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

Who Says You Can't Go Home Again? Soriano to Yankees...

It appears Alfonso Soriano is indeed headed to his original franchise...Dale Sveum was told before the game to pull Soriano from the lineup and has been telling the press that a deal is 99% certain with the Yankees. Sveum isn't too good with percentages lately, so let's temper our expectations a bit.

Olney says a lower tier pitching prospect will be coming back to the Cubs once Soriano gives his formal approval. He also claims Cubs will pay the bulk of the $25M owed Soriano through 2014. I will update as more information becomes available.

Comments

...and can they get this gone before game time...or is soriano gonna ride pine all night? also, "Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat Players visibly upset at news re Soriano. #Cubs"

"Dale Sveum was told before the game to pull Soriano from the lineup and has been telling the press that a deal is 99% certain with the Yankees. Sveum isn't too good with percentages lately, so let's temper our expectations a bit." Oh yeah. . . You are on fire. Actually got a semi-spit take outta me.

who are these guys? only one really old guy (Ransom). Lake CF, Castro SS, Rizzo 1B, Ransom 3B, Schierholtz RF, Gillespie LF, Barney 2B, Castillo C, Villanueva P

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

well, this is america and everyone should assimilate and get some proper last names so i can spell them without thinking...that includes commies like sureholds and ninja. SLAM-A-LAMA-DING-DONG! ...also, i still think darwin macias is apt...even though darwin gets to start every day. it's been a nice ride, but let's see if we can get him out of a 600+ab role next season.

Jeff Passan tweet... Alex Rodriguez, Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano on the same team. Forget Monument Park. That is the Mount Rushmore of dreadful contracts.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

eh...

The Fangraphs tool is rough, but his value since 2007

$27.3M, $17.3M, -$0.9, $11.3M, $4.8M, $16.1M, $5.8M = $81.7M

total contract was 8/$136M of which it seems the Cubs are on the hook for most of it, even if you want to subtract the $25M they still owe but won't be getting the benefits from, that's about $30-$50M short in performance.

there have been worse certainly, and you're paying for some certaintly when it comes to free agency, but Soriano was anyting but certain.

Overall, I'm glad they signed him, the 2 years McDonough/Kenney tacked on really hurt the deal though and really hurt the Cubs ability to move him sooner.

Shame his legs went, as a leadoff man with power he would have been a lot more valuable imo....Saved us from Jake Fox in left field at least :)

 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

the fact it took until very late 2009 to move him out of the leadoff spot was mindblowing...especially when he showed he wasn't going to be stealing 30-40 bases a year. almost 3 years of it before they figured out he wasn't going to start taking walks, getting on base, be a SB threat all the while smacking doubles and HRs. in 07 (his first season) he had 80 xbase hits with 70 RBI to show for it...

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I was shocked that the Cubs signed the top FA that year (JD Drew). It sold a lot of tickets, including to me. As much as I had a large degree of nausea watching him during his cold streaks, and play the field pre-2012, he was extremely professional and a decent guy. Certainly not his fault someone offered him Power Lotto. I only wish e had the balls to have taken one for the team last year, and gone to the Giants where he could have won a ring for himself. For that he can ride pine in NY.

the final tally... 889 games .264/.317/.495 - .812 OPS 181 HR - 526 RBI - 269 R - 70/20 SB/CS average per season - 127 games, 26HR, 31 doubles, 67R, 75RBI, 10/3 SB/CS he missed significant parts of 08/09...only full season(s) he put in was 2012 (and 2010 if you're not going to be picking about it)

Bob Nightengale ‏@BNightengale 7m The #Cubs and #Yankees have reached agreement on the pitching prospect Yanks will send Cubs for Soriano, with deal close to being finalized.

this outing by vanillawafers Mr. Carlos Manuel (Paulino) Villanueva isn't looking too good so far...he's almost at 40 pitches at not out of the first. ...amazingly, only 1 run given up so far.

[ ]

In reply to by Newport

A golden oldie from Tuesday:

Submitted by Arizona Phil
Tue, 07/23/2013 - 10:23am

I would think one or more of the Yankees International Signing Pool Values (SBV) will be part of the deal.

#29: $487,200
#58: $329,000
#87: $222,100
#116: $139,600

The Cubs have been holding off announcing the Eloy Jimenez signing, presumably so that they can acquire additional SBVs in trades that can at least minimize their expected tax-penalty for exceeding their adjusted 2013-14 ISBP.

The Cubs originally-assigned International Signing Bonus Pool (ISBP) was $4,557,200, and they are permitted add up to 50% above their originally-assigned ISBP ($2,278,600) in trades, as long as they haven't exceeded their adjusted ISBP limit at the time of the trade. So far the Cubs have added $963,100 (net) in SBV in trades with Houston and Baltimore (they also traded their 4th SBV slot to the Dodgers in the Carlos Marmol deal), and so they can still add an additional $1,315,500 in SBV before they reach their max ISBP, as long as they don't reach or exceed their adjusted ISBP before they make the trade. Therefore, they could acquire all four of the Yankees SBV without exceeding their maximum-possible ISBP ($6,835,800).

The Yankees have not signed any of the top international free-agents, and a club''s six-highest signings of $50,000 or less are exempt from the International Signing Bonus Pool (ISBP) restrictions. But even if the Yankees were to trade all four of their SBV, they still would retain the $700K in ISBP that all teams get in addition to their four SBVs, so they could still sign a fairly significant IFA for as much as $735K (the $700K base plus a 5% overage) without incurring a penalty that would restrict them in signing players in the 2014-14 Internationalo Signing Period.

BTW, the Cubs were not able to acquire SBVs from Texas in the Garza deal because the Rangers are big-time players in the international market for under 23-year olds, too.

Javier Baez just hit his 2nd HR of the night (#8 in AA). First was a 3 run shot in the 5th inning. This one a solo HR in the 8th inning.

Anyone know why Alberto Cabrera is being used out of the bullpen at Iowa. I thought he was having a good year as a starter at AA. Seems a little early to give up on him as a future starter. Is this to keep his innings down for the year?

Vitters having a lost season? from the twitterverse...IowaCubs manager Marty Pevey said that Josh Vitters injured his hamstring. Vitters told him it could be 1-2 weeks. --- bottom 3rd: Josh Vitters singles on a fly ball to center fielder Kevin Mattison. Donnie Murphy scores. Josh Vitters out at 2nd, center fielder Kevin Mattison to shortstop Gil Velazquez to second baseman Nick Green. --- top 4th: Defensive Substitution: Edwin Maysonet replaces first baseman Josh Vitters, batting 3rd, playing first base.

Smokies 8th inning: Chang-Yong Lim 1.0 1 0 0 0 2(K) 0 0.00

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

"Lake has all of 29 big league plate appearances, so of course the sample sizes make the results essentially meaningless. But small sample good results are better than small sample terrible results..." I'm extremely skeptical any time I see "it's a small sample size, but..." There are no buts. If you flip a coin 4 times and it's heads every time (this will happen 6.3% of the time), why is it we don't assume that we have a magical coin that only flips heads? It's because, at least at some level, we understand that small sample size matters. But for some reason, baseball makes us stupid.

From Wittenmyer: (Not including Soriano) “There’s been some calls on some other potential opportunities,” Epstein said. “Nothing really concrete yet. If we do anything, it’ll probably be closer to the deadline.”

Wittenmeyer tweet... Cubs sending Sori to Yankees on red eye flight tonight. Announcement Friday.

@ChrisCotillo  #Cubs are getting one prospect from the #Yankees. They were deciding between two guys. One of the two is one of DeLaRosa/Black/Whitley.

Whitley pitched tonight, not him.

Black just tweeted that his phone is buzzing like crazy, but he hasn't heard anything.

not sure who DeLaRosa is...they have a Rafael De Paula and he pitched tonight.

 

BP Chat http://www.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=1064 : Q: When I hear about CJ Edwards I hear that he has the potential for 3 average to above average pitches and holds his low to mid 90's velocity late into games. Yet he profiles as a 4th starter? Sound like a 2/3 to me, what am I missing? Jason Parks: You are missing the projection and distinction of a 2/3. Edwards lacks an ideal body for workload, which doesn't mean its impossible, but its difficult to project his frame holding 200+ innings a year, season after season. I like his fastball a lot, but I don't see a standout secondary offering, although the curve can flash it. Without a wipeout secondary offering, I don't see the upside. I see a guy with feel for pitching, a very good fastball, and a solid-average secondary arsenal. I put a back-end label on that profile. I think Edwards ends up in the 'pen, where he could develop into a power arm. I don't see a frontline starter projection. Q: I was surprised to see Zach mention questions about Baez's #want. Have you heard similar things and is that a red flag for putting in the effort to improve his weaknesses? Jason Parks: For me, it's not about his #want but his command over his #want. He plays the game with a lot of intensity, but sometimes that intensity can force sloppy mistakes and a one-speed fits all approach to all sides of the ball. The majority of his mistakes come because he is playing too fast or too aggressive, not because he doesn't give a shit. Q: I hear Vogelbach's defense is starting to look like he may be serviceable at 1B. What are your thoughts about him overall? Jason Parks: Big raw and good hit; don't see a 1B, but that doesn't mean he can't make it work. If the bat plays, you can figure out the glove. Q: realistic 2015 Cubs starters? 1b Rizzo 2b Alcantara SS Castro 3b Baez LF Bryant CF Almora RF Soler? whos catching? Jason Parks: I'd put Olt at 3B and Baez on another team's roster, with Bryant in RF and Soler in LF. If that's the lineup, I could be catching and it wouldn't matter much. ------ A number of other Cub related questions. Didn't #want to post them all.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

"Jason Parks: I'd put Olt at 3B and Baez on another team's roster, with Bryant in RF and Soler in LF. If that's the lineup, I could be catching and it wouldn't matter much." While I agree that Baez doesn't fit the OBP mold that Theo and crew like, it seems unlikely that they would be able to get comparable value in a trade. His upside potential seems pretty high.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

Lots of stuff can happy in a few years. If the Cubs decide they need a front-line pitcher or something like that in 2015, Baez might be the blue chip that nets him. I don't think I'd be predicting he'll be traded and that all those others would stay, though. Seemed like a strange way to answer that somewhat inane question.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

You're right about his upside (Miguel Tejada) and floor (Brandon Wood?). But I think that given how scouts and sports writers have ranked him, he could be the center piece of a pretty big trade, provided he doesn't implode at AAA or something before that. There could be a team out there that would prefer Almora, Bryant, or Soler over Baez, but I could just as easily see a few teams being very high on him because they love the bat speed and believe everything else will work itself out. If I'm the Cubs, I'm more willing to part with an OF or corner IF bat if I can make that happen, though. The chance that Baez becomes a middle infielder who can hit 30 bombs is the baseball jackpot. So if a GM says to me they'd prefer Almora or Bryant over Baez, I figure I lucked out.

When's Almora going to Daytona? Can't be too long now. Edit: Maybe after they get to play baseball on a regular basis...

Jim Memolo on XM said the Yankee prospect was Corey Black and he's an undersized pitcher who throws in the mid 90's. Rob posted and had links about him above

Buster Olney... Soriano is owed about $24.5m through '14. CHC are going to pick up about $17.7m. NYY will pick up about $6.8m of that, including $5m in '14.

Fangraphs Dave Cameron's take on the Soriano trade... http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/yankees-acquire-alfonso-soriano-again/
the Cubs are saving about the same amount of money that they used to sign Scott Feldman over the off-season, and that turned out okay. Odds are good that the Cubs are going to reinvest the savings into their 2014 club and come away with a better (and younger) player than Soriano in the process. That makes this an easy win for Chicago.
...the Yankees aren’t a useful role player away from being a playoff team. Soriano will help them. I’m not sure he’ll help them enough, and so they might have just spent $5 million of their 2014 budget for a modest upgrade that won’t actually move the needle.

Jesse Sanchez... As expected, teenage RHP Jen-Ho Tseng (Taiwan) has signed with the #Cubs for $1.625M. OF Eloy Jimenez signs next week

post from Tom U (one of the CCO authors) on Corey Black:
Some of what I know about Black from listening to the Daytona broadcasts: Black is 21 years old, so he is appropriate for the Advanced A level. He is Tampa's #3 starter and has fancied himself as a strikeout pitcher. He has an 88:45 strikeout ratio. However, since the Yankee's have gotten him to concentrate on throwing strikes rather than striking people out, his numbers have improved. Black has gone 2-2 in his last ten games with a 3.57 ERA, a 36:26 ratio, and holding teams to a .227 average.
http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2013/07/soriano-flew-to-new-york-…

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/7/26/4559534/cubs-trade-alfonso-sor…

As you would expect from a former shortstop, he is a very good athlete and has plenty of arm strength: he's been clocked as high as 100 MPH in short stints and works in the mid-90s as a starter. He has a curveball, slider, and changeup. Although none of his secondary pitches are considered outstanding, they off-set the fastball well when his command is on. His mechanics aren't the smoothest and his command is inconsistent, but he picks up strikeouts at a good clip.

If he throws strikes and makes further progress with his secondaries, Black can start at higher levels. If that doesn't work out, his arm would still look good in the bullpen.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Even if they stay ahead of their adjusted ISBP by adding SBV in trades prior to signing an international FA subject to the ISBP pool limit, the Cubs absolute maximum adjusted ISBP would be $6,835,800 (50% above their originally-assigned ISBP).

BTW, if the Cubs were to acquire an SBV in a trade that would cause them to exceed their maximum adjusted ISBP, the portion of the SBV that would cause the Cubs to exceed their maximum adjusted ISBP would be forfeited and the Cubs would end up with exactly $6,835,800 in ISBP.    

 

BA's take

http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/power-starved-yankees-acquire-alf…

Black features one of the best arms from the Yankees’ 2012 draft class, and he jumped to high Class A at the outset of the 2013 season. He sits 93-95 mph with sink and can reach 100 in short outings, though with below-average control he left the Florida State League ranked second in both strikeouts (88) and walks (45). Black has solid secondary weapons in a changeup and mid-80s slider, but given his wildness and size (he’s listed at 5-foot-11), his best path to the big leagues may be in the bullpen.

last one, not sure who the dude is, but he fakes it pretty well if he's a fraud

http://hardballscouting.com/2013/07/26/notes-on-corey-black/

Black used two fastballs. His four-seamer worked in the 92-94 range and topped out at 95. His two-seamer was a plus pitch, sitting 91-92 with excellent late sink and cut. He seemed to rely on the four-seamer a little bit too much for my taste, but that could be part of his developmental plan. Over the long haul, he could work off of the two-seamer, and bust out the four-seamer after one of his secondary offerings.

Black threw a curveball, a changeup, and a slider. The curveball showed good shape, but got a little loopy as it came in in the 77-79 range. Black’s slider was also promising, working in the 85-88 range. The slider didn’t have a ton of movement, but it moved very late, and it was tough to pick up out of the hand. The cambio sat 87-88, but he only used the pitch a handful of times in my limited look.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Someone on this board (or a precursor), can't remember who, once proposed a rag arm approach to the bull pen using a large number of hard throwing pitchers on the forty man roster. Then you just shuttle them back and forth so that they can give max effort for a short period in the major and rest in the minors.

Turn on Wscr listen to sad story of local idiot billy the cub, the unofficial cub mascot, trying to gain sympathy for what he does. How pathetic. Does any other team have so many parasites?

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

This isn't a problem right now because the Cubs did not need to drop a player from the 40-man roster to make room for Eduardo Sanchez, but if they need another slot on the 40 sometime in the next few days or weeks, Rafael Dolis can be transferred to the 60-day DL from the 15-day DL without even blinking an eye. 

Dolis has already spent 60 days on the 15-day DL, so he could theoretically be transferred to the 60-day DL and then reinstated the next day, because time spent on the 15-day DL counts toward the 60 days a player must spend on the 60-day DL before he can be reinstated. 

 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Also, cutting back to a four-man bench isn't as big a problem for the Cubs as it might be for some other N. L. club, because they have two of the best hitting pitchers in baseball available to PH when not starting a game (Travis Wood hitting RH and Chris Rusin hitting LH).

 

so...how many millions do the cubs save? i'm seeing conflicting reports... $7m $8m? ...as long as it was $6m or more i would walk away happy. my big fear was saving less than that. ...also, since it seems the cubs are going to blow through their international signing cap...does that make the r.torreyes trade a useless lost cause? i'm having trouble keeping up with the international signing thing, too.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

As I understand it, and I wouldn't bet much on that, but from what I've been able to read the Cubs have blown way past their cap, and really have no hope of recouping it this year (I think they'd have to make some big trades, and get nothing but cap money back to make it happen, which they won't do). Sounds like they are okay with the trade off, including giving away Torreyes, for the return. That kid they got from Taiwan today really finished them off in blowing the wad.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

It was mentioned earlier in the comments, but they've currently spent out $5,165,000M...they currently are in possession of $5.5M in cap space, so they still have room to deal until they announce the Jimenez signing.

That being said, they'll need to get nearly $2M in space to avoid anything over the 5% penalty once Jimenez signs.

But anything they've added to this point will certainly help lessen any penalties, even if it's just financially.

 

"Giants acquired RHP Guillermo Moscoso from the Cubs for a player to be named later or cash considerations."

Theo press conference happening, tons of quotes in twitter box.

projects Black as power reliever, comps Jesse Crain

Soriano's AB would start to diminish, right time to move him

wanted to move quick on SP's before market got flooded

very happy with infusion of young talent last few months, now needs to develop them

never feels like you're just one player away, will only sign players that fit the plan

 earlier article said Cubs will not be giving out any no-trade clauses

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

the no-trade clause is getting to be a thing of the past...the limited no-trade is still hanging on and not many get a really wide limited no-trade (cliff lee jumps to mind). players/agents seem to be getting used to the fact that if you're going to want huge money, you have to give up some control that was enjoyed for quite a many years in the recent past where players could have it all.

Soriano flies out in first AB for the Yanks

Yanks down 6-0...Sabathia is broken...can hang out with Verlander, Halladay, Cain and Lincecum.

-edit- no outfield assist as I thought, threw home to catcher who threw on to 2b for the out.

Man, I feel bad now for Soriano - watching the Yankees right now is like attending a funeral for some guy nobody liked. It's painful. They suck, the dugout is an empty wasteland, just wretched.

grimm 2ip 8h 2bb 2k, 7er...no HR given up, though

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

CRUNCH: Justin Grimm's last 10 MLB starts for TEX prior to the trade:

48.2 IP, 72 H, 48 R (45 ER), 17 BB, 32 K, 10 HR, 1.83 WHIP - 8.72 ERA - left his last start versus DET with right forearm soreness.

I smell a possible post-season Jake Brigham "damaged goods" return ref Grimm.

Jeff Passan‏@JeffPassan Cuban RHP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez and Philadelphia Phillies have agreed on six-year deal worth more than $50M, club source tells Y! Sports.

jd and len are trying so hard...they both have a cornball sense of humor, but for some reason (maybe generation gap) they don't seem to pick up on each other's bad jokes and run with them like len and bob did together. hopefully it's just growing pains... jd is getting better at the cubs system and players...predicting what they're likely to do...what they're capable of...etc etc.

i'm a bit shocked Lake made contact on a Romo pitch.

also shocked DeJesus didn't bunt, getting a guy to third with less than 2 outs is the only time to do it.

CUBS LEAD! woo...rizzo on 2nd after error on b.belt (whiff'd it...ball into the OF) with men on corners...lake goes 1st to home.

Rizzo with a 3-2 count, on the 8th pitch ripped one through Brandon Belt, Lake scores from first.

Play Belt should have made though and called an error.

heh, Lake takes about 5 steps back on final flyout of the cgame, lucky he's fast enough to easily camp under it.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Corey looked overmatched and had a huge hole in his swing. Never really felt good about him at ML level. Definitely more natural outfielder ... I like Lake's arm but he has a weird stride for an outfielder ... Looks like he's gliding on these little robot legs. Obviously right now is super unfair as Corey started well too and Junior is having a sick start AND the league hasn't adjusted yet ... But I like Lake's presence at the plate better. Always got that feeling Corey's bat was too big for him and he was such a sucker at the plate. We'll see.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.