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

TCR Friday Notes

...lightning round...go!

- David DeJesus ends up going to the Rays, essentially confirming hat the Nationals weren't all that interested in DeJesus afterall and claimed him only in a hope to block him from another team. Instead they ended up with $2.5M committment that they were able to shift to the Rays. The Rays will throw a player to be named later or cash (more likely cash) towards the Nats, which will then most likely get forwarded to the Cubs. You think they Western Union for that?

Looks like the Rays have use for DeJesus as they said he'll play against most righties, mostly instead of Kelly Johnson.

- The Cubs and Rangers completed their deal for Matt Garza today once the Cubs were awarded a waiver claim on RHP Neil Ramirez. The 24-year old right-hander is striking out over 11 per 9 this year in AA, but with a healthy walk rate of 3.8. Before the 2012 season, John Sickels had him as the Rangers #7 prospect, ahead of both Christian Villanueva and Justin Grimm and had this to say:

Held his own in Triple-A until sore shoulder issue sent him back to previously-skipped Double-A level for rehab. A breakout candidate who broke out.


2012 didn't go too well though, putting up a 6.28 ERA between AA and AAA and seeing a significant drop in his K rate. That dropped him to #18 on Sickels pre-2013 prospect list.

Tough to get a handle on after wildly erratic season, failed in Triple-A and was spotty after going down to Double-A though sometimes effective. I have been very high on him in the past but he might do better with a change of scenery. Trade bait?

And so they Rangers sent him back to AA for 2013 to try and master it, and he's put up good numbers going: 9-3, 3.84 ERA, 11.1 K/9 3.7 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9/. But as Sickels mentions in mid-season review, he'll have to get through AAA before folks get to excited about him.

- Cubs have moved to a game and a half behind the White Sox for the third pick in the draft, thanks to an unlikely 6-game winning streak for the South Siders. The Cubs have 35 left to play and are on pace for 93-94 losses. The remaining breakdown of the schedule for the Cubs look like this (All are 3 game series unless otherwise noted):

Away
@ Padres, @ Dodgers, @ Cincinnati, @ Pittsburgh (4), @ Milwaukee (4)

Home

Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, St. Louis

Have a good weekend everyone.

Comments

Baez already 2/2 with a HR tonight and CJ Edwards with 5 K's so far in 3 innings of 1 hit ball.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

After what we've been through as Cubs fans, we deserve a Bryant/Baez/Soler/Almora/Rizzo dynasty, with Starlin Castro almost a stud but not quite so we can have somebody to kick around.

rizzo didn't try to pull the ball...and got a hit...to LF. amazing. looks like he's working on something up there.

Olt is batting .121 in 28 games with Iowa. 99 AB 2 HR 4 RBI ... Those are psychologist visit, and out of baseball in two years numbers. Not saying that's his fate, but better men than he ...

Anyone (AZ Phil etc.) explain to me why the Cubs had to claim their PTBNL off of waivers first? Does that transfer some financial burden to the Cubs? Why wouldn't another team claim him -- Houston for instance? (Talking Neil Ramirez of course).

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

CARLITO: What ROB G said.

But just for further clarification, starting at 4 PM on July 31st and extending through the conclusion of the MLB regular season, Trade Assignment Waivers must be secured before a player on an MLB 40-man roster (including players who are on Optional Assignment to the minors) can be traded. (This also would include a player who is a PTBNL from a trade that was executed prior to the July 31st deadline).

Trade Waivers are never required to trade players on minor league reserve lists, so (for example) the Cubs could have acquired a minor league player from Texas after July 31st without the player having to be first placed on Trade Waivers.

In the case of Neil Ramirez, the Cubs merely claimed him off Trade Waivers, although they could have waited until waivers were secured and then they could have acquired him as they would in any deal prior to the July 31st deadline. But by doing that the Cubs would have taken a chance that Ramirez would get claimed by another club with a higher waiver priority, and while a Trade Waiver request can be withdrawn if the player is claimed (and that would have happened if Ramirez had been claimed), the Cubs then would have had to wait until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season to get their hands on him. This way, they'll get to see him up close & personal at Tennessee for a couple of weeks.  

BTW, if a player is claimed off waivers and then the waiver request is subsequently withdrawn because the player is claimed, the player cannot be placed on Trade Waivers again for at least 30 days from the date the request was withdrawn, and the waivers become irrevocavble (the waiver request cannot be withdrawn) the second time a player is placed on waivers prior to the conclusion of the season.

In the case of David DeJesus (for example), he was placed on Trade Waivers twice this month, but the first waiver request was not wihdrawn (the Cubs traded him to the club that claimed him), so when the Nationals put him back on Trade Waivers immediately after acquiring him from the Cubs, the waivers were still revocable.

 

Vin Scully will be back next year. Scullys first year was Connie Mack's last year. Connie Mack was born the year before the Emancipation Proclamation . /history

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

i'm gonna miss vin...when he finally hangs em up. as an east coast guy, he's been my favorite late night game caller in the business the past many years of the MLB EI era. ...that's before getting into the other sporadic games i heard him call growing up. his call + "non-call" of the k.gibson HR is the stuff of legends. he let the broadcast silence + roar of the crowd tell the story. "High fly ball into RF...she is gone!" *insert a minute+ of broadcast silence + crowd roar* "In a year that has been so improbable...the impossible has happened!" awesome.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I used to like him until I started to listen to him more this year (Puig). He gets too repetitive and is too much of a homer for my tastes. There was a game this year where the umpire made a call in favor of the Dodgers. Scully was talking about the play, then the replay clearly showed that it was a bad call. He went silent for a moment then continued talking without mentioning the bad call. That was THE moment I decided I didn't like him. I prefer broadcasters who call what they see instead of trying to be too diplomatic.

ejax has turned a 6 run lead into a 6-5 game in 5 innings. $3m extra per year and an extra contract year for a.sanchez is looking like a hell of a deal right now. ejax has great stuff, but i have no idea why he has to throw his slider almost exclusively once he gets 2 strikes on someone. it's a good slider...except when everyone knows it's coming.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

"$3m extra per year" crunch, I wonder if you believe your own assumption, that Sanchez would have signed with the Cubs for the same money he accepted from the Tigers. All the Cubs had to do was match the Tigers, and Sanchez would have said, "Ivy, here I come!"?

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

certainly Sanchez would have picked the smaller ballpark and the lesser team than the one coming off a World Series appearance...there's obviously no logic flaw there.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-14/sports/chi-chicago-cubs-a…

says Cubs offered 5/75, they took offer to Tigers and took 5/80...Tigers had low-balled Sanchez earlier and seems clear agent was just trying to find a club to up the Tigers offer. Cubs were the unwilling participant.  There's no reason for Cubs to get in a bidding war for players last offseason. Figure out what they feel comfortable with  and if it doesn't work out, move on quickly.

Pitchers are a weird and often inconsistent brew anyway, Jackson is nearly certain to have a much better year next year...Jackson's ERA is 5.00 versus a 3.60 FIP. Even if some readers don't believe in such things, I guarantee the Cubs front office is very aware of the discrepancy and will be counting on an improvement next year.

j.lake finally gets a bunt single right. it's been a while since he got one right. ...and what the hell was he doing tagging and going to 2nd on a popout to shallow right-center? ...and wow, he got in safe even though the ball beat him there.

6-8 in the 8th...sigh. --- Dale's plan: Think fun 1st inning, then get them back to work on getting the #2 draft pick.

Kevin Encarnacion, Boise RF went 5-5 last night including a double/HR and is hitting .356 Az Phil: What is Encarnacion's upside given his RF competition in the organization. Also any comment on his defense relative to the others, or at least vs. Soler. Finally, what would be expected for KE this offseason? Do you expect him in the AZ Instructional League or Winter league play?

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

CUBSTER: Kevin Encarnacion was at Extended Spring Training in both 2012 & 2013, so I got to see a lot of him. Despite hitting 350/422/500 in 21 games (46 PA), he did not make the AZL Cubs out of EXST last season and he was sent back to the DSL for a third year, but he was OK (not great) at EXST this season (hitting 259/333/420 with a team-leading nine doubles in 90 PA), made the Boise squad, and then was promoted to Kane County in late June.   

He spent about a month at KC as the 4th OF, but he struggled offensively and was sent back to Boise where he has played very well. He is a little bit older than the average DSL/VSL graduate (he's 21), and so he will need to prove himself at KC next season.  

He is a gap hitter with slightly above average speed, he's an aggresive baserunner (he likes to gamble and try to take the extra base), and he is a decent defender who can play all three Of positions.  

I would be very surprised if Encarnacion gets invited to Instructs after the season, because I don't think he is much more of a prospect that Oliver Zapata (for example). He wlil probably play Winter Ball back home in Venezuela, though.

I do think he can move up through the system, but he probably projects as more of an organizational player (4th OF) than a prospect at this point. 

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Jeff Francouer would like to remind you that this is a really, really hard game to get/stay good at, and that your current fascination with Olt's performance may be a bit of a waste of energy anyway, given his current medical report. Let's see how he looks next season. I'm more worried about Starlin Castro pulling a Francouer than I am Olt pulling a Gary Scott, if only cuz Olt isn't pulling in any real money.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I wouldn't call it an obsession, I was curious if anyone has seen him play and if he is having any good looks. Btw I'm curious what his medical report is as I know crunch was saying he had a clean bill of health a few months ago - and was on the upswing. I want the guy to succeed and currently i believe he is the worst player (statistically) getting regular atbats in AAA. Way worse than Gary Scott ever was. I thought it was worth discussion as we are talking about (potentially) 1/8 of next years position player lineup playing like a mannequin on offense. Maybe I'm crazy for giving a crap. I've been called worse!

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

after returning to round rock (AAA TEX) after his time off he wasn't exactly tearing the world up, but he was doing much better than before he took his time off...contact, ob%, and power were noticeably improved. once he got to iowa, it's been consistent collapse...

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Just giving you a hard time, no ill intent - anyway, his eye was supposed to have been messed up after getting beaned. I honestly think it's the only explanation for such awful numbers from a guy who has built up a pretty good reputation. I hope that's it, anyway, but I hope it's something that goes away if it IS it. I remember Dickie Thon never really getting over a beaning to the eye.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

yeah, no ill intent...i mean, hell...i wanna know what's up with him. it's weird to be this consistently bad. he's 2/30 in his last 10 games, both singles...and not much better in the 20 games before that. coming back from his time off @RRock he was tailing a mini-slump leading up to the trade, but he was still hitting homers and had a .340+ ob% overall after returning...he got to iowa and fell apart.

"Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat #Cubs Hoyer says there's still time for Scott Baker to pitch this year. "Our hope is that he can make it back."" fwiw... A (Kane) - 12.2ip 21h 8bb 8k - 9.95era 2.29whip (4 starts) A+ (Daytona) - 6.1ip 6h 2bb 2k - 2.84era 1.26whip (2 starts)

ryno has a sense of humor...or is just odd... PHI is bidding away "gift baskets" for charity full of stuff pertaining to certain players/coaches/manager/etc... the ryno basket contains and autographed ball, a hat, fungo bat, bunch of other stuff...and for some reason an autographed garden hose that the charity runner couldn't explain. whatever.

do the cubs really have to keep giving d.mcdonald starts? having him on the team is bad enough...especially after what he was doing in AAA.

mike olt HR in his 1st AB. corner turned...sunny days ahead...bring him up. baez 0-4...DFA him. vogel 0-2, 3bb. bryant 2-5, double. c.black 5ip 3h 4bb 2k, 2er

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

wtf... d.barney with an easy double...d.mcdonald going home for NO F'N REASON EXCEPT STUPIDITY and would have been out by more than a few steps...except l.forsythe airmails the ball WAY off mark high and wide no where near a defender...ends up in the stands... barney on 3rd... cubs up 2-1, top 7

Does anyone think its a little eyebrow raising that the current Golden Boy Cubs GM a true ACE pitcher in Matt Latos for four cra-turds from the Reds? One that got DFA'd? Anyone...?

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

that latos trade was nuts. latos was days away from turning 24 when he was traded in 2011 (offseason, started 2012 with the reds) and is under team control until 2016. SD got some nice bats, but for an arm like that you want more than volq + grandal + y.alonso (and boxberger, decent non-closer type reliever, meh). grandal/alonso are nice bats, but neither were (or are) expected to be impact power bats...just contributor-type regulars. volq had injury concerns along with a high walk rate he's always had. ...not to mention that the guys the reds gave up were guys they didn't even have room for. alonso can't play OF to save his life and they had an excess of young/adequate catching.

Trevor Gretzky 9 for 21 (8 singles and a triple) since being called up to Kane County.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

campana goes 1st to home on a double in the top 18th...1-5, 5bb for him on the night...and amazingly 0 sb. another run scores shortly afterwards...followed by another 2 runs. btw...casper wells is pitching...yes, the OF'r. btw, he has a 90mph fastball...and he threw 40 pitches for 2 outs. 11-7 ...and now john mcdonald, the utility IF'r, is coming in from LF to pitch. he has a 81mph fastball. 12-7 ryne sandberg managing fail. to be fair, he did pull his starter after 0.2ip...still...this is a home game and those who stuck around are not very pleased about what they just saw after sticking around for 7 hours. btw, the fans aren't mad...just disappointed. game is final 7h6m...both teams combined to use 44 different players.

AZ Phil: One more specific player question. As always your insight is greatly appreciated. You've called him a strike throwing machine and clearly he is. Daury Torrez pitched 6 innings of shutout ball yesterday (3hits, 6K, No walks) for the AZL Cubs. For the season he's 4-2 in 49 innings with a 3.12 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 49K and amazingly only 5 walks. Yesterday, he piggybacked in the 2nd inning after an inning thrown by rehabbing R. Dollis. Any comment on Daury Torrez as a prospect going forward given his performance this season? Here is the last time I could find commentary by AZ Phil on Torrez (from May 27th):
RHP Daury Torrez followed Pugliese to the hill and hurled three shutout innings (needing only 31 pitches to do so), allowing two harmless singles. He struck out one and did not issue any walks. Torrez is a strike-throwing machine.
http://www.thecubreporter.com/05272013/cubs-fire-blanks-celebrate-memor… http://mlbfarm.com/player.php?player_id=602718&position=P P.S. I noticed my personal favorite farmhand, DSL 3B, Adonis Paula went 2-4 with a double and a HR. Go Adonis Go.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

CUBSTER: Not counting the guys who came through Mesa before moving up to Boise, Daury Torrez and Erick Leal are the two best pitching prospects presently at AZL Cubs,

Torrez doesn't throw particularly hard (I have never seen him throw harder than 91-92), but his fastball has sink & run, and it is difficult for hitters to make good solid contact against him. His slider doesn't break much so it stays in the strike zone (it's not a swing & miss "chase" pitch like it would be for somebody like Juan Carlos Paniagua), and he throws his change-up for strikes, too. So hitters can't just work the count against him because otherwise they'll find themselves sitting 0-2 more often than not. I think as he moves up the ladder he'll probably give up more hits than he does now, but he should be able to have success at the higher levels AS LONG AS he keeps trusting his stuff.   

I have never seen Leal throw harder than 89 MPH (and he usually sits 87-88), but he only uses his fastball to set-up his plus-curve and decent change-up. So Leal pitches "backwards" (as they say), in thart he is a breaking ball pitcher who throws his fastball to spots, and success depends on whether he can command his fastball to set-up his off-speed & breaking stuff. He doesn't get ground balls like Torrez does because his fastball doesn't have much movement and the curve ball and change-up are "fly ball" pitches.

 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

rodon throws hard...and easily hard...and is easily the best college pitching prospect in the draft. he was steal for NCSU recruiting. that said, he's one of those 100-pitches-in-5-innings types. his control leaves a bit to be desired...which is even more concerning (imo) because his command of his pitches is good. aka, there's not a lot of "fix" except him growing into controlling where his pitches end up. trea turner is a pure line drive hitter with a good eye...good D...speedy...that's about all you can say about him. he'll probably fast track to the bigs, but once there he'll probably be a role player rather than a leader. both these guys are still young, have years left, and can use their college eligibility to their advantage if not picked high in the draft.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.