Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are 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 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 





Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
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Game 62 Thread / Astros @ Cubs (3 of 3)

Game Chat Woody Williams vs. Carlos Zambrano Lineups:
Biggio 2B Soriano LF
Pence CF Pie CF
Berkman RF Lee 1B
Lee LF Jones RF
Loretta 3B DeRosa 3B
Lamb 1B Fontenot 2B
Everett SS Theriot SS
Ausmus C Hill C
Williams P Zambrano P
A nice battle of the NL Central center field prospects whose last names start with the letter "P'. Cubs try to avoid the sweep, so to speak, as tonight's game is a makeup from an April 11th rainout. Also, Aramis Ramirez sent to the DL, retroactive to June 7th, Cliff Floyd off the bereavment list. Ramirez will be eligible to come off the DL on June 22nd, just in time to DH against the White Sox, shame he won't be available to DH in Texas earlier in the week though.

Comments

what...no barrett? wtf? har har sigh...

Hey, I think that Pie is getting in position to make a run for R.O.Y. who else is on the list of possibles?

Wow... Soriano, Derosa, and Jones team up with the Iowa Cub's to battle the Astros. Fantastic *sigh*

Four kids starting..... What happened to Hendry's $100 million team?

all Hunter Pence, all the time. Justin Germano Ryan Braun Felix Pie Hunter Pence Josh Hamilton Jason Hirsh Chris Sampson Micah Owings Tim Lincecum

Hey, I think that Pie is getting in position to make a run for R.O.Y. who else is on the list of possibles? !!FONTENOT!!

the well paid 3rd baseman being missing and that whole z/barrett thing with blanco out opened up a couple slots.

Soriano back into 3rd in ASG voting ahead of Bonds. Derrek and Aramis are both 4th. Right now, Martin, Pujols, Utley, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Griffey, Soriano

The plane apparently got in at 2 this morning, which was why Zambrano was sent back to Chicago yesterday. Also explains the AAAA Cubs lineup.

Fontenot should be an everyday player -- this dude can play -- Theriot with power....How did the Cubs ever hide talent like Fontenot down in their system...? He's 27 and maybe he should have been promoted earlier. I hope Lou finds a way to keep him on the 25 man roster.

hey chad... remember when you said theriot and fontenot would NEVER be in the same starting lineup at 2b and SS?

If I’m not mistaken, neither were projected to be big leaguers. Go figure. In other words, most of the "opinions" here weren't worth jack.

In other words, most of the “opinions” here weren’t worth jack. Umm... it wasn't just around here. No one around baseball had high opinions on how theriot and fontenot would do in the majors. don't act like everyone on here is stupid.

Was there a triple-header today, or is the post title just wrong? I keed, I keed... Hooray for Z going into the late innings after the last couple games... and for providing his own run support.

no... it really was game 3 of 3. This is a make up game of a snow-out from april, which was the third game of the series.

Zambrano with 128 pitches through 8 Should Lou leave him in to pitch the 9th? He'll face Braden Pence, Lance Berkman, and Carlos Lee.

Darn. Pagan pinch hit for Z and flew out. Z has a higher batting average and the same number of home runs as Pagan.

#23 Carmenfanzone.................About two weeks ago, the San Diego press was talking Joke Jones up as a possible acquisition. I never heard Rob Bowens name as available. Go Cubs Go Go Hendry Be Gone

Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big hand to the National League Central's shining beacon of offensive ineptitude, the Houston Astros!

great win by Z and the Iowa Cubs. You millionaires, get your head out of your a$$ and start hitting, we need .750 in this homestand.

here is some followup on the Cubs DL players from the Sun-Times today: Backup catcher Henry Blanco, on the DL with a neck injury, is expected to resume baseball activity when the team returns home today. It originally was feared he might need surgery to fix a herniated disc, but the team says he has responded well to therapy. • • Pinch hitter/outfielder Daryle Ward, on the DL with a hip strain, is ready for a brief minor-league rehab assignment, possibly by the weekend.

I'm thinking that we should go ahead and resign Z to that multi-year contract, then resign Barrett also for the same number of years. My idea is that every year before opening day, Z will beat up on Barrett and then the two will make up, thus ensuring that Z will pitch good from the beginning. Anytime Z goes into a slump, the Cubs schedule another clubhouse beating. This way we get maximum productivity out of both Z and Barrett.

Reason # 798 Why I Hate ESPN Baseball Tonite- Steve Phillips is arguing with his "twin" on different subjects. wow.

*Steve Phillips is arguing with his “twin” on different subjects.* Dude is such a ham. Looks even freakier in HD, too. He ought to get a room with himself...and Mike Greenberg. They can metrosexual it up til the cops get called.

Yes, Kevin, but I thought he threw the slider awfully poorly. There was one good front-side slider he threw to Ausmus pretty late, and that was about it. He got a couple of guys to chase sliders way out of the zone early, but on the whole, it wasn't so good. Guys started laying off after about the 4th. The fastballs (4-seamer, cutter, 2-seamer, sinker) were very good, however. The cutter especially. Really sharp. Brenly also mentioned that, I think. Velocity was up again, although I attribute that more to the hot CSN gun than anything. A nice outing, sure. Keep in the mind the Astros can't hit worth a lick. I'm still taking it with a grain of salt.

Non-Cub question: Is Eric Milton the worst pitching signing in recent memory? He's apparently done for the season with an elbow injury and his 3 yr./$25.5 contract is up at the end of the season. He'll have been 16-27 during that contract.

how recent are you talking Fireball. Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle and Darren Dreifort's respective contracts would beg to differ with you on that.

cwtp: In other words, most of the “opinions” here weren’t worth jack. As dave already eluded to, by player projections I mean the scout's projections, not the TCR comments. As we all know TCR comments are hit-and-miss. :) dave: Dempster Sucks!!! How did such a terrible closer get a one-run save? Ok, I'll take back about 1/3 of the bad things I said about Demp yesterday.

Nice to see Pie steal another base -- now 4-for-4 with the Cubs. Wasn't that one of the things they wanted him to work on at Iowa? Gosh -- a talented, coachable, likeable kid. Cool! Send up some more! On the oher hand...Jacque simply looks like a .250 (or worse) hitter. Last year is looking like an aberration -- 2004: .254 2005: .249 2006: .285 2007: .230 Hmmm... which one doesn't fit? And this is the guy Hendry signed for 3 years? I know, I know, not much was available at the time, but I find it hard to believe the Cubs couldn't have found a .250 hitting outfielder at a fraction of the cost. The Cubs need to get rid of him -- Pagan can hit .230 with no pop. Problem is, I can't imagine anybody will want JJ (or Eyre for that matter). If the Trib wants to maximize its sale value, they should DFA both JJ and Eyre, and write off their contracts, so the new owner doesn't have to deal with them in 2008.

The Real Neal: Carl Pavano is just as recent and more worthless. I know it's a fresh wound, but what was Kerry Wood's W/$ rate during his ?-2006 contract?

MY GOD! 1. Carlos, you told me that there were runners on first and third when Theriot made that 'game saving play' 2. To the parachat crowd: I'm not hating on Theriot, the play him made was very nice. But there was nothing special about it. On any other day (more than 4 games on a Monday) it's not even a webgem. 3. And secondly, it was not a 'game saver'. If it gets through, its first and second with one out. Bad situation? Yes. But still not a blown save. 4. I don't what you are talking about, Z had a great slider working. I just watched Baseball Tonight and they showed his highlights and the guy was nasty tonight. Lastly, can someone explain how the run scored in the 8th? And how was that an earned run. It would seem that with out that error a run would not have scored.

Its nice to see DeRosa at third. I am liking the flexibility and depth the Cubs have in the infield.

Check this.... Since their fight: Barrett: 21 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 4 BB, 5 K, .286/.400/.571 (.971 OPS) Zambrano: 2 GS, 14.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 17 K: 2-0, 1.23 ERA Can these dudes fight once a month? And in the six ABs since Fontenot got hit by Renteria, he's hit for the cycle: 4-6, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR for .667/.667/2.000 (2.667 OPS) I'll buy a drink for whoever lures the entire team into Haray Carey's for a freaking bar-room brawl. Or at least someone break a bottle over Jacque Jones's head. Wait...I take that back. Don't throw any bottles at JJ. We already tried that last year...and WAIT! That WORKED!! I'VE FIGURED IT OUT!!!

hahaha

Kevin what are you smoking? By great movement on Zambrano pitches you mean on the middle of the plate.. He's dead, the arm will come off.. hehe, i hope you guys keep him..

Rory: Its nice to see DeRosa at third. I am liking the flexibility and depth the Cubs have in the infield. I agree... and I like the depth in the lineup, too. Let's just say I'd take the Cub's lineup without their regular 3B than the Braves lineup without their regular 3B any day of the week.

General manager Jim Hendry dismissed a report that the Cubs are moving Class A Daytona pitcher Jeff Samardzija, the former Notre Dame football star drafted last summer, from the rotation to the bullpen. Hendry said Samardzija, whom the Cubs signed to a 5-year, $10-million contract, was put in the bullpen temporarily to correct mechanics in his delivery. ''It's called development,'' said Hendry, who added that Samardzija will be moved back to the rotation. Samardzija was 0-5 in his first 11 starts at Daytona with a 5.75 ERA in 51 2/3 innings. He struck out 20 and walked 16, and opposing hitters were batting .349 against him. Link

Fireball: "Yeah, you’ve got a point, Bogey. But $25mil for 16 wins? Yeesh." Mr. Jim Hendry paid Kerry Wood $32.5 million over 3 years (2004-2006) and got 12 wins from him. That is even worse than the Milton contract.

Wow, this Fontenot kid absolutely looks like a player: from the SLIDE, to the swing, and a few nice plays with the glove. This buds for you fontenot. He and Pie have definitely lit a spark to the "old" cubs ---

Don't fall in love with Fontenot too much. Not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I'm not convinced he is major league caliber. NL pitchers don't know this cat, and he is taking full advantage. Let's see what he does with some more at bats under his belt.

Yeah Chad, I saw the highlights, too. When I said "He got a couple of guys to chase sliders way out of the zone early" those were precisely the ones I was referring to. He didn't throw very many of them, truthfully. Maybe 10 or a dozen at the most. He threw the cutter considerably more than he usually does and it was very effective.

Two things I like about Fontenot: We got something for Sosa besides that annoying Hairston. Another good young 2B coming up right behind him. E-Pat hit his 8th HR last night.

So lets see... the Cubs haven't developed a position player in years, and now they decide to develop three second basemen that may be able to be successful at the major league level. Then again... Theriot, Fontenot and Patterson are better than Walker, Womack, Neifi, Macias, etc.

Having a couple of good young players that you like at the same position means you can make a good trade. Trying to trade a player that you don't like for a player the other guy doesn't like--that doesn't work too well.

Silent Towel: Just looking at Fontenot's swing - really nice compact and uses the entire field - with pop in to all fields. I'm not sure how he was doing in the minors, but he looks like Chase Utley from my view - (alright, exaggerated - however, his swing is pure) ----also, his defense looks good and he has made some smart plays. Like one guy said, he's like theriot with power.

Cubfanbudman- In basically 4.5 seasons Fontenot has 42 HR's. I would not consider that having power. He also only has a career .427 SLG%. Of course, yes he has more power than Theriot, but who doesn't.

Thank you Manny. i see a nice doubles hitter out of this kid, plus its good to have another left handed bat in the lineup. A platoon at 2b wouldn't be a bad thing, however, with our everchanging platoon outfield, it seems we have too many position players. I would trade Jacque or Cliff and Murton and keep the theriot derosa izturis platoon in check, alowing derosa to platoon with the remaining left handed Right Fielder. unfortunately Murton has nowhere to play over the next 7 years -

Yea... I agree with Manny. Fontenot has shown good power this year in the minors, but has shown very little power in previous years. I don't necessarily expect Fontenot to maintain any of this recent power surge.

Theriot can play short. Not sure if Fontenot is athletic enough to do so. At least that is what the scouting report on him has said. He's never played short in the minors. From his minor league stats on basbeball cube, it looks as though he could post an OPS in the .700s and hit 10-12 homers if he played regularly. I have no idea what kind of defender he is.

---check that: add Fontenot to the 2b platoon with Derosa, and the ss platoon of Theriot and Iz.

While Murton, Theriot, Fontenot are nice little players, they are just that. Nothing special, but nice little pieces. They are not cornerstones who are needed to win divisions or championships, IMO. Having more than 1 or maybe 2 of them in a lineup is not the answer.

#74 mannytrillo.............I could not agree more. They are just the little pieces to fit between the big blocks. GO CUBS GO..............Go Hendry be gone

Manny, I think you're right about Fontenot and Theriot. I fear you may be right about Murton, who is sort of at a crossroads for his career. There is an opportunity in front of him, but he is not exactly seizing it with his play.

I am not sure where the Murton opportunity is at this point. Unless he can seize it from the bench. Matt hasnt gotten a start in over a week. At this point he needs to go back to Iowa and get some consistent PT.

Having more than 1 or maybe 2 of them in a lineup is not the answer. Sure... no one is saying that they are super stars. But every team (except the Yankees) needs role players, and typically more than one in their starting lineup. The Cubs don't need more "cornerstones." They already have them in Lee, A-Ram, and Soriano.

Matt hasnt gotten a start in over a week. Not true... Murton started on June 7th against the Braves.

Well said, manny. Couldn't have said it better myself. I think the overinfatuation is due to the OBP black holes that we've had at 2B and SS in the past few years. Fontenot does look like Chase Utley when you're used to Freddie Bynum. Theriot does look like he can hit like Jeter when you're fed a steady diet of Ne!f! and Macias. I do expect to see Murton tonight against the lefty Washburn, however. Murton (1 for his last 14) and Pagan (5 for his last 28) are currently in a race to see who can suck the hardest.

We aren't the Yankees and we aren't a fantasy team. Not every position on this roster is going to be filled with an All Star. Solid, decent ballplayers like DeRosa and Theriot are as much a necessity of a championship team as are the stars like Soriano and Lee.

dave: "The Cubs don’t need more “cornerstones.” They already have them in Lee, A-Ram, and Soriano." Yeah, and they are also 6 games under .500 in possibly the worst division in the history of baseball. Nah, they don't need anymore cornerstones, let's trot out those 3 and 5 Theriot's, then we got the division wrpped up. Print the playoff tickets NOW!!!

manny... what would you want? is the yankees what you want? a 200 million dollar payroll so that the cubs can have an all-star at every position?

and manny... you act like Theriot is the problem for the Cubs. What about Z? The bullpen? Jock? Barrett? Theriot is absolutely not the reason the Cubs are 6 games under .500.

Wes: "Murton (1 for his last 14) and Pagan (5 for his last 28) are currently in a race to see who can suck the hardest." It is funny to see who the new flavor of the week is in Cubdom. Murton, Pagan, Pie, Theriot and now Fontenot have all had their turns but then cooled off dramatically and came back to earth.

Manny, the worst division in the history of baseball? Wasn't it just a year or two ago that the Padres won their division and were right at about .500 for the season? This division is weak but don't you think we can expect either the Brewers or Cards or, heaven forbid, the Cubs to get hot and finish the year at least five games over .500?

dave: "manny… what would you want? is the yankees what you want? a 200 million dollar payroll so that the cubs can have an all-star at every position?" No, not a fan of the NYY style, but I think for a payroll as high as ours and as much money as we spent this over the past years, we would have built a better team than we have.

dave: "and manny… you act like Theriot is the problem for the Cubs. What about Z? The bullpen? Jock? Barrett? Theriot is absolutely not the reason the Cubs are 6 games under .500. " If you have too many not very special players (theriot, Murton, Fontennot, etc.), then IMO, that becomes a problem. But yes, Barrett and JJ have underperformed this year thus far.

Silent Towel: Don’t fall in love with Fontenot too much. Not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I’m not convinced he is major league caliber. NL pitchers don’t know this cat, and he is taking full advantage. Let’s see what he does with some more at bats under his belt. I'll have to agree on this. Some guys adjust, some guys don't.

If you have too many not very special players (theriot, Murton, Fontennot, etc.), then IMO, that becomes a problem. Sure... but lets be honest. If the Cubs bullpen was just average, and Z and Barrett had performed up to expectations based on previous performance, the Cubs would probably be in first place, or at least really close to it. It has nothing to do with Theriot and Murton.

ARM: "Manny, the worst division in the history of baseball? Wasn’t it just a year or two ago that the Padres won their division and were right at about .500 for the season?" Yes, SD won the NL West in 2005 with an 82-80 record, but that is not the only sign to show how weak a division is. I look at overall record of the teams. How bad the division as a whole is, not just the division winning team. - In 2005, the NL West finished 372-438 (.459 winning percentage and 66 games under .500). - This year, the NL Central is thus far 166-209 (.442 winning percentage and already 43 games under .500). IMO, the 2007 NL central is on pace to being much worse than the 2005 NL West.

dave: "hey manny… do you have tickets available for sunday?" Sorry man, I sold them all off this year as I moved to Connecticut.

Dave: "Sure… but lets be honest. If the Cubs bullpen was just average, and Z and Barrett had performed up to expectations based on previous performance, the Cubs would probably be in first place, or at least really close to it." I can't argue with that. But if Theriot or Murton were better players, maybe then could of helped pick up the slack more.

Let me clear some stuff up about Murton & Theriot: Matt Murton ----------------------- Hitting for contact: C Hitting for power: C Defense: C Throwing: B+ Speed: C Theriot ----------------------- Hitting for contact: A Hitting for power: D Defense: B- Throwing: B+ Speed: A Hope that helps.

Manny, You're like the little boy with the rain cloud consistently above him. Instant flashback - last year's World Champion came from your 'worst' Division in baseball. As a life-long hater of the Cardinals, you can't imagine how much it galls me to say 'World Champion St. Louis Cardinals'. There's 3 seasons in every baseball year and 3 teams - (1) The team you leave Spring training with until mid-June. (2) The team you play with after the trade deadline (Cubs will be 'buyers' not 'sellers' at this point). and (3) The team you enter the playoffs with after last minute additions on 8/31. I'm not predicting anything at this point except I would stop prognasticating doom and gloom because you don't know what's going to happen at this point. We all know our teams track record, but that's all history is - history.

Murton has started twice in the last 2 weeks. In that time he is 1 for 15 but also has 4 walks. Send him to Peoria until Soriano is done.

Murton only has a C for hitting for contact? Here would be my grades for Murton: Matt Murton ———————– Hitting for contact: A-/B+ Hitting for power: B- Defense: C Throwing: B+ Speed: B

Send him to Peoria until Soriano is done. ?? Send him to Peoria for seven years?

c'mon people...you cant expect everyone to be turning flips over light hitting middle IF'rs. nick punto might be a decent middle IF'r, but MIN fans werent ignoring mauer, cud, or hunter cheering punto on to be their spark they need to put them over, nor pointing toward his production as a catlyst for better things. he's just a light hitting middle IF'r who can take a walk. good stuff...hell, who couldnt use a theriot...2nd/SS/3rd, saw time in OF during spring/warmup/pregame/etc....and fontenot has a hot bat and plays a decent enough 2nd (too bad he cant cover 3rd/SS or we'd seen him earlier...or lost him to another team long ago).

George: "I’m not predicting anything at this point except I would stop prognasticating doom and gloom because you don’t know what’s going to happen at this point." If nobody talked about what they thought was going to happen in the future, there would be 10 posts on this blog.

This is so typical.... the same people who didn't think Theriot and Fontenot would ever start a game for the Cubs are now bitter they are doing so well.

"This is so typical…. the same people who didn’t think Theriot and Fontenot would ever start a game for the Cubs are now bitter they are doing so well." and who's that? if you're even thinking of pinning that on me, or even a couple others, you might wanna see what's been said and the substance of it rather than calling "hater!" and walking away without substance of your own that's legitimately critical.

Well...you make a good point Manny, but the Cubs were still sucking when Theriot was hitting really well in April, getting on base...stealing some bases, etc, doing what they were asking him to do. He is a utility guy, but one that the Cubs are starting due to a lack of a better player. Maybe if cough syrup was ice cream it'd taste better, you know? That being said, let's look at the team as it is currently constructed, not how it should be constructed. I would love to be able to have Chase Utley at 2B, and Michael Young at SS, but that's not who the Cubs have. The Cubs are solid at 1B, 3B, if Ramirez gets healthy, LF, CF is Pie keeps playing well, and that's about it Right now, the best lineup might be: Soriano Pie Lee Floyd Ramirez Barrett DeRosa Theriot/Fontenot/Izturis Is that a division winning team? Probably not. Is it the best with what the Cubs have? Probably. BTW, on Murton...it's funny that in May, when he actually got steady playing time, that his numbers were .295/.377/.426. I'd take that out of RF compared to what the Cubs have been getting recently. He is a left-fielder though. There isn't much doubt.

dave: "Matt Murton ———————– Hitting for contact: A-/B+ Hitting for power: B- Defense: C Throwing: B+ Speed: B" I agree with you on 1 out of 5... 1) B- for power? The guy will be lucky to ever hit 20 HR's in a season. I would give him a C. 2) C for defense? The guy should be a DH. I would give him a D. 3) B+ for throwing? 5 assists in his 3 years here, along with watching runners always testing his arm, makes be think it should be no better than a C/C-. 4) B for speed? We have had that conversation before, no need to rehash it, but I give him average speed or a C.

CWTP: "This is so typical…. the same people who didn’t think Theriot and Fontenot would ever start a game for the Cubs are now bitter they are doing so well." Fontenot has played in 5 games, so I will let him go, but Theriot is "doing so well"????? Theriot in 2007: .274/.333/.347/.680 with 1 HR. How in the hell, is that is doing so well???

post #80 is something i got a feeling is going down with some of these kids...and i can understand it. but expecting "cubs nation" to get pumped about guys who look at his best might be 1/2 to 3/4 the man mark grace was with a bat with less automatic D...well, damn... happy theyre here, but hell...be nice if they were complete packages. that doesnt mean i want izzy or i want them to go or i want them to fail...it just means...wow, nice patchwork, hope it works, but i find some other issues with the cubs more pressing than who gets to play 2nd/SS outta a pool of derosa/theriot/fontenot/izturis.

Manny at # 74 summed it up correctly. Murton, Theriot and Fontenot are role players. Although for the life of me I can't undertand the role Murton is supposed to be playing in the big leagues. A slap hitting outfielder with limited run production value and a wretched fielder?!? Lets not get over infatuated with Fontenot just yet. I'm not convinced that he is a major leaguer.

dave: Hitting for contact: A-/B+ Hitting for power: B- Defense: C Throwing: B+ Speed: B Last year, sure, but this year I think league pitchers have pretty well pinned him. Also, I gave Theriot a D in power, I should have given him an F.

he guy will be lucky to ever hit 20 HR’s in a season. Well... being that he hit 13 in 455 at-bats, that would get him around 16-17 in a full season of playing every day. And that was his first full season. Remember that he is only 25 - power often develops mid-late 20's. And yea... I would give him a C for defense, just not in RF. He played LF fairly decently last year, and his arm is decent also. It is not the strongest arm in the world, but he tends to be pretty accurate. But still probably not a B+. I think I meant a B- for that one. And yea... I do think that Murton has above average speed.

Last year, sure, but this year I think league pitchers have pretty well pinned him. I don't think it has much to do with pitchers catching up with him. I think it has to do with him only starting once or twice a week. I am quite convinced that Murton, playing every day, would up a line of at least 300/350/450.

An observation. Some of you sure get on the defensive when it comes to certain players (e.g., Barrett, Murton, Theriot, Wuertz...). It raises a question or three. Have you taken a look at the National League Central standings and do you realize that the Cubs are 7 games under .500?!?! You might be able to rationalize players like this if we are talking about the Kansas City Royals, but the Chicago Cubs and their $100 million plus payroll luxury?!?! Please. There are definite reasons why this team is sub-.500 and the laughingstock of major league baseball.

I'd be interested in people's opinion on Pie's report card. I mean current abilities, not stats, not projections... I mean what he's capable of right now. I'd have to say... Pie -------------- Hitting for contact: C- Hitting for power: C Defense: A Throwing: A+ Speed: A+

Please. There are definite reasons why this team is sub-.500 and the laughingstock of major league baseball. I already responded to that above, but since you want to ignore it, I will write it again. If this team had an average bullpen and Zambrano and Barrett performed along their lines from the last three years, the Cubs would be in first, or very close to it. And Wuertz? What are you talking about? Wuertz is definitely not the biggest problem in the Cubs bullpen. He has been an above average relief pitcher all year.

Hilarious. George Altman doesn't like it when Manny and other guys like me point out the "rain clouds." Newsflash Professor...the Cubs are a sub .500 ballclub as of June 12th and on a 99 year losing streak. Get a friggin clue.

aside from swaping the C- and the C, seems together to me...imo. i really would like to see his power develop but he's done little to keep himself in AAA as of now with his contact even if its the "see ball, swing at ball" approach to hitting. he's got what...3 BB in the last 2 games or something, though...go baseball.

Amazing, the bitterness here. You'd never know that Theriot is the most popular Cub in Chicago. Nope, the TCR solons know better. And Fontenot? Why, he's going to be a career AAA player. What's he doing on the Cubs anyhow?? No power...those 17 home runs he hit at LSU as a freshman ( a university record) just a fluke. Getting drafted in the first round...fluke. That 400 foot home run he hit in Atlanta....fluke. That run he and Theriot manufactured with two outs...the first one in Z's 2-1 win.....fluke. And Pie needs more seasoning in triple A. /TCR conventional wisdom

Some of you sure get on the defensive when it comes to certain players I guess you quickly forget how defensive you got regarding Izzy and Jock before the season started, and how you said Ted Lilly was going to win the Cy Young award.

"Get a friggin clue." get some substance to your arguements. and quit changes subjects on people when you rope them into arguements....this is a big place of where the "troll" accusations come from. finish what you start or get called out on with some substance to it...

Lets get real boys and girls. This continuing infatuation for Matt Friggin Murton has got to end. Matt Murton ———————– Hitting for contact: B- Hitting for power: D Defense: D Throwing: D Speed: C And while we are at it... Ryan Theriot ———————– Hitting for contact: B Hitting for power: D Defense @ 2nd base: C Defense @ SS: D (he has zero business playing the position at this level) Throwing: C+ Speed: B

Well great ST...I'm so shocked that you are in the negative on this. Murton would look a lot less painful in LF. Unfortunately,or fortunately, he will not get a chance there for the next 7 years, so he will be traded. Theriot is a utility player with some skills...a little speed, some patience at the plate, and can play a few positions. He is an upgrade from Macias, Womack, Wilson, Bynum. That may be why his skills are being over-estimated. Fontenot has had a couple of good games, but let's not get too excited until he's been through the league a few times. That being said, he seems to have a decent bat.

Defense @ 2nd base: C Defense @ SS: D (he has zero business playing the position at this level) have you watched him play SS this year? because while he does not have the best range in the world, he has played very solid defense at SS. He will never win a gold glove there, but Izzy won't win another one there either.

"Theriot is a utility player with some skills…a little speed, some patience at the plate, and can play a few positions." hell, theriot is the man as far as utility off the bench goes. go find the last great cubs swiss army knife. he's a damn useful cog. im not gonna elevate that to god status, but i sure as hell am not ignoring how well he adjusted to mlb offspeed and location pitching, his speed, his work ethic, and how many positions he can play. might as well start elevating a better defender and more powerful guy, mark derosa, to lord of the universe if we're gonna make theriot/fontenot gods.

My "predictions" regarding the performance of Cesar Izturis offensively and Jacque Jones were wrong. So shoot me. Heavens to mergatroid if an anonymous poster on a friggin Internet blog populated otherwise by Comic Book Store Guy types sticks his neck out and makes a few "harmless" predictions. My Lord. You'd think that I erroneously forecast the stock market and millions of investors lost their shirts as a result. Lighten up.

Theriot at SS 1 error, 61 chances .984 fielding % 4.18 range factor .850 zone rating Izzy at SS 5 errors, 151 chances .967 fielding % 3.78 range factor .812 zone rating Every one of those defensive metrics (though far from perfect) show Theriot to be better than Izzy at SS.

Dusty Baylor: "He is a utility guy, but one that the Cubs are starting due to a lack of a better player." Exactly...Perfectly said!!

Lighten up. Says the same guy who is attacking others for defending Murton, Theriot, etc.

Dave, you are wrong about Ryan Theriot's defense. I've watched him play the infield both in person at Wrigley (and Miller Park in Milwaukee) and on the tube. In my view, he doesn't have natural reactions at either SS or 2nd. At 2nd, he compensates for this deficiency reasonably well via good positioning. But at SS? It's a whole other story. This is why Sweet Lou is coming to his senses and giving Cesar Izturis the bulk of playing time at this vital position on the diamond. Look, I like Ryan Theriot. He's a scrappy pain in the neck type that adds a great ingredient to the Cub lineup. But let's be clear on this. The man has definite limitations to his game. Used properly, Theriot can be an asset to this ballclub.

"Heavens to mergatroid if an anonymous poster on a friggin Internet blog populated otherwise by Comic Book Store Guy types sticks his neck out and makes a few “harmless” predictions." hahahhahahahaha. oh man, you are just never wrong. does it get old being a victim of constant, massive, never-ending misunderstanding? its gotta be hard being so smart surrounded by the rest of the world who cant understand or is jealous of someone as brilliant as you. ...i mean, its gotta be because we dont understand someone as smart as you...that's why you talk down to the board when you're frustrated, right? maybe if we could just learn to accept what you say without asking all these damn questions we might learn something... passionate attacks and telling us how it is along with TELLING OTHERS WHY THEYRE WRONG AS A MATTER OF FACT are predictions...okay. i understand now. im gonna go make some kool-aide.

dave: have you watched him play SS this year? because while he does not have the best range in the world, he has played very solid defense at SS. He will never win a gold glove there, but Izzy won’t win another one there either. Theriot has decent speed, so I'm pretty sure his range problems have to do with him reading the batter's swing. The great shortstops read the swing before the bat even makes contact with the ball. I'm convinced this is something that can be taught. I'd like to see Theriot coached some more on this.

I hear the Cubs just traded Pie, Jones, Marshall, Gallagher, and Murton for Adam dunn.

Who said I was brilliant? Who said I was smarter than all of the drool monkeys and doorknobs that populated this board? Geez. Seems to me that some of you absolutely cannot process dissenting viewpoint on some of your favorite Cub ballplayers. And apparently you cannot accept predictions on performance, etc. Very, very strange.

rynox and dave: I pretty much agree with you Rynox… though Pie’s defense may also be an A+" Yeah I agree, with Rynox grades and dave's correction.

Who said I was smarter than all of the drool monkeys and doorknobs that populated this board? Classy. And you think the rest of can't handle dissenting views?

theriot falls into plays...he's a track/catch/throw guy. he does have the instincts. he's aware of a play developing and what he needs to do...the footwork, where to expect defenders/opposing runners to be/etc... he's just not a "play maker" type...he's not the type who's gonna be snagging those hard smacks down the middle or pivot/throw strong to 2nd from SS on a play running toward the 3rd base side a whole lot. he's good enough...he's not inept...he belongs. i wouldnt compare his glove to izzy's, though...better off comparing the complete package vs. each other, imo.

That being said Crunch....I'd take Theriot over Izzy just on the basis that Theriot will at least get a few hits.. Izzy: .252/.311/.305 Riot: .274/.333/.347 I'd take Jhonny Peralta over either of them...hell, I'd take Brendan Harris over either of them right now. Oh...

So let me get this straight dear old Dave. A. Posters must express themselves in classy tones. B. Thou shalt never take objection to the wondrous virtues of Matt Murton, Ryan Theriot and a handful of other Cubbies that make up the pride and joy of your bubblegum card collection.

i'd take theriot over izzy right now, too...but i wouldnt be upset to see either, really. izzy with a groundball pitcher would be an ideal time to use him, imo...

Ok... just for fun... Izzy ------------- Hitting for contact: D- Hitting for power: D- Defense: A- Throwing: A Speed: B

"Every one of those defensive metrics (though far from perfect) show Theriot to be better than Izzy at SS." Proof positive why 'defensive metrics' is a giant pile of CRAP! You cannot judge defense with numbers.

Hmmm...ok Rynox... Izzy ————- Hitting for contact: D+ Hitting for power: F Defense: B Throwing: B Speed: C+

"Izzy ————- Hitting for contact: D-" COME ON! Hitting for contact? A D-? Don't you watch him bounce into double plays regularly? That is hitting for contact my friend.

Adam Dunn ————- Hitting for contact: A+ Hitting for power: A+ Defense: A+ Throwing: A+ Speed: A+ Stamina: A+ Control: A+ Fastball: A+ Slider: A+ Curve: A+ Sinker: A+ Changeup: A+ Knuckleball: A+ Screwball: A+ Eephus: A+

I’m convinced this is something that can be taught. I’d like to see Theriot coached some more on this. ....................................................................... Rynox, They have a correspondence course on this very thing at the local Community College.

"COME ON! Hitting for contact? A D-? Don’t you watch him bounce into double plays regularly? That is hitting for contact my friend." that's an issue when you talk about "contact hitters". some people assume contact = hits...some assume contact = putting the ball in play. context matters there. as far as contact goes in the traditional baseball setting...izzy is a nearly pure contact hitter...

crunch: Adam Dunn ————- Hitting for contact: A+... Great! lmao

Adam Dunn apparently also earns an A+ in that special intangible that some of you yell and scream about and yet fail to make us see. I like to call it "Theriotenot."

Manny Trillo ---- you are high if you think Theriot has not been a productive player. With boppers like Derek Lee, Aramis, and Soriano, the team needs execution guys like Theriot / Fontenot, etc. Look at what Eckstein does for ballclubs. I see the same qualities in Theriot. While Theriots stats don't blow up, he's very productive ---and the outs he does make are usually team oriented outs. (Which you can't say about the likes of Jacque Barrett and Izturis). Our problem, and the reason we are under .500, is a) execution in clutch games b) situational hitting - by the likes of jacque, barrett, murton, etc. c) bullpen d) the blackhole in right and centerfield (which has partially been taken care of with Pie.) and e) our absent minded catcher. i think Lou's on the right path, but he has a tough decision to make when Aram and Ward get healthy.

A. Posters must express themselves in classy tones. I never said that. But if you are going to act completely classless, you deserve to be called out on it. Thou shalt never take objection to the wondrous virtues of Matt Murton, Ryan Theriot I never said that either. Maybe you should go back and actually read the comments. What I did say is that it is incredibly humorous to hear someone attack the rest of the comments on here for defending certain players when you blindly defended Izturis all winter, and essentially said that rest of knew nothing about baseball because we disagreed with you.

Ok..Izturis revisited: Izzy ————- Hitting for contact: A Hitting for power: F Hitting for average: D- Defense: B Throwing: B Speed: C+

haha.

That's why I missed ST's absence from the board. The reactions to him are very entertaining. The never-ending statements of opinion as "FACT", the condescending, sarcastic criticisms of others and then the whining and hurt feelings when others bite back ... how can you beat it?

"Who said I was smarter than all of the drool monkeys and doorknobs that populated this board?" Doesn't the fact that you call the rest of the posters on this board "drool monkeys" imply that you're smarter than them? Where did you go, and why did you come back?

What are the five tools for TCR posters? _______ sniping for contact cherry picking defensiveness running jokes for speed haiku

Here's a possible long term solution in right field. With the cubs ownership situation in question, Big Z is not likely to get a big contract. Cubs should send Big Z packing to the New York Mets for a package including Lasting Millege and Mike Pelfrey. The future of our staff still remains strong with: 1. Hill 2. Lilly 3. Marquis 4. Guzman 5. Marshall 6. Pelfrey And the outfield would be the Fastest and most atheletic in baseball: LF: Soriano CF Pie RF Millege I'd try and pry Ramon Castro in the same deal -- by throwing out the likes of Eyre and Murton. Go Hendry Go

Rynox - a Zambrano for Millege & a prospect is a legit request. i agree, adding Pelfrey is a stretch. if i'm hendry, i explore the mixes and matches that may benefit both teams. a) cubs could use Castro while the mets might be able to use a Fontenot / theriot / murton type guy

I'd like too see Lastings Milledge have a full season of success first. He had a really good 48 game stretch at AA in 2005, but didn't set AAA on fire last season. at .277/.388/.440. Decent, but not great. This season? .333/.372/.436 in 11 games at AAA New Orleans. I know it's all about projectability. but show me some production please.

BTW- Zambrano for Milledge straight up is a farce. Even as a rental, that's a joke.

My “predictions” regarding the performance of Cesar Izturis offensively and Jacque Jones were wrong. So shoot me. I wish I could...

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Mastrobuoni can't come back, yet

    Wisdom does have an option left. He can hide in Iowa if Jed DFA's someone else

    Does Brennan Davis get shown the door? I know it's too early for that, but these injuries are crunching the roster of a 12-7 team playoff demands and BDavis isn't going to help anytime soon.

    Someone has to go to add Peralta. And Canario isn't going to get to play everyday regardless of RHers or LHers. Neither is Tauchman. Also don't see PCA getting a chance over Peralta.

    If Jed does those moves:

    4 OF: Belli, Peralta, Canny, Tauch

    2 C: Gomes and Amaya

    2 DH: Cooper and Mervis

    5 INF: Busch, Nico, Dansby, Morel, Madrigal

    Little short on OF depth but two injuries will do that  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I have had the pleasure of watching some of the young A's pitchers lately (first Joe Boyle the last day of Minor League Spring Training in March, and more recently Luis Morales last week and Steven Echavarria yesterday at Extended Spring Training), and it reminds me of the Miami Marlins a couple of years ago. A really nice collection of young pitchers. It will be interesting to see what the A's will get for two years of ex-Cub Paul Blackburn at the Trade Deadline (there should be a robust market for Blackburn). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Good deal

    MB needs some talent infusion!

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Very possible. Suriel, too. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: if a pitcher is recalled to be the 27th man for a doubleheader and then is optioned back to the minors the next day, the 15-day "clock" does NOT reset. The one day call-up for the doubleheader is treated like it never happened with respect to a pitcher having to spend at least 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Probably the only reason David Peralta is still in the organization (he is at AAA Iowa) is to be available in case anything bad were to happen to Ian Happ (which it just did). So if Happ needs to go on the IL, the Cubs can select Peralta to play LF, DFA Wisdom (and hope he and what remains of his $2.725M salary gets claimed off waivers), and recall Mervis to platoon at DH with Cooper (with Canario / Tauchman sharing RF), at least until Suzuki and Happ are back...

     

  • crunch (view)

    i'd just like to take a moment to express to the world i'm still pissed willson contreras is not a cub when the pricetag was 5/87m (17.5m/yr).

    it would be nice to have a legacy-type player to stick around, especially one with his leadership and the respect he gets from his peers.  cubs fans deserved more than 1 season of contreras + morel...that was gold.

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.