is, "I hope he does well, but I doubt it".

On the other hand, Rob, look at how well John Starks did when he became a Bull.

Oh, wait...

Edmonds is a textbook douchebag, but if the Cubs are only paying him $300K I'm not going to get bent out of shape over the move. An Edmonds/Johnson platoon will probably be better than giving Johnson 130+ starts.

Let's take a look at the few recent scrap heap pick-ups, by Hendry, shall we? ========= Just looking at non-pitchers, Oh the pain... Tony Womack Phil Nevin Enrique Wilson Ben Grieve Jody Gerut Matt Lawton Damian Jackson Rey Ordonez Jose Macias The Nefimeister

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

And what does the word RECENT mean to you? For me, RECENT means "within the last 12 months". MANNY TRILLO and I were/are very aware of "previous to RECENT" scrap heap signings. I have published the "definitive Hendry "stiffs list" right here, during the 2006 season. However, the scouting, since qualified people have been added, has somewhat improved since the end of the 2006 season.

Craig Monroe one of last years scrap heap pickups which didn't do so well with the Cubs is actually playing well with the Twins this year.

Now maybe Pie can go back to AAA and fix his swing. Probably not, he'll probably keep using that retarded swoop swing and he'll have all kinds of success in AAA and everyone will stand around scratching their heads trying to figure out Pie's mental block. Ugh... I have never been thrilled about Pie, the regulars around here know this very well. This is why, no one on the club is willing to coach him into good hitting mechanics. They figure, "well, he's clobbering the ball in AAA, let's not mess with it." Edmonds? Meh, whatever. Better than nothing. *runs and hides*

Like most Cub fans I have cultivated a hatred for Edmonds, but that's not why I don't like this signing. When guys throw on the blue pinstripes it usually doesn't take long to forget the past. I won't like it initially, but the first time Edmonds is standing on second base in his Cubs uniform, clapping his hands after a key RBI double, I'll like him fine. The reason I don't like this is that it creates a no-win scenario for Pie that will inevitably reduce his value to the Cubs, either as a player or as a trade chip. There are two possible scenarios after he is sent to Iowa. One, he tears AAA pitching up (again). If that happens, the conclusion will be a little different than when he was viewed as just an up-and-down "prospect" -- he will be finally cast as a certified AAAA player. If he fails at the major league level and then hits .375 at AAA, we will be forced to admit that his ceiling is probably at AAA. The other possible scenario is that he struggles or does just OK at Iowa. If that happens, his career goes into a permanent holding pattern. Under either of these scenarios, his confidence is dinged and his trade value is minimized. Is taking a flyer on a (hated) outfielder -- one who would at best be a stopgap option -- worth all that? Either play Pie now or trade him now. Enough of these silly AAA games.

[ ]

In reply to by 433

While I agree that might be the perception of Pie, the kid is still 23. Plenty of very good major league players struggled in the majors at age 23.

Frosted tips are such a great detail. Can you confirm that it is true? Soriano has a really bad car. I assume many of these guys are douchebags, but so far the Cubs seem not to have amassed more than their fair share. Hardest Cub to root for? For my money, it was Ryno when he came back. Really pathetic.

[ ]

In reply to by RI Mike

For my money, it was Ryno when he came back. Really pathetic.

How could someone not ROOT for Ryne Sandberg...ever? I mean, sure, he was past his time, but I certainly wanted him to do good. 

Frosted tips are such a great detail. Can you confirm that it is true?

Not sure about present-day Edmonds, but I have a mental picture of Edmonds in the past with some. I'll see if I can dig up some proof. 

[ ]

In reply to by RI Mike

my one minute web search didn't turn up a picture, but "Jim Edmonds" "frosted tips" in Google gets you quite a few hits...so I'm sticking with it.

 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Rob: Indeed, Edmonds's frosted tips seem to be common knowledge. A little additional searching turned up frosted tips on ARod and Clemens. Bad company.

Edmonds is a scrotum and I don't want him on the Cubs. Hey that Reed Johnson thing really worked out, huh? So let's replace him with another discard that sucks even more. Good fucking idea.

I took a roadtrip to St. Louis last summer. Even the Cardinal fans in my section had Zero love for Edmonds. The biggest complaint was his penchant for shortlegging routine flyballs into diving attempts. The consensus seemed to be that he was a Hot Dog Douche. That being said. Reed Johnson and Felix Pie have shown they aren't the answer. If Lou isnt going to put KFuk in center. Then we absolutely need to put SOMEONE out there who can add something to the offense. Be it a Edmonds/Johnson or Jack Jones/Johnson platoon.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

San Diego has never been a hitters park. Plenty of hitters (Phil Nevin) who started losing their power, dropped like stones out there. It's possible that Edmonds gets back in the central. Faces pitchers he is familiar with. And sets his "Lightning trap" where it needs to be. Or Maybe he is really done. Either way, its worth it IMHO for the cubs to take a minimum wage flier on a guy with his track record. And trust me when I say it. I have hated Gay Jim more than anyone over the years. I just want the cubs to win. And since Lou aint gonna play Pie or Murton. We better get a vetern Platoon Lefty in here that can help. Edmonds,Jack Jones, Griffey, whomever.

"He's clearly on the downside of his career, I think he's actually going on the 'put him out to pasture part of his career." As steep as that graph is falling, I think "putting him down" would be the more appropriate animal metaphor. Sounds like he would come cheap, but there is a very good reason for that. And why opt for declining mediocrity when reliable mediocrity with at least a glimmer up upside (Pie) is around?

Rooting for Dennis Rodman seemed hard at first, then easier. If Edmonds performs and embraces the Wrigley faithful, it will be all right.

If Chicago fans can root for Dennis Rodman, they can certainly root for Jim Edmonds. The level of vitriol and venom for Rodman was FAR worse in the late 80's/early 90's than it ever was for Edmonds, and he became a fan favorite. Granted, he was still good when he was with the Bulls so that was why. I doubt Edmonds will reach the level of success necessary to look past his past. You know who would probably be good enough to overlook his indiscretions? Bonds. Fuku in center, Bonds in right 3 games per week would absolutely destroy the Central division. The outfield defense would be terrible, but if we thought the Cubs were seeing a lot of pitches/pa now...

Also, having Bonds available to PH the other 3 games/week would be sick. The guy's a douche, but I'm guessing the fact that no team has even looked at him might have brought his ego a bit down to earth. I doubt he'd be a diva/jerk in the clubhouse on an unfamiliar team when being given a second chance. But maybe I'm just being too optimistic about the guy.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

You know what I would rather not have Barry Bonds on the Cubs. People bitch about Soriano being an egomaniac, selfish prick (though where are those people now??!?!) and yet want to bring in Bonds. Sorry in the peoples eyes he is a nobody, and to other franchises he is a cancer. No wants to legitamize his career by giving him a second chance. The real HR champ is still Hank Aaron and the next may be A-rod, but Bonds will never be the champ in how the fans look at the game. He disgraced it.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Are you referring to me as one of the "people" bitching about Soriano being an egomaniac, selfish prick? If so, that couldn't be further from the truth. I've stated that another 6.5 years of him will be an albatross due to his now chronically bad legs and high K rate, but I've never once commented on his personality. From what I've seen, Soriano seems like a happy-go-lucky guy who gets along with his teammates. As for Bonds, I don't really want him, but as long as Hendry is going to sign an old, douchebag outfielder, we might as well sign the one who will actually OPS around 1.000.

No way!!! Wait for Junior to hit number 600 and deal for him.

Wait for Junior to hit number 600 and deal for him. Absolutely..... Cubs were one of the few teams he was willing to waive his no-trade for last year. Given the Mariners struggles, you have to figure they will be near the top of his list this summer.

You know that I would rather not have Barry Bonds on the Cubs. =========== plus Marquis is already dedicated to pinch running ONLY for the Wardosaurus.

Anyway, re the Mariners comment - there is more substance to Grif to Seattle rumors due to the fact that his career started there.

Seems like Edmonds used to own our asses. That said, unless he's got a nice supply of HGH or "The Clear", I don't expect him to do much now. Anyone have his Wrigley splits? It'd be interesting to know what he's hitting in our yard. Yeah, I know... numbers are skewed because it's Cubs pitching... ;)

Edmonds doesn't bother me nearly as much as Felix does, and I used to do PR for Pie, as you may recall. See analysis (or fulmination) here. I doubt that Pie ever raked in the minors, at any level. I just can't picture it. If he did, then Dave Keller and Gerald Perry and, yes, part-time hitting coach Lou Piniella have some explaining to do, because he's messed up now. Edmonds can play the position and he's one other guy besides Lee who can hit a ball to the seats in right field. What's complicated?

At least the Edmonds negotiations are distracting Hendry from thinking about signing another recently released former Cardinal, Julian Tavarez. Seriously...the Cubs have scored more runs than any team in baseball with Soriano limping and D-Lee batting .222/.286/.378 in the month of May so far. This team needs to be adding starting pitching, not another retread outfielder. Especially one that we all seem to hate so viscerally. This only makes sense if there is a trade of Pie and a pitching prospect in the works for a league-average starting pitcher.

Felix Pie Minor League numbers: 2190 AB's .300/.358/.468 not raking of course. He may never approximate that in the majors, but for god's sake, he needs to play consistently for a few months. Not a month, not a week, not every 4th game. I hope the Cubs trade him, and he jams it up their ass for the next 12 seasons. Jim Edmonds.....what a joke. Can we go get Sidney Ponson too? He threw a good game this year....ugh.

Jim Hendry, the junkman, a complete rebuild is just three years away. Hopefully someone will send Jim the Marlin's playbook. They look really good on top in the East.

[ ]

In reply to by komondor

If they're still leading the National League in slugging in July, then you're right. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to happen. Uggla, Willingham, and Jacobs are all playing out of their mind. They won't slug 500 all season. Hanley and Hermida won't keep up their current pace. Let's see if you still want Jimmy to play the Marlins game at the All-Star break.

Everybody who doesn't want Edmonds just keeps saying play Pie more---it's very obvious that the ONE person who makes this decision, the manager, has made the decision NOT to play him, even vs. RHP----end of discussion---sign Edmonds and put Pie down for more playing time--

why does this even matter? jim edmonds comes on for a partial season shoving a 22 year old who's hitting cruddy for a manager that wont play him. so while everyone is "lol dusty baker" and "oh no edmonds"...at the end of the day you got a crap hittng guy who's not gonna get his chance to break out right now and a stopgap with a "name" that may or may not work out but the worst that will happen is the LEGIT prospect rotting on the bench will actually get playing time somewhere. big deal.

Maybe the Cubs want to sign Jim Edmonds so they can make him a pitcher. They could use another lefty reliever, and they haven't converted any position players to pitcher this week (so far).

Does anyone have a link of Pinella/Hendy talking about Fuku being promised right field. I could swear i even saw a quote from Fuku that one of the reasons he signed with the Cubs was that they promised him right field. I can't be making this up, right?

[ ]

In reply to by Chad

In Fuku's press conference he said the Cubs promised him right field.

They tell you anything to sign though. Now that he's with the team, it's much easier to talk him into moving positions. I personally think there's a 2-month window where that stuff this holds and then it's fair game to move him if it makes sense. And I really don't Fukudome strikes me as the guy who would refuse to play center, if asked.

Pie will never be the center fielder getting the sporadic number of at-bats he gets. Playing 1 of every 4 games won't do it. Corey Fucking Patterson got 3 1/2 full season to prove he wasn't as good as advertised, and Pie can't even get one full season. This with much better overall numbers in the minors than Patterson. I repeat: I hope Pie gets traded, and jams it up the Cubs ass for 12 years or so.

I'll post this here since it has been mentioned on here. The only deal the Cubs should consider with the Padres is one that would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs or maybe even Greg Maddux back. Theriot is not the best throwing short stop, but he is getting better and he is hitting well, which Green is not. They get slightly better than average defense and better than average offense, I think they need to keep that. What the Cubs need is a couple of new starting pitchers that can get the job done. I realize Marquis is streaky and the fifth starter, whoever he is really isn't getting the job done. If the Cubs want to be competetive this year they need to address this issue very soon. I don't want Kerry Wood back in the starting rotation but I'd rather see him there than Hill or Marquis or Gallagher. I'd rather someone from their farm system be able to come up and get the job done, but looking at their farm system, I don't believe anyone is ready yet. The Padres can keep Khalil Green (and Michael Barrett)!

Wouldn't the better move, at least for a little while, be to try keeping Pie around and batting him ninth with the pitcher batting eighth? Setting aside the reasons why the Cardinals (which might be more understandable if it weren't Izturis - and his .682 OPS - who was usually batting 9th) or Brewers (which makes more sense since Kendall - and his .732 OPS - is back to getting on base) do it, this would seem to make a fair amount of sense since Pie would likely get better pitches to hit with Soriano batting behind him. If Pie has any chance of showing that he can be the hitter he was in the minors in the majors, it would be batting with that kind of protection behind him. Plus, it sort of solves the Soriano as a leadoff hitter who is not a leadoff hitter problem after the first time through the order. By the way, of the four players mentioned here, the one with the worst OPS - by far? Edmonds at .498, edging Pie (.572) by a fairly wide margin.

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    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.