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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 
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Mike Fontenot in NY?

Our minor league pals at Road to Wrigley have the scoop that Mike Fontenot is in New York but a subsequent roster move has yet to be made. It remains to be seen if this in anticipation of Derrek Lee being sent to the disabled list or possibly some other player getting shuffled around. A 40-man roster move would have to be made as well and chances are that Kerry Wood to the 60-day DL would take care of that. UPDATE: The Trib indicates that Mark DeRosa will go on the DL after hurting his finger yesterday on a collision at first base. UPDATE #2: Bruce Miles says the fate of Fontenot depends on the results of Mark DeRosa's MRI on his ring finger. Miles also says that Derrek Lee will need a few more days of rest to get over his neck problems and speculates that a reliever may get sent down if DeRosa's injury isn't DL worthy. Even if DeRosa is only out a few days but coupled with Lee being out a few days, the Cubs will need an extra bat off the bench and will have to live with 11 pitchers for a few days. I'm looking at Rocky Cherry.

Comments

Why even waste the time putting Wood on the DL? It's already mid May and he's thrown all of 2 innings......in ST and hasn't thrown in who knows how long? The Cubs should just DFA him.

Wasn't Font a guy to keep our eye on? I know he played a little bit with the Cubs in 05, but what's the story on this guy?

you're going to have to pay him either way, so 60-day DL it would be. And he's already on the 15-day DL, a transfer to the 60-day DL just opens up a 40-man roster spot.

Geez..it's about time they put him on the 6-day DL....he's nowhere near being ready, and it's been 6 weeks.....a smart move.

well nothing's happened yet and they haven't needed the 40-man spot to date, so standard operating procedure at this point.

I think it certainly looks that way, he's just too far behind to make any meaningful contributions this season.

Jason: "I think it certainly looks that way, he’s (Wood) just too far behind to make any meaningful contributions this season." Shocking!!!!! Let's hope the new GM (please, pretty please) next year finally cuts ties with him and Prior.

Obviously, any injury to anyone is bad, but I would trade DeRosa for Lee any day.

and it could be just in case Lee's neck was worse than they originally thought and he'll be sent right back to Iowa.

Jason, You put him on the 60 day DL retroactive to March 15. It isnt going to be 60 days from today if they put him on it. He has already been down for 60 days as it is. So he can be activated as soon as he is ready. At the current rate we can look at August 2009 as a potential target date.

and Fontenot isn't in today's Iowa lineup so I think we're well past the rumor stage.

I think Prior's a different case, it would probably be worth it just to see how he bounces back from surgery. I think that if he can come out of it healthy, there's a good chance he'll stay that way. Wood is just different in my book, he's never going to stop throwing across his body and he's going to keep getting hurt.

I think Fontenot will be a great addition. At the very least he will be a lefthanded PHer that can get on base AND run the bases himself once he gets on.

I think its Derosa going on the DL, because if it was Lee wouldn't bring up Hoffpauir make more sense? his numbers 298/340/543/883 are solid outside of the low OBP in terms to his BA.

even if it was Lee to the DL, you have Ward, DeRosa or Floyd to play 1b, seems a middle infielder would be a bit more useful over Hoffpauir.

" his numbers 298/340/543/883 are solid outside of the low OBP in terms to his BA." Low in terms of his batting average? i.e. "he doesn't walk enough". Look either an OBP is good or not good enough. There is no designation for OBP bad in relation to BA. If the guy was hitting .360 but had a OPB of .380 would you care? You are really getting picky. Tony Gwynn's career BA/OBP: .338 .388 I guess that's not good enought? My point that the difference between is .050 whereas Hoffpauir is .042. Very little difference.

~sigh~

How about bringing up another reliever so Lou can have a 13 man bullpen and use each guy to face only one batter like he loves to do? Hell, DFA Ward, send Murton down to AAA, and we can have a 15 man bullpen. I never thought I'd see anyone worse with this stupid righty-lefty matchup thing than Dusty. Personally, I'll take a good pitcher facing the opposite side over a crappy pitcher playing the matchups any day and twice on Sunday.

Good grief!!! This isn't a rumor, and isn't an MVN scoop. FONTENOT's locker was empty this morning so he could be ready if needed in New York. How do I know? Well, besides being THE ONLY FRIGGING PERSON AT TCR WITH AN OUNCE OF RESPECT FOR FONTENOT's OBVIOUS TALENT, I read it in the Des Moines Register.

very serious issues. geez, TCR is reuters and breaking a story dont mean anything. did i miss the banner headline "FONTENOT TO MAJORS, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST" hey, let's champion a trade for mark loretta next...he can at least field better.

I heard he was at the will call window for the "Wicked" matinee this afternoon. Maybe he will play afterwards.

Is anyone else sick of the same things being said over, and over, and over again around here? Can we all just agree that different people value OBP differently? And different people value Fontenot differently? Lets be honest - OBP is valuable in different ways, but it is not the only stat that is important. And Fontenot is a decent player who could be a decent major league player, but he also is probably never going to become a Hall of Famer, and projects to be a decent to above average role player. Can all just agree on that and shut up about it?

cwtp...btw, where you been the past *checks watch* 3 years while the rest of TCR been talking about fontenot? this guy seems to only be news to you. a lotta people know he exists. you dont linger in the minors with his batting numbers without people looking deeper into exactly how he's getting those numbers and what his liabilities are outside of his bat.

I may have misread Mike's original story, I thought he was speculating about Derrek's neck being the issue but that seems to be what his source told him.

speaking of guys with numbers who people wanna stick their fingers in their ears and ignore what a lotta people know to be true... anyone know what dubois is up to? still learning to hit a low and low/inside pitch? watching video of breaking balls while he looks at a diagram of how to swing at one? practicing his stumbling while shagging popups with less movement than the breaking crap he flails at without clue?

well I do know that he's in Norfolk batting 195/267/299 in 77 AB's he would have probably made the Orioles out of ST if he didn't hurt his leg too.

CWTP-- I like Fontenot--just because he bats from the left side and isn't Floyd or Jones.

Easy there Crunch....may I suggest a valium or two? Dubois is struggling At the Orioles AAA club this season, along with Luis Montanez. .194/.272/.306, 1 HR, 3 RBI. Last season at AAA Buffalo: 22 HR, 87 RBI, .275/.342/.492 I will still say that I would have rather seen him in LF for 30-60 games than Todd Freaking Hollandsworth.

hey, dubois is an ex cub who captured the imaginations and posts of many TCR...never saw so many 100-200+ post threads over a AAA'r in my life. i think its fair game to ask about...

"Easy there Crunch….may I suggest a valium or two?" what did i do? the things i pointed out about dubois are the same crap that was pointed out years ago. helll, i thought it was funny. he's all power, no swing...no eye...no D...and not doing much to prove he isnt. not like i called choi a talentless chump...he has less holes in his game, but he just cannot figure out how to not be exploited on the inside pitch. that's just a fact of his talent. his life...

I will still say that I would have rather seen him in LF for 30-60 games than Todd Freaking Hollandsworth. ..................................................................... DB, you keep forgetting. Hollandsworth was a "proven vet" dude. You cant sit your horses like Holly. How is a guy like Neifi going to save your season if you dont play him dude.

"Where is Cesar Izturis going to play?" with himself in the clubhouse shower

yeah, randy johnson can swing a bat, too. wanna compare it to bonds' swing? i mean, theyre both swinging a bat...A = B...makes sense to me.

what did i do? well you did trudge up something about 2+ years old in a sort of I was right, look how most of you were wrong kind of way. just sayin'...

Dave, I agree with you. No one knows how Font. will turn out. But he does deserve a chance. Seriously, if you can hit like he has in the minors and NOT get a chance, what's the point of having a farm system?

All I know is that Dubois was the first guy to homer off Dice-K. That's what he's become: an answer to a trivia question. A very boring trivia question.

Did the Des Moines Register quote the I-Cubs manager (Buddy Bailey) saying that Fontenot can Limbo? ...whoa, Break out the Calypso music tonight!

Did the Des Moines Register quote the I-Cubs manager (Buddy Bailey) saying that Fontenot can Limbo? …whoa, Break out the Calypso music tonight! ...................................................................... I believe Bailey was making a offhand comment about Fontenot's wife?

Swing swing swing-a-ling-a-ling who cares about the flipping swing, dude If you put up a 290/375/450, I don't care if you stick the bat up your ass and do the macarena up there.

"well you did trudge up something about 2+ years old in a sort of I was right, look how most of you were wrong kind of way." okay, this is the internet and its hard to just throw out a post with the proper emotion in place, but no, im not about that...if i was gonna do that i'd do it a lot more and a lot more timely. i was just wondering where he ended up and all that crap...then i made some funny comments about his baseball makeup. i see no difference between this and ragging on jones cuz he cant hit lefties...its the same thing, a condition of the player's skills. sorry some might be carrying a torch for dubois, but well...dubois had a history and a he's got a present...not much has changed with his game. seriously, though...im not trying to pop my collar over dubois...ive been right/wrong on plenty but i dont recall a history of me holding my rights over people's heads and ducking my wrongs.

instead of that canned "clap your hands" crap they keep playing at shea...makes me feel like I'm at a Bar Mitzvah

He is also a player that never got a chance to play much in the bigs. I'd have rather seen a season of him proving that he can't hack it that an amalgamtaion of Holly, Bynum, Hairston, Lawton and other tripe that was run out into LF. I am not saying that he would have become a sudden star, but he obviously has some talent. Career #'s in the minors of .295/.378/.540 are pretty good. Timing is everything in life, and sports is no different. If he'd gotten a real shot, who knows? Maybe he'd have had a couple of decent seasons...maybe not. Now he is labeled AAAA, and will likely not get a shot, while players like Skip Schumaker, for instance, get at least considered for call-up time, and time again.

Ronny Cedeno already got picked off today, at least he walked. E-Pat: 1-1 with a bb Felix: 0-1 with a BB Walrond pitching for Iowa.

"Swing swing swing-a-ling-a-ling who cares about the flipping swing, dude If you put up a 290/375/450, I don’t care if you stick the bat up your ass and do the macarena up there. " well...umm... that's AAA. if we were iowa cubs fans that might be cool. ya know that pie guy hitting like .400 in AAA...he wasnt exactly there in the majors...but i guess its cuz mean ol' lou didnt play him enough or something. sure as hell cant be a translation of skills from 1 level to another. dude, you're bringing the weak today.

Great! The Cubs need a relief pitcher and they bring up a career minor league 2nd baseman who can't play any other position. I am excited!

I would have loved to have had DuBois on last season's roster as a Jack Jones platoon partner. It only took 15 months but at least the cubs finally figured out that Jones cant hit lefties. Someone should probably send a link to Baseball Prospectus to the cubs front office.

aaronb, I know you're a fan. It's just that i'm even more excited about Izturis being sent to the bench than Fonty getting his chance.

not a big deal crunch, but you were wondering why you were catching flack for it, I'm just letting you know how it came off, even if that's not how you intended. We're all good....

And Pie got a tiny chance, and failed miserably (at least on offense) And Fontenot should get his, and we'll see. That's all. No one knows how good or bad he will do. I don't care if you watch his swing in slow motion all day long. No one knows until he's here.

yeah, i understand if anyone perceives it that way it can come off as "i told you so." text is so cold...just clearing stuff up for the hell of it. at least giving my mindset on the issue, anyway.

fontenot isnt dubois, though. fontenot may hit in a full career what will take dubois 2-3 years to put up in homers if you give them both a career of starting ab's...but if you ask me which is a better hitter, i'd take fontenot. and about getting excited about fontenot...i find it about as interesting as turning cartwheels for mark loretta...both are good players but well, dlee/aram/soriano/etc...im excited about pie...im excited about veal/gallagher...hell, even epat im not really stoked about, but that doesnt even remotely mean i dont like him or wouldnt want to see him a cub.

What exactly is baseball makeup? Is it the reason that Alex Gonzales was always so pretty? I miss him.

yes that is what i read "There was no immediate word on the extent of DeRosa's injury, though he's likely to be placed on the 15-day disabled list"

Rory- I agree that a relief pitcher might have been a good call-up, but who should they have called up? With a 12 man staff, and DeRosa going on the DL, bringing up a middle IF makes sense. Marmol? He's in a groove as a starter. Rapada? LOOGY...not a need right now Pignatello? might be a LOOGY type as well. Ben Howard? John Webb? Randy Wells? Ugh.....

I vote that we label all minor league players AAAA guys and that the cubs continue to sign 2nd and 3rd tier free agents every year. It seems to have worked really well so far.

I don't see why losing DeRosa isn't cause enough to be alarmed -- Cubs runner up in BBs, leader in P/PA, 4th in RBIs (all that with 30 less at bats than the leaders) and the best defensive IF -- sorry Izturis. Here's hoping that Fontenot can do a decent DeRosa impression.

I vote Marmol up to chicago and Eyre to have Wade Miller-esq "back spasms". Marmol's future is likely in the pen anyway. No time like the present to see if he can swim.

"aaronb, I know you’re a fan. It’s just that i’m even more excited about Izturis being sent to the bench than Fonty getting his chance." 1. Izturis has been out of the regular line up for a while. 2. He is actually starting to hit lately. 3. Izturis can play defense and run which Fontenot cant. Fontenot can only hit and take a walk. 4. As AZ Phil if people if Fontenot could actually play some other team would have picked him up.

the reason you dont need to label all minor league players AAAA guys is cuz there's people who's job is to look at these people and share with others what that person's vulnerabilities and strengths are. a guy who's early on swings too much fouling balls off vs. a guy who cant hit inside pitching arent comparable when it comes to time/work to "fix" the issue.

Thanks Carlos... I agree. DeRosa has vastly underrated so far this year, mostly because of his low batting average. But the rest of his numbers, along with his defense, have been excellent.

I'm sure it will be theriot/izturis for the most part with fontentot being the sub, maybe get a start or two. Sounds like Derrek is okay though...good.

Derosa is hitting .400 with runners in scoring postion and 2 outs which is shocking since i didnt know the cubs actually hit the ball with runners in scoring position.

I wonder if someone will ever write a book about how inefficient and lazy the people who scout baseball players are?

I don't care if someone doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to the stats and the numbers. After all, it's just a part of the game and there are a lot of things we don't know/can't explain. But this crap just kills me - This from the Trib: "Fontenot, 26, was a late-season call-up in '06 but was used sparingly and was 0-for-2 in only seven games." Of course they leave the part out about him walking twice and getting hit by a pitch to reach base 3 out of 5 times to the plate. But why would we want to know about that meaningless crap. He scored 2 runs too. I guess he just magically floated around the bases since he was just 0 of 2. Incomplete information is the enemy. The SOLE goal of sabermetrics is to make the available infomation more complete.

Derosa is hitting .400 with runners in scoring postion and 2 outs which is shocking since i didnt know the cubs actually hit the ball with runners in scoring position. .................................................................. its got to be a ridiculous sample size. Something like 2 for 5

could have used one of those hits last night from DeRosa.... I hope he didn't break his finger, that's 4-6 weeks.

CWTP: Here is you boy's chance. Aren't you stoked! Now you can't say he wasn't even be given a chance. I would expect, since they were teammates at LSU (and in IOWA), Theriot (or TAR-E-O) and Fontenot might play in the same lineup? CRUNCH: Now we'll get to see what you and AZ PHIL were talking about. And what about Bruce Kieshnick? Is he still around?

whats really scary is everytime we take a walk, we get stranded on base where as every single time (it seems) we walk a player, they score "its got to be a ridiculous sample size. Something like 2 for 5 " 4 for 10

"could have used one of those hits last night from DeRosa" truer words have yet to be spoken its like the offense said oh where we going to dinner boys after that

"I wonder if someone will ever write a book about how inefficient and lazy the people who scout baseball players are?" They did, its called "Moneyball" Also, Cesar Izturis is by far the best fielding middle infielder we have. And, I will bet anyone that IF Fontenot starts at all, it will be at second and Izzy at short. I will be bet, barring injury, that you will never see Theriot at SS and Fontenot at 2B to START a game. Subbing later does not count.

Just count this sore neck stuff for DLee as a subtle blessing, if DLee had been in the lineup last night and the finger injury happened to him, all hell would be breaking out right now ...we may have just dodged the "hand of fate". and I agree with the previous comment that if it was DLee that was DL bound we would be having a Micah Hoffpauir sighting in NY.

hell, fontenot can field...he's just not on the same level as other guys with similar makeup loretta/giles...he's not inept...he's not the cliff floyd of the middle IF.

Also, Cesar Izturis is by far the best fielding middle infielder we have. 2004 Izturis? Sure. 2007 Izturis? Not so sure. Chad... you have to admit that Izzy has been far from excellent this year defensively. And not just because of his errors. He has most definitely not looked like a gold glove SS this year.

he would be in the majors right now...but he's still a little dizzy, so he's been partying with Mike Metheny and Corey Koskie

"The E-Man — May 15, 2007 @ 12:52 pm “Subbing later does not count.” Why not? In only your world." When you fill out your lineup card, you HOPE that you don't have to make any changes that day. If all goes PERFECTLY, those 9 guys will play every inning. SO, later on in the game when things don't go as planned, you put guys in that you hadn't hoped would play. So if Izturis makes the last out of an inning and they decide to double switch and put Theriot at short and put Fontenot in at second, that doesn't count. My point is that I doubt Lou has any desire to have those two play together at short and second but will, if he has to.

re 99: Besides DLee, there is no one on the Cubs that I feel more comfortable handling the ball than Izzy. Late in the game and we need an out, I want it to go to Lee. If not Lee, Izzy.

Why Fontenot instead of Ronny? I guess the plan is still to let him play every day .... but ehhh.

My point is that I doubt Lou has any desire to have those two play together at short and second but will, if he has to. Why is that? While Izzy/DeRosa is probably better defensively than Theriot/Fontenot, Lou has shown that he is quite willing to play Theriot at SS. If he is willing to play Theriot at SS with DeRosa at 2b, he would probably be wiling to play Theriot at SS with Fontenot at 2b. Theriot should be playing every day, and if that means playing him Fontenot, so be it.

You mean Brooks Kieschnick? He retired a year ago. DeRosa is 4/10 with RISP and 2 out, 9/28 with RISP overall.

Why Fontenot instead of Ronny? I guess the plan is still to let him play every day …. but ehhh. Don't give Hendry any ideas....

Late in the game and we need an out, I want it to go to Lee. If not Lee, Izzy. So in other words, you are basing it solely on feeling and not their actual play on the field this year?

100+ comments on Mike Fontenot? Almost as popular as Jae-kuk Ryu!!!

#102....that is a sad state of affairs for the Cub defense when the Izturis of 2007 is the 2nd most reliable option out there.

I do think Izturis is better than Theriot with the glove but he's been nothing more than average so far this year with the glove and that's being kind. That Atlanta screw-up being the worst of it.

"Theriot should be playing every day, and if that means playing him [with] Fontenot, so be it." Right on, Dave. Theriot is our only OBP machine (well, DLee, too). Did someone write here yesterday that A-Ram's MAY average is in the low .100's? Or, did I hear this last night between the endless, annoying chatter on ESPN?

I shouldnt say it but, I will. The reason Adam Greenburg isnt in the majors is this. Its too hard to negotiate a contract with him.

I think theriot is a lesser skilled defender than izzy, but he is also more consistent. for the most part he makes the plays that he is supposed to make. it is kind of like a-ram. a-ram is still not a gold glover, but he is drastically improved from a few years ago because he makes the plays he is supposed to make consistently.

I shouldnt say it but, I will. Yea... you shouldn't have. Not sure why racist jokes are thought to be funny...

"You mean Brooks Kieschnick?" DOH! - face flushed w/red - Yes. Brooks Kieschnick... I remember a game when he got the save for the BREW and I think he had a HR and maybe even another hit as well...Funny.

Theriot and Fontenot have been a DP combo since college. At the very least one would assume they are familiar with one another.

So what everyone is saying is play Fotenot and with second base we are moving in Theriot?

"So in other words, you are basing it solely on feeling and not their actual play on the field this year?" My feelings are based on many things. Play this year, reputation, past performance and ability compared to other players on the team. And Izzy is quite consistent. He made three errors in one game. A total statistical anomaly. It will probably never happen again. He has 5 total errors. He has made one or more errors in 3 games. He's quite a good defender and the second best on this team. I turn the question to you then: Bottom of the ninth tonight, two outs, tying run on second and a hard hit ball gets put in play. This will be no routine play but nothing super human. Who do you want the ball to go to? (Besides DLee)

100+ comments on Mike Fontenot? Almost as popular as Jae-kuk Ryu!!! ------- the humor on this board KILLS ME!!!

This will be no routine play but nothing super human. Who do you want the ball to go to? (Besides DLee) If it just involves catching the ball, I would be perfectly confident in any of our infielders or Jacque Jones. If it involves throwing the ball, I would be confident in Soriano or most of our infielders. I don't trust Izzy any more than DeRosa, and not much more than A-Ram for a moderate level play.

And you spelled his name wrong. Not that it matters but you took a lot of the "Jewish" out of it by spelling it Greenburg.

Theriot and Fontenot have been a DP combo since college. Well they were a DP combo in college, that was about 6 years ago. Not sure how much time they got together in Iowa last year.

can Fontenot catch? ...still thinking it's Barretts fault

Also... I could care less about Izzy's reputation or his past performance. His reputation does not equate with his defensive play this year. His rep is based on his pre-injury days, and he has not come close to the level he was at in those days. As you know, when I was living in SoCal I watched plenty of Dodger's games, and Izzy was a stud defensively. He is nowhere close to that now. Basing your confidence in Izzy on reputation is the same as saying Jeter is a great defensive player because of his reputation. And I hope you do not believe that...

And you spelled his name wrong. Not that it matters but you took a lot of the “Jewish” out of it by spelling it Greenburg. .......................................................................... Sorry about that. Not trying to offend anyone. I hope all is Kosher

…still thinking it’s Barretts fault I am thinking that last night's game was barrett's fault, being that that there was a bad throw on a stolen base, right? :)

This Fontenot thing is huge. HUGE, I say. Let's open up the chat and really get cooking on this.

I hear the Cubs just signed Todd Walker to sub at 1B.. You are right. But he changed his name to Mike Fontenot.

speaking of that throw, I was in the car and just heard the radio call. Radio announcers made it sound like Blanco should have had him. Agree?

Radio announcers made it sound like Blanco should have had him. Agree? A good throw would have been really close. It was a perfect pitch out and great footwork by Blanco, coming out and getting the ball. But the ball sailed on him. But a very good throw probably would have had him, a decent throw may not have been good enough. Reyes is just a bit fast...

well yeah, normally Reyes stealing a base wouldn't get me too upset but with the pitchout and the way the announcers described how quickly Blanco was in a throwing motion, it sounded like they should have had him besides the bad throw. It always bug me when you call the pitchout correctly but can't nail the guy. I do wonder what the percentages are on that.

Dave, you didn’t answer my question. That is because I don't have an answer. There is not "one guy" I would want the ball to go to - it would depend on the play and the need. And as I said - I trust DeRosa and A-Ram as much as I do Izzy to make a moderate level defensive play.

lets put the throw like this, ive never seen that good of a pitchout with the catcher already ahead of the plate and the runner not get thrown out

Another irony was "Sut" and "Bake" telling the auidience what a great arm Hank has. Then he throws it to the left of the bag, on a bounce.

I really like DeRosa, espy his glove and his throws, but at this point he's just another thirty-ish slow righthanded hitter chasing sliders, and a change is welcome. The Cubs need to change some things, no? It can't all be Izturis's fault. E-Pat would have been welcome also, particularly for the speed he would add to the equation.

ive never seen that good of a pitchout with the catcher already ahead of the plate and the runner not get thrown out Agreed... but the amazing thing (about Reyes) is that it still needed to be a perfect throw to get him.

at this point [DeRosa is] just another thirty-ish slow righthanded hitter chasing sliders, and a change is welcome. Come on... have you looked at all of his numbers? Or just his batting average?

DeRosa backwards is "Asored". What could that mean? It sounds kind of like 'assured' which could be a good sign. That in itself is proof that he's a good defender. Moreover, it also sounds a lot like "A Sword" which points to his dominance with the bat. Well, I hope that clears things up.

E-Pat would have been welcome also, particularly for the speed he would add to the equation. I can only conclude you don't think his brother Corey was rushed to the majors, Va. Phil, because you would have EPatt on a similar fast-track.

I love the Korey scare tactics. Just because one player did not succeed when he was called up to the majors does not mean that every other player will respond in the same way.

also from Bruce Miles from northsidebaseball... try not to get a woody cwtp... Cubs are very pleased with Fontenot and say his defense also has improved. speculates Wood or Prior to the 60 day DL.

“Fontenot can only hit and take a walk.” Only --------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is more to baseball than hitting. He is a Triple A roster filler. If Cedeno did not sprain his ankle, Fontenot would be in Iowa still.

"Cubs are very pleased with Fontenot and say his defense also has improved." Well it is not like it would take much for that to happen.

What does Cedeno's ankle sprain have to do with Fontenot being up? Cedeno is back and playing now, so if the Cubs wanted to, they could call him up.

CWTP, In nearly 200 at bats, Eric has hit almost 100 points higher at Iowa than Corey did. He's just a better hitter. Also Eric is 24, two years older than Corey was at the same level. I'm on record as sceptical about this whole rushing excuse. Players come up from AA all the time. Almost nobody comes up from single A. That might not be a good idea (although Pujols did it). The Cubs once rushed a hot prospect up from Class C ball, the '60s equivalent of A, and it set him back a few years, which really hurt the Cubs, because when Brock finally straightened himself out he was wearing a red cap. When is Corey going to straighten himself out?

Dave, They wanted him to get some PT. Calling him up a few days after he come back from that injury would be pointless then. If a pen guy is sent down it should be Wuertz for walking 3 guys yesterday including the winning run.

Cedeno hasn't been down for 10 days yet, meaning a DL move would be required. While that's still a possibility, it's also possible as I stated in the post, that DeRosa and Lee are both out for the next 2-4 games and they'll send back a pitcher meaning they couldn't call Cedeno up. Fontenot's the safer bet. And he's 10 times better.

My previous comment never showed up, so I will try again. Ah... the Culture of Fear. Great book by the way - I highly recommend it. I love the "Korey fear tactics." Because every player is exactly like Korey. And because Korey struggled to succeed after he reached the bigs, that means everyone will struggle to succeed. Especially his brother. And by the way... Korey did "get it" in the bigs, and then he got hurt. I have at times wondered what would have happened to Korey if he had not broken his leg.

"When is Corey going to straighten himself out?" Last season, but hey atleast Hendry got another Fontenot clone in Nate Spears.

I doubt Wuertz gets sent down, he was too good in April. but he went from 14 K/ 4 BB's in April to 5 BB's/2 K's so far in May

Speak for yourself - racist jokes are hilarious! and I thought Aaron's joke was brilliant!! Keep 'em coming kid!

Last season Then you obviously haven't seen what he has done this year: .244/.311/.341 And his numbers last year? Not as good as you think: .276/.314/.443. Those numbers will not be blowing away anyone anytime soon.

Is Korey that bad in Baltimore? Corey is esentially Jack Jones just younger,faster more athletic and with more power.

hmm, maybe it has been 10 days, it was May 5th he was sent down. but yeah, he just started playing again and Fontenot's had the hot bat. and doesn't suck.

757 ops from a CFer with great defensive skill. One could do worse. We did last year with Juan Pierre

screw Corey, he sucks and he never adjusts. He went to a new league that hadn't figured him out quite yet. His numbers will be considerably worse this year imo. of course, I fear the same thing about Soriano.

Why would the Cubs look at Cherry to send down? He throws an 89 MPH fastball that he can't locate and he hangs his offspeed pitches. He's perfect for this bullpen.

For the record, news of Fontenot's summons to NY did NOT appear in the copy of "The Friggin' Des Moines Register" that was delivered to my doorstep this morning. I was told of the move by an I-Cubs official @ 9:00 A.M. at Principal Park when I arrived for a pre-arranged interview with Felix Pie. My source characterized the move as precautionary depending on the result of the MRI that Lee flew back to Chicago for yesterday. I posted what I'd been told as soon as I got back home from the ballpark...

Corey is esentially Jack Jones just younger,faster more athletic and with more power. I will give you younger and faster. I will not give you more athletic and more power. Korey and Jock have pretty similar levels of athletic ability. And more power? Here is a AB/HR for the two from last year and the last three years, respectively: Korey: 28.9 AB/HR, 29.2 AB/HR Jones: 19.7 AB/HR, 21.8 AB/HR I don't think the power is even close. 757 ops from a CFer with great defensive skill. One could do worse. We did last year with Juan Pierre Not much worse: Pierre last year: .292/.330/.388 - OPS: .717 . And that was after a disastrous start. And Pierre has great defensive range, just a rag arm.

chifan-- Corey straigtened himself out last season (#157)? There are a lot of myths about this guy. Well, today he's hitting .244 with one HR. But even last season: How is 276/314/443 with 16 HRs better than the 266/320/452 with 24 HRs he hit for us in 2004? He's consistently okay, average, so-so. He wasn't rushed. He wasn't mishandled. There's no superstar there.

WoW~ !! If you weren't watching the game, you missed a great comeback by the Iowa Cubs. Trailing 4-2 in the 9th, FELIX PIE started a 2 run rally with a single. Cubs tied it up 4-4 before they made an out. Then with men on first and 3rd RONNY.CEDENO quickly struck out, lowering his BA to .083---- HELLO TENNESSEE SMOKIES. Top of the Tenth: CLAY RAPADA pitching a second inning. After getting the first man, Rapada gives up a single and a double putting men on second and third. The next hitter drives a ball to center field, caught by Felix Pie. The runner on third tags and heads home. The long throw from Pie has him! OUT! Double Play. Bottom of the Tenth: ERIC PATTERSON leads off with a single. Run&Hit:FELIX PIE moves him over to second with a grounder to the right side. MIKE KINKADE homers. I CUBS win 6-4! This game might have been over earlier but SP LES WALROND issued 7 walks.

well I don't know about that, Corey was rushed. It may not have made a bit of difference in the long run and a lot of it was him pushing the issue to get promoted. But he had a habit of getting worse at each stop in the minors and still getting promoted to the next level. I'd say that's rushed. E-Pat has sort of had the same issue, he did get a call-up to Iowa last year after a mostly mundane AA experience. But he's hitting pretty well in AAA right now and the age difference is a huge factor imo.

Even his numbers from last year are misleading. He was great at the beginning of the year, but as soon as the league adjusted he looked a lot like the '05 Corey we all loved to hate. He just isn't a good ballplayer.

EXTREME PESSIMISM ALERT: QUIT READING IF YOU'RE STILL NURSING HOPE, HOWEVER IRRATIONAL IT MAY BE ahh recent poor performance, then a spate of injuries, and compensating roster juggling. Posts taking on a acrid stench, micromanaging minutiae in desperate search of some sign that there is hope. I smell death spiral all around. God save us from another 0-for-May

“Cubs are very pleased with Fontenot and say his defense also has improved.” ...they never said that about Todd Walker

He’s consistently okay, average, so-so. He wasn’t rushed. He wasn’t mishandled. There’s no superstar there. I think you're right. And I think Izturis may be a similar kinda guy. Lotsa talent but maybe the lightbulb never goes on. Eric, on the other hand, has an intensity to him.

Even his numbers from last year are misleading. He was great at the beginning of the year, but as soon as the league adjusted he looked a lot like the ‘05 Corey we all loved to hate. I thought the same thing, and then I looked that numbers: April .286/.300/.490 OPS: 790 May .292/.357/.506 OPS: 863 June .280/.313/.364 OPS: 677 July .275/.290/.352 OPS: 642 August .247/.299/.432 OPS: 0.731 September .295/.333/.682 OPS: 1.015 While he did have a good April and May, and a poor June/July, he then rebounded in Aug/Sept with some decent numbers.

Wade Miller pitched for Tennessee Smokies today 5 2/3 7 hits 2 walks 3 ER, 1 K

Wade Miller pitched for Tennessee Smokies today ugh...looks like miller will be using up his full allotted time on rehab, eh?

I wouldn't call a .299 OBP decent, personally, and those September numbers are only drawn from around 50 AB.

another way to look at the "the league adjusted to Korey" theory is to look at 1st half/2nd half. Here they are: Pre-All Star: .278/.315/.426 - OPS: .741 Post-All Star: .274/.313/.468 - OPS: .781 They are almost identical, with a relatively small power advantage in the second half.

I wouldn’t call a .299 OBP decent Well... you said he was "great" at the "beginning of the year" with an OBP of .300. I think .299 is closer to decent than .300 is to great! :)

I wonder if you get break his splits by division. By my theory, the AL East would have started to figured him out by the 2nd half moreso than the other divisions with the unbalanced schedule. Either way, he's nothing more than average ballplayer at best. Good riddance.

Prior to today Walrond had only walked a TOTAL of 8 in previous starts, never more than 2 in any one of them - of course, today he was facing the Sacramento Moneyballers who lead the league in BB's and OBP...for all his wildness, he still registered a "quality start", allowing only 3 ER in his 6 innings...

He’s consistently okay, average, so-so. He wasn’t rushed. He wasn’t mishandled. There’s no superstar there. I think you’re right. And I think Izturis may be a similar kinda guy. Lotsa talent but maybe the lightbulb never goes on. Eric, on the other hand, has an intensity to him. ................................................................... I agree with everything you said except for the Izturis has talent part. Unless you are talking about his brother Macier who plays for LAA

I wonder if you get break his splits by division ... Lets see... Splits are pre 7/1/06, post 7/1/06 - I am only giving OPS because I am lazy Korey against... Yanks: .286/.825 Red Sox: .238/.927 Devil Rays: 1.020/1.093 Blue Jays: .865/.435 So your theory does not really hold up. Then again, each of these are for a total of between 20-30 at-bats, so none of these stats would have any kind of significance or reliability. But yea... I am wasting my time anyway. Korey is simply an average baseball player with above average athletic ability.

Re: the ESPN announcers last night. Dusty seems like a really nice guy, on the several occasions I've seen him. So is my neighbor, and I wouldn't want him making out a Cub lineup card either. He and Sutcliffe add NOTHING but banalities, generalities and cliches. I'm reminded of Bill James' description of Milo Hamilton: He's about as interesting as the Weather Channel, to which I would frequently turn when he is on. The thing is, though, they're no worse than anyone else in the ESPN baseball analyst chair, and are better than some. I'd like to see the day when they put two professional announcers in the booth, instead of ex-players who have nothing to say and say it poorly. This is not to suggest that ex-players can't be good. Mike Shannon, Rizzuto and Jimmy Piersall come to mind.

thnx dave.... Corey for MVP!!! let's change the topic.... Cubs will lose tonight when: a) Z gives up 8 bb's and 10 runs in .1 IP b) Cubs are left with Soriano at SS, Ward at 2b and Blanco at 1b in the 10th inning. None of them factor into the decision though because pitcher Mike Fontenot  walks in the winning run. c) Walk-off grand slam by Endy Chavez gives the Mets a 4-3 victory. After 8.2 IP of shutout ball, Z walks 3 batters in a row and Dempster gives up the game winning homer.

Steve Stone may be the best of the former players turned announcers. Of course, I don't believe a word he says about the Cubs anymore, but in the booth he is great.

I think they should put the voice-over guy from the geico commercials in the booth. That would be sweet. "In a world where their car was under water". Or the guy who does the monster truck adds on the TV commercials. "SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY" Really there is no ceiling if you put those 2 guys in the booth together.

Corey for MVP!!! I sure as hell didn't say that!! :) And I will follow up your Cubs lose with a Cubs win: Cubs will win tonight when: a) Z makes it through the first 2 innings without giving up a run b) a-ram actually steps up without DLee in the lineup instead of shrinking away to obscurity like last year. c) Eyre, Howry, Wuertz, Cherry and don't have to pitch. d) Z pitches 8 shutout innings, hits a homerun in the top of the 9th to make it a 1-0 game, and Dempster gets the save after giving up a hit, 2 walks, 2 k's, and a deep fly ball to the wall from Delgado/Beltran.

dave: "d) Z pitches 8 shutout innings, hits a homerun in the top of the 9th to make it a 1-0 game, and Dempster gets the save after giving up a hit, 2 walks, 2 k’s, and a deep fly ball to the wall from Delgado/Beltran." I love how you have Z hitting for himself in the 9th but not coming out to pitch. Almost 99.9% of the time the manager would pinch hit for a pitcher that wasn't going to pitch the next half inning, right? But not for our boy Z!!! Z is probably as good an option as we got right there. Though, I am dismayed that you wouldn't let him go the distance. I know I would. Even after 120 pitches. But that's just me.

I love how you have Z hitting for himself in the 9th but not coming out to pitch. Yea... I thought of that after I wrote it. I should have said something like this: Z pitches 8 shutout innings. After LouPa already used Fontentot as a defensive replacement, Murton as a PH for Floyd, and DeRosa and Lee are out due to their injuries, LouPa is forced to leave Z in to hit even though he wasn't going to pitch the 9th. Z then hits a homerun in the top of the 9th to make it a 1-0 game, and Dempster gets the save after giving up a hit, 2 walks, 2 k’s, and a deep fly ball to the wall from Delgado/Beltran, leaving the based loaded to end the game.

And yea... I forgot either Pagan or Jones. Maybe Pagan starts and the pitcher was a lhp! :) And yes, I intentionally left Blanco out of the equation. LouPa chose Z over Blanco.

The Cubs need a relief pitcher that is consistent badly. I am sick of seeing Wuertz, Ohman, Howry and Eyre falter. I have no problem if the Cubs brought up a minor leaguer such as Marmol - who was effective out of the bullpen in 2006. I would also bring up Marshall if he has recovered to. I would then get rid of the stiffs impersonating big league pitchers on the Cubs.

dave, no need to amend your statement, stick with it. I envision it like Lou tells Floyd or Pagan to put on a helmet and Z goes nuts. Lou is all "You're coming out in the 9th. It's Weurtz if we don't score and Dempster if we do." Then Z looks him dead in the eye and says (in Spanish) "This is my game. I decide how it will end. I want Dempster to save this game for me. I will give him the run" Then grabs a bat and his helmet and heads to the on deck circle.

" . . .and a deep fly ball to the wall from Delgado/Beltran." I hope Murton doesn't run into the guy who's trying to catch it.

Marmol as a reliever in 2006 with the Cubs: 9.1 IP, 7 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 13 K maybe all the runs came in one game. :)

crunch asked about dubois about 150 comments ago... He was at AAA Norfolk last week. He was playing right the other day for the Tides when I went to an Indy Indians game.

Johann — May 15, 2007 @ 10:12 am I asked this in another thread, AZ, but how soon does Eric Patterson seem to be in terms of ML readiness? A year from now at earliest? =========================== JOHANN: Eric Patterson is a plus-offensive player who would be a good instigator at the top of any lineup. He can hit #1 or #2 and do a fine job. He has plus-speed and a nice line-drive stroke with occasional power, Unlike his brother, he can bunt for hits. He is basically the offensive player a lot of Cubs fans hoped Corey would be. As a hitter and base-runner, he will probably be ready for MLB by the end of this season. Which brings me to his defensive play at 2B. Eric Patterson is a CF playing 2B. Which is OK if you don't mind a "Shaky Jake" who drops the DP exchange at 2B, bobbles balls hit right at him, and makes errant throws on easy plays. He does have good range (for a 2B) and decent arm strength, though, and he does OK catching pop-ups in the outfield. Because of his athleticism, he is capable of making spectacular plays. It's the routine plays that cause him trouble. He's kind of like Tim Raines, who was very fast but had to be moved from 2B to LF because of his poor middle-infield play. Some scouts have compared him to Delino DeShields. Maybe that's an accurate comparison, I don't know. Patterson is basically a "two-guard" playing a defensive position equivalent to "point guard." Whether he can smooth out his defense, I don't know. So far, he's only gotten worse over time. He has a lot of bad habits and he usually chokes when he needs to make the Big Play. But the Cubs NEED E-Pat to remain at 2B. There is no room for him in their outfield of the present or future. In almost any other organization, he would have been moved to CF by now. So either he stays at 2B and the Cubs learn to live with his defense and the "four-out innings" that result from his misplays, or they trade him someplace where he can play CF.

Carlos, that story was kinda homo-erotic. But it's usually the famous person who gets panties thrown at them. Just ask Tom Jones.

Rob - Actually I am surprised you missed it Carlos Marmol gave up all of his earned runs in 1.1 innings the last two games he pitched 9/14th and 15th 2006 coming out of the pen. If you watched him he was a stronger pitcher as a reliever as opposed as a starter. His fastball was excellent early in the season. I think someone else smarter than me suggested his future is more as a closer. You can dissect his stats all you want but if you seen him pitch he is pretty talented especially when he only has to pitch an inning or two. The sooner the Cubs call this kid up to the bigs and let him come out of the bullpen the better the Cubs bullpen will be.

[...] Fontenot’s callup was the subject of a very lenghty discussion at The Cub Reporter and Road To Wrigley today — the subject was retaken in the evening, after he hit a pinch hit double for his first major league hit and eventually ended in blogger Transmission’s question about whether he is related to Ray Fontenot. As you can see, Mike is very popular among MVN bloggers and commenters. [...]

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • 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)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • 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.