Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Tony Campana is fast.

 

Honestly?
There was NO WAY the Cubs could beat the Brewers 2 nights in a row.
None.
We're allowed one shiny W maybe once a week - I'm totally used to it.
So when it went extra with Jeff Sam coming in, I turned it off.
(Doesn't help that I have the Summer Lung Fungus that's going around, but there you go.)

Turned on computer this morning and well, lookie there.
I guess Campana turned a single into a double, Fukudome moved him to third, and then Starlin Castro knocked him in with his 3rd hit of the night.

I wish I could take Campana more seriously, like one more hit every couple games, maybe a walk now and then (he's only got one in 22 at bats...)
But he definitely scares the CRAP out of people, and that's just more fun to watch.

You notice he doesn't really run through the bag at first?
He does that stretch thing and brakes immediately.
I wish he'd just fly on through and see if he's not ohhhh, maybe .004/second faster. 

Anyway, Cubs 5 Brewers 4.
Freaky.

And a tip of the hat to Brewer manager Ron Roenicke for keeping "I just gave up two doubles in a row" reliever Marco Estrada in there and throwing to Aramis.  
Boom, as they say. 

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

The team is so bad and farm system so thin that I kind of think the Cubs should just take a pass on both Pujols and Fielder this off season and try to get some bad money off the books before buying top-dollar free agents. On the other hand, I'm sort of Cub-depressed right now, so I might not be thinking clearly.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I'm more interested in Bour. Seems like 2012 is a good year to use Colvin, Soto, or even Ridling, LaHair or Flaherty at 1B and see what they've got. I don't see this team competing next year unless they get really lucky and a bunch of prospects and young players have breakouts.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I find Ridling as interesting as Julio Zuleta. Bour is 2-3 years away of being any kind of impact. If he continues doing what he's been doing, he could see the majors by next year I guess, but feels like a guy that would take a bit to adjust. Also feels like a guy that the cubs wouldn't give much of a leash unfortunately.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

So....RE-Ridling-Zuleta......What makes you think of Zuleta Rob? He's a little old for AA....but it's not like it's his third season there or anything. He's steadily, if not spectacularly moved up a level each year. Meh...I'm just saying, it's nice to have players doing something positive in the minors who aren't 29-33 year old guys hanging on at Iowa. Agreed on Bour, if he got up next season....he'd get the Kieschnick treatment:here's 100 atbats....what? you're not hitting .350/.450/.550??? Demoted.....

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

random reference to a pudgy first basemen that no one thinks too highly of except Ridling's parents and the Cub minor league freaks that attach themselves to anyone that doesn't completely suck. I wish him the best of course, but when your ceiling is the bench, don't get too excited. He's certainly not gonna be anything more than a cheap, below average first basemen in the majors if everything goes right for him. And the fact that he hits from the right side is going to seriously deter his chances of getting much of a shot to be a regular first basemen anywhere. The right handed hitting first basemen usually have much higher ceilings that are afforded the chance to prove themselves.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 11:35am. well I do like Bour, well at least the 277 PA's this year by him. K, BB rates are solid, showing serious power, just has to keep it going up the ladder ============================== ROB G: Justin Bour finally has developed a power stroke and that's good (he learned it at AZ Instructs last fall), but he still REALLY struggles versus LHP. Right now he would project as a LH platoon guy who can only play 1B (and he's just barely passable there). Matt Spencer also struggles to hit LHP (although not as much as Bour does), but at least he can play 1B and all three OF positions (albeit CF only in a pinch). I could see Spencer being a LH platoon 1B-OF-PH in the big leagues eventually. Rebel Ridling is an above-average defensive 1B and is probably a better hitter than either Bour or Spencer, but a RH hitting 1B needs to hit home runs, and I'm not sure that Ridling will ever hit quite enough of them to make it as an MLB 1B. Also, his doubles are way down this season, and two-baggers were always his specialty. He's got to rack up a lot of XBH to advance.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Ridling's doubles are down because his at-bats are down. Last year and the year before he hit 34 doubles, this year he has 8; but his slugging pct. is higher this year than in previous years. Almost at the halfway mark, he only has 202 at-bats. With 9 home runs, he should top his previous high of 16. Everyone scrambles for at-bats Tennessee. Ridling has played first in 39 games, but Vitters is listed there in 21 games and Lalli 19. Ridling has played left in parts of 23 games. It's musical positions, because of the talent mix and maybe also the manager's philosophy.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Ridling's doubles are down because his at-bats are down. That would be interesting, if it were true. Too bad it is complete bullshit. Ridling has averaged one double for every 25.25 at-bats this year. Last year (2010) he averaged one double for every 13.8 at-bats. For his minor league career he has averaged one double for every 15.9 at-bats.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

I should have said, his doubles are down because his at-bats are down and his home runs are up. (Ridling has a home run every 22 at bats, compared to every 35 at bats in the previous two seasons.) Actually I did say that, but apparently not clearly enough to meet your strict--not to say pissy--criteria.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Optimism as in I'm glad the Cubs have a draft pick, that is moving steadily through the system, and is playing well in his first attempt in AA..after such luminaries at 1B there as Matt Craig, Jake Fox, Russ Canzler, Blake Lalli, Doug Deeds, Brian Dopirak..etc

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Canzler has a .909 OPS at Durham this year, the same AAA team as Guyer and Chirinos. But he can't play third in the majors (.866 career FP), so, as Rob says, he's just another righty-hitting 1B wannabee. Anyway, Canzler's another pre-Wilken pick. Usually the Wilken guys have a little added value somewhere, which I'm hoping is true of Ridling. Of the names you mention, I still like Lalli. Solid lefty hitter, doubles power, tends to hit cleanup, can also play third and catch. Lalli is Wilken-era but was undrafted! People are forgetting that Vitters plays one game at first for every two at third, so he is also in the mix for first base next year. Also, I wouldn't rule out Pena.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

the only interesting thing about Lalli is he takes walks and doesn't strike out a lot. Seems like a decent bet to keep up an okay average and OBP. He's been in AA now for 3 years though and no home run power. I forget what AZ phil says about his receiving skills, but there's a long line of backup catchers in the organization.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Blake Lalli is kind of a "catch-and-throw" type catcher, but he's a bit stiff behind the plate. He's more of a third-catcher type whose best position is 1B. He can also play 3B. He's certainly an accomplished AA hitter, though. (Of course he's been there since 2008). He's never had the chance to play at AAA because the Cubs utilize him as a player-coach-mentor at Tennessee, and he doesn't seem to mind. He'll probably be a minor league coach or manager eventually (and since he's 28, eventually could be next year).

Castro does the stretch thing and brakes immediately too. He's gonna hurt himself.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=6663709 "But the Ricketts family might not have deep enough pockets for a premier free agent, at least right now. Multiple reports said that Pujols turned down a contract in the range of eight years and $200 million from St. Louis. A source told the Sun-Times that the debt structure of the 2009 Ricketts deal to buy the Cubs precludes that kind of outlay for two or three years."

This season is flying by Cubs optimistic about second half of 2011 With young talent rising in system, future bright on North Side By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | 06/15/11 2:41 AM ET

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

anyone who writes for a national news/blog/whatever organization that mentions d.barney as a piece of the cubs future isn't qualified to write about the cubs. i think the guy is neat, but if it wasnt for the injuries, early b.dewitt suck, and 10000 errors committed early on (and still being committed because 2nd wasn't the problem) we probably wouldn't be seeing much of d.barney.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 4:57pm. anyone who writes for a national news/blog/whatever organization that mentions d.barney as a piece of the cubs future isn't qualified to write about the cubs. i think the guy is neat, but if it wasnt for the injuries, early b.dewitt suck, and 10000 errors committed early on (and still being committed because 2nd wasn't the problem) we probably wouldn't be seeing much of d.barney. ========================================= CRUNCH: Baseball America had Darwin Barney rated #12 among their Top 10 Cubs prospects this past off-season (that's pre-Garza trade, with Barney moving up to #9 after the trade), and I've had Barney among my Top 15 Cubs Prospects for the last two years (#14 pre-2010 and #15 pre-2011). The problem is that Barney's value is as a shortstop, not as a second-baseman. And what's frustrating watching the Cubs this season is that Barney is actually a better defensive SS than Castro, and Castro is better defensively at 2B than he is at SS (I saw him play a lot of 2B, SS, and 3B in the AZL in 2008), but the Cubs won't switch them because I guess they figure eventually Castro will end up back at SS (probably with LeMahieu at 2B), and they don't want to mess with Castro's head by moving him to 2B and then later moving him back to SS. As I've said all along, Barney is no slouch as a shortstop. I firmly believe he will be an everyday SS in the big leagues, but just probably not with the Cubs. I think he will get traded within a year or two.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

"What's frustrating watching the Cubs this season is that Barney is actually a better defensive SS than Castro, and Castro is better defensively at 2B than he is at SS." I agree that Barney is the better SS and that his value in a trade would be higher at SS. Here's my question: So what? Castro is the 800-lb. gorilla, as in: "I have an 800-lb. gorilla at home." --Where does he sleep? "Wherever he wants." A player is not happy playing 2B for X-team when he could be playing SS for Y- or Z-team. You could tell Castro to move over to second, but he would have a short career as a Cub.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 06/16/2011 - 8:55am. "What's frustrating watching the Cubs this season is that Barney is actually a better defensive SS than Castro, and Castro is better defensively at 2B than he is at SS." I agree that Barney is the better SS and that his value in a trade would be higher at SS. Here's my question: So what? Castro is the 800-lb. gorilla, as in: "I have an 800-lb. gorilla at home." --Where does he sleep? "Wherever he wants." A player is not happy playing 2B for X-team when he could be playing SS for Y- or Z-team. You could tell Castro to move over to second, but he would have a short career as a Cub. =================================== VA PHIL: So what? Well, there are very few ways the Cubs can improve their defense (one of the worst in baseball) in-house, but one way would be to play Barney at SS and Castro at 2B. Castro played 2B, SS, and 3B at EXST, AZL, and AZ Instructs in 2008 and looked best at 2B. That's his best position. 2B. That's what.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I wouldn't play any of them at SS. I'd find a boring journeyman SS who 1. knows the strike zone and 2. makes the routine plays every time and will occasionally make the tough play. Then I'd send Castro back to the minors and marvel at his batting numbers until he improves defensively. Maybe he could get a AAA batting title or something. But I've already done my Castro defense rant several times in the past. I promise this will be the last.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I thought you wanted a philosophy change? White/Tim Wilken not all that dissimilar and I don't think Marlins are all that saber-inclined. Not that those aren't good names, but I'd rather they pillage the Red Sox organization or something similar. If they just want an old baseball guy, pay Pat Gillick whatever he wants.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Red Sox organization has already been pillaged. Hoyer is who I would have wanted the Cubs to get. Beinfest has consistently been a winner in a tougher division with about a quarter of our payroll. I think He'd be an excellent choice to be the Gillick/McFail/Schierholtz type of President. Logan White as GM Wilken can stay as Scouting Director. Then maybe a sabr inclined assistant GM like DePodesta?

the Ricketts comment was that he's not interested in hiring a baseball guy to oversee the baseball guy who oversees another baseball guy. maybe Paul McCartney can play first bass next year.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • 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.