Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Sat Funnies Gif: Kris Bryant's homer went how far?

Wow.
420 feet.
Yesterday Kris Bryant came up in the 7th inning of the second spring training game of 2014 and hit one out of the park and smack into our collective Cub Fan hope chest.
In his first at bat in a big league camp.
One of the main reasons I have massive hope for the future, that guy.

Of course the other team, the Angels, scored what? 15 runs?
Yada. Yada.
It's just spring training, right?
I'm choosing to think about a year from now when these kids come up for real.

(Okay maybe sooner but don't tell anybody that I sometimes have those thoughts.)

Go Cubs.

Comments

Like I said in the previous thread, that was a great at bat. That wasn't just some crap pitching, either. There was a real battle going on out there, and Bryant looked like a vet who'd been playing 15 years. That was what really surprised me. If he was just up there hacking and clobbered one after getting lucky, I'd be like, "ok, that's cool, kid's got some power." But he did that on I'm guessing the 15th pitch or so. I wasn't counting, but it's worth grabbing the archive from yesterday's game and watching it if you haven't. Don't just watch the highlight. Watch the whole at bat. Better yet, compare him to Soler, who was up just before Bryant and was facing the same medley of pitching. And who struck out. I'm not knocking Soler. I'm praising Bryant. I have no idea if he's like that all the time, but if he is, he may be the first one of the new young crew up, even before Baez. It will be interesting to watch the race to the roster with these guys.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Wouldn't be particularly shocked if Bryant beats Baez to steady MLB employment. He already can play 3B and RF, positions where CHC has or will soon have openings. And he is a more disciplined hitter than Baez. He'll certainly need less time overall in the minors to develop. He's also got a some room to add even more strength to his very tall frame--he's fairly thin in the upper body for a professional baseball player. More strength may not mean more homeruns than are already projected for him, but it might mean he can cut back on his swing and thus reduce the Ks a bit.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

bryant does have a year of age on baez...even though baez has 2 years of experience and 1 level of minors over him (assuming bryant is going to AA and baez AAA). either way, it seems both are on track to contribute in 2015...hopefully significantly rather than getting a taste. i still worry about baez's swing-and-miss and D, though. bryant starts tonight (if they play the game) at 3rd...olt DH...soler RF. t.wood threw 2 innings on the side and they're going to skip his start that got rained out earlier today. Bonifacio 2B, Lake CF, Castro SS, Roberts 1B, Bryant 3B, Soler RF, Olt DH, Coghlin LF, Whiteside C, EJax P

tanaka pitched today for the yanks. good fastball mix...good splitter...average slider...curve wasn't good today, but it's supposed to be better...also threw a cutter without much cut and a changeup that's not remarkable, but he has control over the fastball mix was very interesting. he threw it 89-94 and changed speeds on it a lot (94 followed by 90 etc)...very effective. his motion off the mound is weird...funky leg kick and drives hard/low off his back leg off the rubber. it's funky, but it's not "steal at will" wasted movement type of motion. 2ip 2h 0bb 3k

Fangraphs article with some McLeod quotes about his take on Baez when he was with the Padres:
“When I was in San Diego, Javier Baez went right in front of us,” McLeod told me recently. “He went ninth and we took Corey Spangenberg tenth. The Cubs beat a lot of teams on Javy. They certainly beat the Padres. I have to admit we weren’t set up to take him with our pick. Thankfully, the Cubs were smart and I don’t have to wear that one too bad.”
I asked McLeod what he missed in Baez. “We had some questions on his aggressiveness,” said McLeod. “Everyone saw the bat speed and the power. He was a little flashy and had the big swing. What we probably underestimated a little bit was how much Javy loves to play the game, and how much he loves to compete. In the end, we simply missed on him. We wouldn’t have taken Javy had he fallen to our pick. Thankfully the Cubs did.”
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/sunday-notes-twins-red-sox-padres-cubs/

Keith Law with a longer article on several first rounder possibilities, most notable Tyler Beede of Vanderbilt, "Vanderbilt's Tyler Beede is on track to be top-5 pick":
He did that on Friday night, an outing against a good lineup (Stanford) that had area scouts walking away saying the same thing: That's the Tyler Beede we've all been waiting for.
Friday night, he had it all, with good downhill plane on a 92-95 mph fastball, holding his velocity throughout his outing. His changeup was once again his out pitch, 80-83 with downward fade to left-handers, but with a little cut to it when he threw it to right-handers, demonstrating a precocious ability to manipulate the baseball. His curveball was his least consistent pitch, but the majority were above-average or better, 80-81 mph with tight rotation and an 11-to-5 break. He stayed ahead of hitters almost the whole night, and his fastball command was the best it's been in years.
...it's hard for me to imagine that he's not a top-five pick, with only Carlos Rodon and Tyler Kolek clearly ahead of him at this point, assuming (and hoping) everyone stays healthy. Beede should be in every team's mix from pick No. 3 on, in the same decision set as East Carolina's Jeff Hoffman, whom I saw last week, and UNLV's Erick Fedde, who has come out very strongly this spring.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1321&refresh=true

Peter Gammons tweets Wittenmeyer article about some tweets from fans/ Coffee and Clippings: With Starlin Castro's injury, calls for Javier Baez are getting louder wp.me/p3BWRG-2LW via @GDubCub @brianmacp 8:37am - 3 Mar 14

someone at Roto has a sense of humor when it comes to Ian Stewart:
Ian Stewart (nose) was scratched from the Angels' Cactus League lineup on Monday.
Stewart was accidentally hit in the nose by his young daughter and will meet with the Angels' medical staff on Monday to determine whether there are any fractures. He is in Angels camp this spring as a non-roster invitee.

"Walter Ibarra singles on a line drive to center fielder Mitch Haniger. Darnell McDonald scores. Ryan Kalish scores. Brett Jackson to 3rd. Walter Ibarra to 2nd on the throw." ...sure is spring training as hell.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

fan patience on twitter is at a rather pathetic level, especially after doing nothing all off-season and people getting stoked on tanaka...and getting disappointed. message board fan patience seems to be holding steady even with a few defections to the "this is getting silly" side of things. those on the season ticket waiting list have enjoyed a hell of a bump the past 2 off-seasons. that said, march 7th tickets go on sale and it should be easier to gauge how much of a loyalty hit they've taken. technically, if you have a MasterCard you can buy them early on march 4th and pay a 15% surcharge premium over face value...because, you know...revenue streams...the one thing the "new administration" seems to be great and timely with. in the long term, though...when they field a product worth watching people will show up. it's chicago...it's the cubs.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Dayn wiki- "Perry is a Mississippi native who now lives in Chicago. He got his bachelors in English and masters in Creative Writing from Mississippi College.[28] He describes himself as "a husband, father, dog owner, sports writer, practicing Catholic, non-proselytizing vegetarian, Mississippi native, Chicago resident, and zealous and abiding fan of the St. Louis Cardinals." prosecution rests

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Commence with yearly WFP bitching... They shouldn't say "tickets go on sale", they should say "get the leftovers that Wrigley Field Premium doesn't buy". I'm so over sitting in a queue for Cubs tickets. I haven't done it for years and I won't start now. It's just as easy for me to drive to Cincy to see the Cubs so that's what I do.

Joel Sherman, NY Post...
Yankees fans, do you remember Arodys Vizcaino? He was the key player the Braves wanted along with Melky Cabrera and Michael Dunn to deal Javier Vazquez to the Yankees in December 2009. Vizcaino made it to the Braves bullpen at age 20 in 2011, but needed Tommy John surgery the following spring and follow-up elbow surgery last May. In between, he was traded from the Braves to the Cubs for Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson. Well, Vizcaino is healthy again and hitting 98 mph this spring with a power breaking ball as a candidate for the Cubs bullpen. In fact, despite all the big-picture concerns the organization has about pitching, Chicago does think it has a chance to form a power bullpen with Vizcaino among those dialing it up to 95-plus in camp with Alberto Cabrera, Justin Grimm, Neil Ramirez, Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop.
http://nypost.com/2014/03/03/how-mark-teixeira-helped-make-freddie-free…

Nick Cafardo, from his Sunday baseball column...
6. Ryan Kalish, OF, Cubs — Cubs president Theo Epstein reported, “[Kalish] is moving around well. He feels healthy and looks good. He’s really relieved to just go play without having to think about his body.” Kalish, who spent the first seven years of his professional career with the Red Sox, and has undergone neck and shoulder surgeries, will likely start in the minors. He’s almost a junior Grady Sizemore story. Been hurt so much and for so long, nobody knows what the healthy product looks like anymore.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/03/02/sunball/ljRYe2lx41qPrY9POj…

I just wanted to be the first: Jokisch Irritates Brewers, Lineup Goes Hitless in 3 Innings Jokisch Burns Middle of Brewer's Lineup Jokisch Sends Brewers to the Showers That's all I've got for now.

per Roto...
James Russell has yet to appear in a Cactus League game this spring because of arm fatigue. The early-spring fatigue is normal for Russell, who expects to be fine within the next week.

Invoking the name of Theodore Roosevelt Lilly, He's back...per Rotoworld:
Ted Lilly has been hired as a special assistant for the Cubs front office. Lilly, 38, announced his retirement from baseball in November. He will work with young players in Cubs camp during spring training and then help the organization with scouting for the draft.
Ted Lilly: "I want to be around the game and I feel like I have something to offer. This is the organization I would prefer to be with.”
He's probably being brought in to coach catchers on the new rules about runners sliding into home plate. http://m.mlb.com/video/v3452671/molina-withstands-lillys-attempt-to-sco…

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    steele MRI on friday.  counsell expects an IL stint.

    no current plans for his rotation replacement.

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it

  • crunch (view)

    alzolay...bro...