Cubs MLB Roster

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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 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs Pitching & Defense Frustrates A's at Fitch Park

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Micah Gibbs ripped a solo home run and an RBI single, Danny Lockhart had three hits including an RBI double, and six pitchers combined to throw a five-hit shutout, as the Cubs whitewashed the Athletics 6-0 in AZ Instructional League action this afternoon at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa.  

20-year old RHP Ian Dickson (Cubs 2011 35th round draft pick out of Lafayette College) made his pro debut today, getting the start and throwing one inning. Dickson pitched-around a first-pitch lead-off double, retiring the next three A’s hitters on a strikeout (swinging) and two 6-3 GO. Dickson missed the 2011 college baseball season after suffering a torn ACL in 2010, but Cubs scouts apparently had seen enough of him in previous years to offer him a contract at the 8/15 deadline once he proved he was 100%.

Besides the Gibbs HR and Lockhart’s three hits, today’s game featured two excellent defensive plays by Cubs players.

Reggie Golden showed-off his plus arm, making an outstanding pinpoint throw from CF to nail an A’s runner trying to score from 2nd base on a line-drive single to CF with two outs in the top of the 2nd inning, and 2B Rubi Silva made a terrific turn on a 6-4-3 DP in the 5th.

Although he played mostly OF this past season at Peoria and Daytona, Silva looks very comfortable at 2B, making four other nice plays on grounders to retire A’s hitters today (each play harder than the previous one), and showing off his plus-arm on two of them. Scouts in attendance were impressed (and apparently surprised) with Silva’s play-making skills at 2B.

While Cubs 2011 3rd round draft pick 2B-LF Zeke DeVoss (U. of Miami) is probably better-suited to play LF, it would appear that Silva does have the skills required to play 2B. So don’t be surprised if the Daytona Cubs 2012 Opening Day lineup features Rubi Silva at 2B.

Silva played for the Cuban Junior National Team and then later for Havana in Serie Nacional (the Cuban major league) prior to defecting, and received a reported $1M bonus when he signed with the Cubs last December.

Here is the abridged box score (Cubs players only):

LINEUP:
1. Rubi Silva, 2B-DH: 0-4 (1-3, K, 3-U, 4-3)
2. Danny Lockhart, SS-2B: 3-4 (1B, K, 2B, 1B, R, RBI)
3a. Rafael Lopez, C: 1-2 (1B, 5-3)
3b. Alberto Mineo, PH: 1-1 (1B, RBI)
3c. Mark Malave, C: 0-1 (K)
4. Reggie Golden, CF: 0-3 (K, 1-3, 6-3, BB, R)
5. Jeimer Candelario, 3B: 2-4 (K, 1B, 3-1, 1B, 2 R)
6. Dustin Geiger, 1B: 1-4 (1B, K, F-7, 4-3)
7. Micah Gibbs, DH #1: 2-3 (HBP, HR, 4-3, 1B, R, 2 RBI)
8a. Yaniel Cabezas, DH #2: 0-3 (6-3, 6-3, 5-3)
8b. Carlos Penalver, SS: 0-1 (4-3)
9. Jeffrey Baez, RF: 0-3 (1-3, 1-3, K)
10. Garrett Schlecht, LF: 0-2 (K, BB, L-5, R)

PITCHERS:
1. Ian Dickson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 24 pitches (16 strikes), 2/0 GO/FO
2. Frank Del Valle: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 1 BALK, 30 pitches (18 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO
3. Dustin Fitzgerald: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 GIDP, 25 pitches (12 strikes), 5/0 GO/FO
4. Austin Reed: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 21 pitches (11 strikes), 3/3 GO/FO
5. Luis Liria: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 pitches (5 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO
6. Andrew McKirahan: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 16 pitches (11 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO

ERRORS: NONE

CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Rafael Lopez: 0-2 CS

OUTFIELD ASSIST
CF Reggie Golden threw out base-runner 8-2 trying to score from 2nd base on a line drive single to CF

ATTENDANCE: 18 (mostly scouts)

WEATHER: Sunny & breezy with temperatures in the 90’s

Tags
Cubs Minor Leaguers
Micah Gibbs
Reggie Golden
Rubi Silva
Ian Dickson
Danny Lockhart
AZ Instructional League

Comments

Submitted by Old and Blue on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 09:12 pm

My favorite time of the year (since the Cubs usually suck) -- AZ Phil Post Time. Seems like every time I read one of these posts so far this year there's some guy I've never heard of who has signed a huge bonus. I guess Ricketts is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to player development. I've always kinda wondered what would happen if a team focused on pouring massive amounts of money into player development as opposed to free agency. Instead of signing the Carl Crawfords of the world for $100 mil or whatever it was, pour that money into signing these Latin kids. Things could get interesting in a few years if I'm still alive to see it. Cough cough.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 09:51 pm

Maddon names Matt Moore Game 1 starter, Shields for Game 2

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:47 pm

Speaking of Moore, anybody know how an 8th rounder in 2007 becomes the most promising young lefty in the league in 2011? Not only the Cubs, but every other team including the Rays found other players to draft in the first seven rounds. If you look at Moore's numbers, he's been great at every level since he was 19. It's not like they had to teach him something.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 09:54 pm

is it march yet? :( at least there's playoffs left...wish it was a WBC year...wish MLB network would telecast fall/winter local and international games...i don't even care if they don't have a pbp announcer...wood bat baseball woo.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:26 am

f'n hell...we're going to have to hear about this crap being the next chicago suit for the next few weeks, too, i'd imagine... "According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosnethal, the Red Sox are expected to part ways Friday with manager Terry Francona."

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 10:27 am

Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 10:40am. Hey AZ Phil, How would you describe Gibbs as a hitter? Does he have a slow bat? Thanks, as always! ===================================== CHARLIE: Micah Gibbs has the proverbial "slider speed bat," but he also has an upper-cut swing & has improved his strength to where he can probably at least hit a few home runs. He already is a very good defensive catcher, so anything he can do to make himself more-valuable as a hitter would help improve his chances of making it to the big leagues. While you would want a fast runner (like Tony Campana) to try and hit the ball on the ground as much as possible to take advantage of his speed, it is preferable for slow-footed catchers like Micah Gibbs to hit the ball in the air, and (if possible) have the power to hit home runs (if not line-drives). BTW, with Luis Flores on the Restricted List (serving a PED suspension) for at least the first month of the 2012 regular season, it is very possible that Micah Gibbs could start the 2012 season at AA Tennessee (sharing the catching duties with Michael Brenly), at least until Flores is reinstated. Best comp for Micah Gibbs is Koyie Hill.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:52 am

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/7950802-419/cubs-will-make… A day later in Chicago, the question became the same one uttered by a player amid the din that night: ‘‘You think [Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein] would leave to come here?’’ If the answer is yes — and one report Thursday suggested he has told friends he would ‘‘embrace the challenge’’ — the next sound could be the cheering coming from the Cubs’ boardroom. Epstein has a 2012 option that has to be exercised by Oct. 8th

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:10 pm

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-pulse/2011/2612… I think they fucked this up though, they said players originally drafted or signed, but not those that are past 6 years service time, but their Phillies blurb indicates Utley and Rollins did count. I asked the dude on twitter if I'm missing something, but here were his rankings regardless 1. Rays (duh) - 28.1 WAR 2. Phillies 3. Brewers 4. Tigers 5. Rangers 6. DBacks 7. Yankees 8. Cardinals - 10.8 WAR Cubs for 2011 (if I did this right): 5.1 from their hitters, 4.2 from pitching 9.3 WAR

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Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:28 pm

Suspect that will be higher in 2012 and probably 2013. Soto, Castro, Barney, Jackson, Colvin, Campana, LeMahieu, Flaherty, Marwin Gonzalez, Vitters, Marquez Smith, Clevenger, Castillo. 13 position players. Marmol, Marshall, Cashner, Wells, Carpenter, Russell, Mateo, Samardzija, Dolis, Cabrera, McNutt, Struck, Whitenack. 13 Pitchers. Would it be a shock to see 12-15 of these 26 names on the MLB roster and contributing positively (if not extraordinarily) by 2013? And, I believe, these are all guys originally drafted or signed out of Latin America by the Cubs. I suppose we could toss Ha, Rhee, and maybe one of the other Pacific Rim pitchers in their, too.

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Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:55 pm

I see the Cubs filling several starting spots with homegrown talent--Soto, Castro, Cashner, Wells, Jackson, Whoever Plays Second--and then having a steady supply of OK-to-Good minor leaguers to fill in for injured players or occupy the majority of the bench roles--Flaherty, Gonzalez, LeMahieu, Campana, Colvin, Clevenger, Castillo, Smith, etc., etc. And then there is the neverending parade of homegrown relief pitchers, who at some points may make positive contributions. Campana managed a 1.4 contribution as a bench player this season and Samardzija a 1.1 as a middle reliever. Get a handful of solid performances from minor role players, and then you can stack that on top of whatever you get from Castro, Soto, and ?. I don't see the Cubs reaching 14 without a few homegrown stars, but they could get up to 11 or so. I'm also guessing that Castro, Soto, Cashner, and maybe Wells will improve on their 2011 contributions. On the other hand, Samardzija and a couple others will probably regress a bit.

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Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:28 pm

and then Reed Johnson and Jeff Baker play instead. Too true. And there is the turd in my HopefulO's. I've never understood the need for mid-30's free agent bench warmers when you've got a bunch of guys in the minors who could do the same thing. And I guess I am expecting a new manager to agree and replace Hill, Johnson, Baker, etc., with Clevenger, Colvin/Campana, LeMahieu/Flaherty, etc. Also, I'm not so far into fantasyland that I'm saying the Cubs will be good simply because they may get another WAR or two from homegrown players in the next couple years. I think you'd better have cheap homegrown players giving you more WARs when you've got Soriano giving you 1.3 WAR in return for $17 million, Zambrano giving you .9 in return for whatever he makes, and then you pay Carlos Silva to go home. Yes, Tony Campana and Darwin Barney provided more WARs this year than Soriano and Zambrano. That is sad. It also seems like a good reason to go all-in on player development at the cost of long contracts to free agents.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:06 pm

indeed. Jackson showing more power at an earlier age though with a few more walks. Believe Stubbs was considered a really good defender coming up, Jackson merely adequate at center and Stubbs is supposed to be faster. Jackson does have the advantage of being a lefty though. I can't say for sure of course, but that should give him a bit of an advantage with the K's and batting average. Jackson has certainly shown more at a younger age than Stubbs in the minors.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:31 pm

The Rangers don't strike out when they're not facing strikeout pitchers. Pineda 17K's in 19 innings Gonzales 12K's in 10 innings Hernandez 19K's in 25 innings That's the three top 10 K/inning guys in their division. Price got 13K's in 14 innings off of them. I like Moore's chances.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

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