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

A Review of the Cubs 2014 Draft

Following on my previous two poss on the 2012 and 2013 drafts, here is an overview of the Cubs 2014 draft and where the players are now. Here again it only shows those draft picks who signed with the Cubs and lists their draft number, current age, position, current organizational level, and a brief snapshot of their 2014 performance. Another positoin player, Kyle Schwarber, is the headliner here; but the Cubs drafted 10 pithcers in the first 12 picks, many of them teenagers. While most debuted at low levels and only played the last part of the summer, there is a lot to like about the level of success of many so far.

 

Round Player Position Current Age Current Level 2014 Comments
1 Kyle Schwarber C 21 A+ 344/428/634 across A-, A, and A+
2 Jake Stinnett RHP 22 A- Just 11 IP in RK and A-
3 Mark Zagunis C 21 A 288/420/420 across RK, A-, and A
4 Carson Sands LHP 19 RK 1.89 ERA in 19 IP
5 Justin Steele LHP 19 RK 2.89 ERA in 18 IP
6 Dylan Cease RHP 18 DL Has not played due to elbow injury
7 James Norwood RHP 20 A- 7.75 ERA in 20 IP in RK and A-
8 Tommy Thorpe LHP 21 A- 3.05 ERA in 20 IP in RK and A-
9 James Farris RHP 22 A- 2.57 ERA and 13.5 SO/9 in 14 IP
10 Ryan Williams RHP 22 A- 1.46 ERA in 24 IP at A-
11 Jordan Brink RHP 21 RK Just 2 IP at RK
12 Tanner Griggs RHP 20 RK 3.45 ERA in 15 IP
13 Kevonte Mitchell 3B 19 RK 294/374/371 in 143 ABs
14 Chesny Young 2B 21 A 327/384/409 combined in A- and A
15 Jeremy Null RHP 20 A- 1.29 ERA in 14 IP at A-
16 Jason Vosler SS 20 A- 266/361/372 in 94 ABs
17 Michael Knighton RHP 20 RK Just 8 IP at RK
18 Austyn Willis RHP 18 RK 4.20 ERA in 15 IP
19 Brad Markey RHP 22 A- 3.00 ERA and 9.0 SO/9 in 27 IP at A-
20 Alex Tomasovich SS 22 A- 311/372/371 in 132 ABs
21 Charles White OF 22 A- 200/306/259 in 85 ABs
22 Joey Martarano 3B 20 RK Just 13 ABs in RK
25 Tyler Pearson C 22 RK 235/322/431 in 51 ABs
26 Zach Hedges RHP 21 RK 1.37 ERA and 10.5 SO/9 in 19 IP
27 Calvin Graves OF 23 RK Hit 265/338/324 in 68 ABs in RK and A-
32 Andrew Ely 2B 21 RK 326/363/535 in 86 ABs at RK, also filled in at AAA
35 Jordan Minch LHP 21 RK 3.38 ERA in 10 IP

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

and H. Kuroda won't be pitching for the Yankees in 2015. ----------------------------------------------------- I think EJax would look great in Yankee pinstripes.

Boston article on what happened the day before David Ross signed with the Cubs... http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2014/12/26/how…
He added, ‘€œKind of the deciding factor with Chicago was that I have some friends there, Joe Maddon‘€™s approach to the game and how he treats players. That is a really good dynamic for my family. If you get in at midnight you’€™re not expected to be at the yard at 2 o’€™clock. Those sort of things weighed on my mind a little more. The day game, talking to [Ryan] Dempster, was more of cool thing that I thought. You get to have breakfast with your kids and then also have dinner with them. But the two-year offer, and [Eric] Hinske is a good buddy of mine ‘€¦ Knowing how the Red Sox treat their players and how they do everything first-class made it a tough decision. They try and take as much off their plate as possible so they can just focus on baseball, and I know Theo is big into the mindset of how they think and what they should focus on ‘€¦ To me, there were more positives in Chicago for me and my family.’€

"Dionisio Soldevila of ESPNDeportes.com reports that Rafael Furcal will miss the Dominican Winter League playoffs after tearing his hamstring." 37 years old and the injuries keep piling up...free agent (and will probably stay that way)

Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine The Dominican General of National police has cleared Chicago Cub Shortstop Starlin Castro of any involvement in recent shooting incident

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

This article doesn't have any actual attribution other than "scuttlebut" but it at least reflects what I HOPE will happen: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/27/full-blown-bears-house-… A lot of people slam the McCaskeys but George in my opinion has at least been willing to spend money. He needs to get a football guy in as president and dump Phillips, and he needs to get a good one. Hopefully we find out soon how much cleanup he's willing to do. The organization needs a rebuild/reboot - but it's the top part that needs it the most. There are enough good players to get the team back into the playoffs pretty quickly. Somebody who can draft well might help a wee bit.

Gulp:
Asked if he expected to be back as head coach in 2015, the Bears coach didn’t hesitate with his answer. “I do,” he said. Asked if he had any information from the front office or team management to boost his confidence, Trestman grinned.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Yeah... That summarizes the Bears and how they sustain mediocrity - and worse. The winning organizations would never tolerate this bullshit.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

In order for me to maintain any sanity, at least on a fan level, I need to believe that that is just part of Trestman's living on a different planet type of thinking. Or maybe Emery told him he's safe, but I gotta think Emery is gone, too. I would hope Philipps is, too.

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In reply to by Cubster

Kaplan: Two football names with longtime relationships with the "McCasket" family are Bill Polian and Mike Holmgren. Source confirms to me the the Bears will hire consultant with football experience to lead search to revamp organization. George McCaskey had his mind made up a while ago. This was a done deal for at least a month.

per Jordan Bernfield: Marc Trestman was just fired as well. --- Trestman: Well, I had a good run. I'm soooo fired. ta-da boom.

Huh? Jon HeymanVerified account ‏@JonHeymanCBS cubs are among teams showing interest in stephen drew

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

im sure drew would jump at the chance at joining a club where he's assured of a crowded middle infield with nothing more than part-time play and not being the main starter. sounds legit... hell, even if baez starts in AAA the middle IF is still crowded...

What's Jeff Fisher's contract look like?

not sure what I think about Shanahan, hard to judge any coach having to deal with Redskins situation.

after taking a shot at no-name hotshot type in Trestman, I'm guessing they'll go conservative here and go for a name coach. Bill Cowher's name always gets brought up in these situations, but he seems content being retired as does Jon Gruden, who just re-upped for MNF (and whom they should stay far away from).

Polian and Holmgren are not young men, but I'd certainly prefer Polian over Holmgren.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Re Holmgren, he has some Chicago ties as his daughter attended North Park College on the North Side, and IIRC, he has contributed some big money to the school. Also, his wife I think is from the area too. But - I am truly surprised (pleasantly) that BOTH of these morans got fired. In the NFC Central I think that the Bears have sunk to last in terms of organizations, from a 10-6 record three years ago. They need a Theo move...

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

"Bears have sunk, etc. . . . They need a Theo move." The Bears were 10-6 two years ago, not three. Emery was in his first year as GM. The year before, they were 8-8. Smith wasn't fired because the team went 10-6. He was fired because they missed the playoffs after starting out 7-1. In the pre-Trestman era, when Cutler went down (which he did frequently), the Bears couldn't score. Now they get better when he's on the sideline. Yesterday, everyone in Chicago was celebrating, but especially Cutler, who won't have to worry about being benched in favor of a McCown or a Clausen. Under Emery, the Bears were 23-25, .479. The Cubs in three years under Theo: 200-286, .411. Theo told the owners and the fans that he was starting from scratch and would need a few years. Less experienced than Theo, Emery didn't think that, or at any rate didn't get the owner and fans to buy in like Theo did. I wish the Bears luck with Cutler and a defense-first head coach. I'm sure they'll be able to return to consistent mediocrity quite soon.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

" I'm sure they'll be able to return to consistent mediocrity quite soon." That would be a great improvement. Mediocrity instead of seeing teams score on every possession would be nice. How about a coach who can manage both sides of the ball for a change? There's nothing wrong with the Bears tradition of teams licking their wounds for a week after having played them. But it doesn't have to be one or the other. A head coach is a game manager and he should be smart enough and, especially, have good enough connections in the league to be able to hire good coaches under him. There's no reason the Bears have to play 60s style offensive football. And there's no reason to not have a good D, too. You can't win a super bowl without being good on both sides of the ball. Maybe you didn't notice that the Seahawks have a pretty fair defense. I'm not sure about your man love for Trestman. Worst coach the Bears have ever had. At least teams will stop hiring coaches from an 8 team amateur league that plays on an absurdly silly field now that Trestman blew the wad.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

"the Bears tradition of teams licking their wounds for a week after having played them" First off, happy new year, O&B. Two great defensive teams and two championships in 67 years do not make a tradition. Believe me, that tradition is bogus. Take away those two championships, and the Bears are the Cubs in shoulder pads. If you're talking pre-1950, that's different, but nobody's talking that. The idea that other teams dread playing the Bears--that's not nervous perspiration you see on their unis, they're drooling. I just peeked at all the Bear all-pros since 2000, looking for a tough guy. Okay, Olin Kreutz was tough. Briggs and Mike Brown--fairly tough. Tommie Harris? As for Urlacher, quarterbacks had to worry about him, because he was a tall, rangy middle linebacker, but not opposing runners. Check out any "Urlacher's greatest hits" video (if you can find one) and you'll mostly see interceptions. It's a long way to 1985, when Singletary and Wilber Marshall played tougher than any Bear has since, and so probably did Plank, McMichael, Dent and Otis Wilson. The coaches responsible for any reputation that fans imagine the Bears still enjoying--George Allen and Buddy Ryan--were not even head coaches, which is why their championship-winning games were their last games with the Bears, and why the Bears could never achieve elite status over a number of seasons like that enjoyed by Green Bay and New England. Finally, defense is fine, but offense is better. Here are the top defensive teams in the league this year, ordered by fewest points allowed: Seattle, KC, Detroit, Buffalo, Arizona, Baltimore, Houston, New England, Cleveland, San Francisco. Five of these teams made the playoffs, five didn't. Two teams (Seattle and New England) get a bye this week. And here are the best offensive teams in terms of points scored: Green Bay, Denver, Philadelphia, New England, Dallas, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New Orleans, Seattle. Eight of these teams made the playoffs, and four of them (Green Bay, Denver, New England and Seattle) have a bye this week, including the first, second and fourth best offensive teams. Those are the teams that other teams dread playing, teams with QBs like Rodgers, Manning and Brady. edit: On further review, Allen didn't leave the Bears until after the '65 season. Wikipedia says that Allen called the shots in the Bear drafts that netted Ditka in '61 and Butkus and Sayers in '65. (I hadn't heard that, or have forgotten it.) Too bad Allen didn't stick around to draft a quarterback.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Happy New Year to you too, V Phil (and the rest of you morans!!). I'm not sure we disagree as much as it seems. For years, I'd watch good offensive teams and wish our own Bears would be less, ummmmm, offensive, if you know what I mean. What I meant by the Bears tradition of teams licking their wounds coming into Soldier Field was that even when they really sucked, especially pre-Urlacher (I agree he was more of a finesse guy than, say, Dick Butkus was), teams did not look forward to playing them. Their management did, because the other team usually came away with a win, but it was often a hard fought win, depending, of course, on the year. I wasn't talking about the record - which has not been very impressive overall on either side of the '86 Super Bowl. The real gist of my argument here isn't about a yearning to go back to the defense-only mode of Bears football. i don't want a return to 3 and out. My whole point was that Trestman was an abysmal failure as a head coach. I won't at all be shocked if he comes in somewhere as an OC and helps another team light it up. He can design plays pretty well. He probably shouldn't be calling them on the field, though. Let a good head coach who has a better sense of what is going on on the field overall handle that for him. Let him be the architect, maybe, but play calling? He proved this year he is not so good at that. You could see this year by their play how badly coached these guys were up and down the field. It started last year being defense but this year they blew routes and ran into each other on the O-line and miss communicated every game to such an extent a casual fan could see it going on. It was the most embarrassing football I've seen as a Bears fan. Ever. This was worse stuff than the Abe Gibron and Jim Dooley years, and Jim Dooley had them at 1-13 one year. This was actually worse than watching that team. He had to go, no matter how well "designed" his offense looked last year. Last year it seemed like it was mostly the defense was the only problem, but this year the offense actually was worse than the defense. You can probably cite some stats showing they weren't all that bad, but if you watched the games, and I know you did, you knew how bad they were. But it still all started with the D. Not many quarterbacks in this league can score on every possession unless they played the Bears. That's what Cutler had to do to stay in games. Maybe if the defense wasn't allowing teams to go up and down the field on every single possession the offense does a little better. Thankfully, we'll never know. I'm on board getting another offensive-minded coach. But this guy completely lost control of his team, and it didn't play good football under him. He seems like a good guy, and I bet he lands somewhere and does ok as an OC. Keep the clipboard away from him and bounce him upstairs into the coach's box though. He doesn't see the field well, and can't play call, manage the clock, or make in game adjustments. I can't begin to count the ways I'm glad he's gone. If you were excited about his offense after last year, I can't blame you. He seemed pretty good, but last year I was harping about this lame defense and he didn't listen to me - they never do - and he didn't fire Tucker. That was my first red flag with this guy. Maybe he wasn't allowed to fire him via Emery, but that's another red flag. Fight with your GM when he's so wrong. My list of complaints about Trestman are longer than the number of Mike Olt posts by me and Carlito, so I'll stop here. Like I said, I'm with you on a good offensive coach. I also want a good defensive coach. This is especially true because there are very very few QBs like Rodgers, Manning and Brady. There isn't another like that available that we know about. And you don't *have* to have a QB like that, although it sure helps. But this is the Bears. Not exactly good QB karma here.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I'm 100% certain that if the Bears are gonna be a perenial playoff team, they're gonna have to be good on offense and defense.

I will say this, there hasn't been a Super Bowl team that I can ever recall that was very good offensively and terrible defensively. But there have been very good defenses with mediocre offenses that don't turn the ball over to win it.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

The exception that proves the rule.

They were awful, but certainly not in the playoffs. Didn't Bob Sanders miss most of the season and came back for the playoffs?

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Before judging Trestman, I would want to know whose decision it really was to take the QB position away from McCown last year when Cutler got healthy, and what Trestman's input was into the big Cutler extension. I thought Emery went out of his way to distance himself from MT's decision to bench Cutler this year. When McCown or Clausen was over center, I thought the Bear offense looked about the way I hoped it would when Trestman was hired. During a replay of a medium-distance completion to the right sideline, my son pointed out to me that Clausen threw the ball before the receiver broke. Clausen was able to do that because . . . THAT WAS THE PLAY! The offense follows a script. Cutler takes us back to the schoolyard: he looks for one of those stud receivers standing in front of a defender, and flings it. Of course Cutler gives it away with his eyes--he's throwing to a guy who's standing there, not a spot on the field at a precise moment. I realize this isn't a new analysis of Cutler, but if it's right, and if Trestman was overruled by Emery on his choice of QB, then he doesn't deserve the grief he's getting.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Yup, that's Cutler in a nutshell, but Trestman's problem wasn't only QB-related by any stretch. I don't remember the point totals for Clausen, or the yard totals, but it's not like they scored the 30 points or so that team needs to win, given the fact the defense can't stop the other team from getting into the red zone on every possession. The team just played really, really badly under Trestman. Tons of penalties, misassignments, bad routes, about the only thing that was consistently good under Trestman from a coaching standpoint was that the offensive line started getting good. But there are dozens of guys who can teach technique to big guys. When you add in the way he lost control of the team, where even the kicker is criticizing him, they didn't have a choice about letting him go. Then he keeps Kromer around and benches Cutler. The one guy throws team members under the bus to the media, and the other just plays crappy. Inconsistent and demoralizing for the team. Like I said, I'm sure Trestman will land on his feet somewhere and be a good OC. He designs plays well. His actual play calling was often a joke though and he can't manage the clock. He's just not head coaching material, at least not now.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Just briefly, re Clausen: They only scored fourteen but there was the drive that stalled at the 1 or 2, and quite a few dropped passes that Joe Buck kept pointing out. Then there was that inept 46-yard pass interference late in the game by Tim Jennings. Brad Biggs: "If Jennings doesn’t get badly out of position and then out of control, the Lions are punting and the Bears have the ball midway through the fourth quarter with the lead." I got some stuff off my chest but I somewhat regret disparaging the Bear tradition in these comments recently. Things were fine through the '40s, obviously, but then there was what I will call the George Allen era, which included a championship and also the drafting of three hall-of-famers, which might have culminated in something really big if Halas had kicked himself upstairs and Allen had stayed on. Then the Finks era began with the drafting of Payton and peaked in 1985, when the Bears had a group of players that really struck fear in their opponents. (I was reminded recently that New England quarterback Tony Eason didn't complete a single pass in the Super Bowl.) So there's a fair amount to be proud of. I don't think they've been an elite team since then, not even in 2006 (Rex Grossman?), but teams do have their ups and downs, and sometimes the downs last for a decade or longer. There were quite a few years there, before Favre, when people kept saying, and hoping, "The Pack is back!"--but they never were. So I'll chill about the Bears while waiting for the Cubs to start playing in two months.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Cutler is of course, much more talented than Clausen. However, it was nice to see the Bears QB putting the ball in the receivers hands, maknig the throws that were given...making good timing throws- for a change. Clausen is of course not the answer...but they did throw a QB into the deep end, after not making a start in 3 seasons, against a very strong Lions defense. Alshon Jeffery alone should've had 3-4 more catches for 35-50 more yards. Ugh

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Ricketts were lucky, everyone knew Theo and knew was a safe, great hire. No one like that out there in the NFL now, so a team with the rich history and acumen of a charter franchise would know who are the "theo's" waiting to be plucked and hired, right? I'm sure the search firm hired by the McCaskeys will have someone in mind.

Ted Thompson II? In 2005 the pack hired Ted Thompson to be a GM, where since 2006, the team has ONE losing season (6-10), 5 NFC North crowns out of 8 years, weathered the trading of Brett Favre to the Jets when he changed his mind the third time, Playoffs 6 times, and one Super Bowl victory. Like the moran Cardinals in the MLB, it has been a combination of incredible luck, and just goddamn smarts. I mean Randall Cobb drafted 64th in the draft? We get a guy who trades two 1st round draft picks for a middle-of-the-NFL QB. Look at the Broncos, and look at this Bears team. Dumb motherfuckers...

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I assume they're expecting him to resign gracefully. Quote from George M: ""People need to know that when they've played the Chicago Bears, they've been through hell," he said. That obviously didn't happen with Tucker the last two years. The 50 points a game thing actually started last year. So did the marching up and down the field by the other team. Cutler has a lot of issues but it's tough to absolutely HAVE to score on every possession in order to be over a .500 football team. Cutler is staying, methinks. But I do think they'll give the new guy some latitude and allow him to move on from Cutler if that is what he thinks should be done. George McCaskey hasn't been THAT bad. Under him they've spent a ton of money and they've not been afraid to get free agents. It's Emery who fouled everything up, not McCaskey. He hired Emery, of course, or he and Phillips did, but I don't think we have a guy here who doesn't give a shit.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Bears are 3/5ths of the way to a clean sweep, with Emery, Trestman, and Kromer gone. Tucker and Cutler still to go. I had the same depressing thought as Rob -- that Tucker was being retained as the Rooney Rule candidate. But if Trestman had to go after one successful and one dismal season then Tucker has to go after two years of historic buffoonery. If they decide or are forced to keep Cutler then they need to design the entire team around him and accept ~20 turnovers from him alone over the course of the season. Go uptempo on offense to increase the number of possessions knowing he'll single-handedly piss a bunch of those away? Craft the defense to generate turnovers leading to short fields so they can score before Cutler gives the ball back? Find the next Devin Hester to make up points on special teams? Beats me, I hope they move on from Cutler, but what they absolutely cannot do is expect him to suddenly be different after 8 years.

[ ]

In reply to by Jackstraw

The Bears are already screwing up the head coach search. They are "exploring" options for GM then will hire a head coach. By the time they hire a head coach a guy like Rex Ryan will be long gone before the Bears even get around to interviewing him. He is already scheduled to meet with Atlanta.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Rex is a very good coach it was his GM who failed year after year to draft or even get needed free agents. If you look at the coaching job he did this year they should have never won a game based on the talent they had. That is why Rex is the #1 coach for any team that needs a coach now. And if you want to get back to what the Bears should be.....a Defensive team, there is no one better on the market than him.

Bears get AFC West (Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders), NFC West (Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers and Rams) and Bucs and Redskins next year.

If I read that right, Bears had 4th hardest schedule this year.

Well this seems awfully disfunctional...

http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/bears-make-sweeping-changes-halas-hall-…

Emery’s search in January 2013 to replace Smith narrowed to three finalists: reigning 2012 coach of the year and Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who has taken the Arizona Cardinals to seasons of 10-6 and 11-5, the latter getting the Cardinals into this year’s playoffs; Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who was behind the drafting and development of quarterback Russell Wilson and the NFL’s No. 11 scoring and No. 9 yardage offenses this season; and Trestman.

At the time, the plan was to retain the highly regarded Marinelli to run the defense. And he had planned to, remaining on even after close friend Smith was fired. But back in mid-January 2013, as part of their final selection process for a head coach to replace Smith, Emery and the organization had Marinelli interview the three finalists for the head-coaching job.

Marinelli was asked to rank the three. He did. Arians was his runaway first choice; Bevell was the second; Trestman was a distant third.

Emery selected Trestman.

When he learned of the decision, Marinelli abruptly angrily resigned and left Halas Hall for Dallas and a de facto demotion to defensive line coach.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I am hoping the Bears take a page out of the Cubs playbook and bump Phillips up into a bean counter/operations role. A lot of people in these parts were afraid of Kenney until the Cubs told Theo that he was in complete charge of the rebuild - no interference from Kenney. The new guy needs that same latitude.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

He helps pick the GM in the first place. And I've read enough stuff to suggest that he has a hand in picking coaches, too, but not sure how accurate that is. But he is probably behind the current idiocy of interviewing coaches before hiring the GM. That's the kind of dysfunction that needs to stop if the team is ever going to get good again.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

The Bears also wanted Arians to perform in a fake press conference as part of the process. Arians rightfully refused. So the two idiots that ran this circus before(George and Ted) were holding hands at the presser yesterday, so you tell me how this is going to end.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Trestman was very weak/unforthcoming in press conferences. That's probably a big reason why beat writers hated him. I assume he knew a lot about offensive football but it was closely held. Never talked X's and O's. Had several verbal tics, too, like "each and every day."

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I'm a big Theo supporter ... but I have to say Sveum and Renteria were two of the worst press conference personas I have ever seen. Massive disasters ... Maddon is one of the best. Add to that the contrast between he and his two predecessors, and he's going to rule the roost. I think Theo has to have been pretty appalled at Sveum/Renteria in that regard.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

it's easy for maddon to be one of the best when he can jangle his keys in front of reporters and say a lot of nothing...maybe talk about wine or his latest lockerroom/plane stunts. it's better than having the media hound your players, though. the media deserves nothing (not really, but whatever), and it takes skill to deliver them nothing while making them feel like they got something to fill word counts.

Ravens director of pro personnel Vince Newsome, Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross and Titans vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson were recommended to Accorsi by Wooten, who chairs the foundation that promotes diversity and equality of job opportunity in the coaching, front office and scouting staffs NFL teams.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-gm-candid…

I'm gonna say don't go with the Titans guy.

wonder what the asking price for Zobrist will be? One year left on his deal so certain to be traded. He'll be 34 next year, but owed just $7.5M. Plays anywhere, plays it well, always a good OBP, any power is pretty much gone though.

Welington, B. McKinney, maybe a relief arm...Valbuena and some of the excess SP is of course on the table.

imagine there will be quite a bit of competition for his services, could jump into leadoff/LF spot possibly or move pretty much wherever else may be needed.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

if a team doesn't need a SS or 2nd, his price vs value to the team would be severely lessened. good player, but so much of his value relies on him playing SS and 2nd regularly. he's got value outside of 2nd/SS, but his trade pricetag will reflect him being able to be plugged in at 2nd/SS.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

he's probably going to see a lot of middle IF work and it's part of the value he's carrying if one wants to trade for him. he's played more OF than SS, but his "home" has been at 2nd for quite a while. it would be a nice 1-year addition, but i don't like the price it might carry. hurrah for the cubs if they can make it work, though. the yanks will probably try hard, but they've not got a lot going on with quality kids. it'll be interesting to see where the market lines up for establishing value.

What is this sport of which you speak? SS? OF? OBP? This is a Bears blog! I kid. These weeks must be the absolute nadir for baseball news.

The Bears have now made the playoffs 4 times in the last 20 years. I don't know much about the guys they are looking at for new GM. There doesn't seem to be a football Theo out there, at least one that is making himself available to the Bears. But that's what they need. Somebody who will build the team in such a way that it is in the playoffs repeatedly, like I hope Theo is about to accomplish. Not that Theo will accomplish this. Tons of other teams also have good minor league systems and everyone seems to be getting Cubans these days. So the jury is out, but I'm hopeful and building the foundation is the right approach. Right now, the Bears have only a few young foundation players. Long, maybe Fuller, maybe, and, even though he dropped a few thousand passes with Clausen, Alshon Jeffery. So the Bears to Cubs comp is pretty good. Both franchises knee deep in badness. Can this Acorsi guy steer the McCaskeys into making a good choice? I sure hope so. But confidence is low. Ballard/Toub is a bit of a dice roll, but I am kind of hoping for that combo, mostly to see what Toub can do, since there aren't any head coaches out there that get me pumped up. The Shanahan/Cutler connection is overrated. I don't see a lot of playoffs in the Denver timeline with those two.

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.