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

Cubs Sign Five More Players to 2017 Minor League Contracts

1/6 UPDATE #2: Baseball America is reporting that the Cubs have signed 32-year old switch-hitting catcher Carlos Corporan to a 2017 minor league contract. He will almost certainly get an NRI to Spring Training.

Corporan has considerable MLB experience (232 games and 780 PA over the course of six seasons with MIL, HOU, and TEX), and he will battle Ali Solis (signed by the Cubs to a 2017 minor league contract last month) for the veteran catcher slot at AAA Iowa and for the Chicago Cubs unofficial #3 catcher gig (would be called up to Chicago if anything happens to Willson Contreras or Miguel Montero). Corporan has hit 218/280/342 over the course of his MLB career (4+019 MLB Service Time).

A native of Puerto Rico, Corporan was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Lake City CC in the 12th round of the 2003 draft. He is a solid defensive catcher, but he struggled mightily at the plate in 2016 (hitting just 197/246/323 in 57 AAA games), first at Durham (TB) and then at New Orleans (MIA), getting released both times. However, Corporan is currently hitting a robust 321/379/425 for Carolina in Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (the Puerto Rican winter league), and is 3rd in the PWL in hitting, 5th in OBP, and 6th in doubles.

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1/6 UPDATE #1
: Baseball America is reporting that the Cubs have signed 3B-1B Chris Dominguez to a 2017 minor league contract. I would think that he will probably get an NRI to Spring Training, and then will provide depth at AAA Iowa.

Now 30 years old, Dominguez was selected by the San Francisco in the 3rd round of the 2009 draft out of the U. of Louisville. He hit 21 HR and drove in 101 runs in his first full season (Lo-A Augusta) in 2010 and was ranked one of the Giants Top 10 prospects by Baseball America and was rated as having the organization's top infield arm going into the 2011 season, but he never reached his potential, spending the past five seasons in AAA with San Franicisco (2012-14), Cincinnati (2015), and Boston (2016).

Dominguez hit 241/275/439 at Pawtucket in 2016 with 13 HR in 77 games (298 PA), missing considerable time with an oblique strain. He has hit just .175 with two HR in two "cups of coffee" in the big leagues (eight games with the Giants in 2014, and 14 games with the Reds in 2015).   


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ORIGINAL POST (12/24): Baseball America is reporting that the Cubs have signed five more free-agents to 2017 minor league contracts.

All five will likely receive an NRI to Spring Training with the big club.

One of the players is a former Cubs minor leaguer, and the other four have varying degrees of big league experience with other MLB clubs.   

1. Daniel Moskos, LHRP
2. Fernando Rodriguez, RHRP
3. Ali Solis, C
4. Elliot Soto, INF
5. Jemile Weeks, IF-OF

Passing on Matt Wieters, Madison Bumgarner, and Jason Heyward, the Pittsburgh Pirates made Clemson LHSP Daniel Moskos their 1st round draft pick (4th overall pick) in the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Rule 4 Draft). Now 30, the well-traveled Moskos had an above-average fastball and a plus-slider as a college pitcher, and in fact his slider was rated by Baseball America as best in the Pirates system two years running after signing. However, Moskos never developed into the elite starting pitcher the Bucs hoped he would be, and after making his big league debut with the Pirates in 2011 (his only MLB Service Time), he was claimed off waivers by the White Sox in 2012 and was outrighted to the minors after that season, then was released in 2013, before pitching in Taiwan and in Mexico. He spent the last couple of seasons as a AAA lefty reliever with the Dodgers and (most-recently) the Padres, and was declared an MLB Rule 55 minor league 6YFA after the 2016 season. He was suspended by the MLB Commissioner for 50 games in June 2015 after testing positive for a "Drug of Abuse." He will likely serve as a lefty bullpen arm at Iowa in 2017.

A dependable MLB middle-reliever, 32-year old Fernando Rodriguez has (by far) the most big league experience of the quintet (5+032 MLB Service Time through the 2016 season), appearing in 216 MLB games over the course of six seasons with the Angels, the Astros, and the A's. He had his best years with Houston in 2011 and with Oakland in 2015, and he went 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 17/37 BB/K and a .210 OppBA in 40.2 IP (34 games) with the A's in 2016, before missing the last half of the season with a torn lat that required surgery. (He is expected to begin throwing in January). He elected to be an Article XIX-A free-agent after being outrighted to AAA by Oakland in October. Rodriguez was drafted by the Angels in the 18th round of the 2003 MLB Rule 4 Draft out of El Paso CC, and made his big league debut (one game) in 2009 after spending seven seasons in the minors. He was signed as a minor league free-agent by the Astros after the 2010 season, and was part of the five-player trade that sent SS Jed Lowrie to Oakland and 1B Chris Carter to Houston in February 2013. While there might not be room for him in the Cubs bullpen coming out of Spring Trainiing, he could log some big league time in Chicago later in the season if and when he proves his lat is 100%.   

A Chicago-area native (he attended Dundee-Crown HS), 27-year old Elliot Soto was selected by the Cubs in the 15th round of the 2010 draft out of Creighton University, and spent six seasons playing shortstop in the Cubs system before being traded along with RHSP Ivan Pineyro to Miami for RHSP Dan Haren at the trade deadline in July 2015. He spent the 2016 season at AAA New Orleans, and was declared a minor league 6YFA after the 2016 season. Known more for his plus-defense at SS than his bat, Soto has hit just 249/329/299 in 593 minor league games (2,202 PA). So while he isn't a particularly good hitter, has no HR power, and has (at best) average speed for a middle infielder, he can really pick-it at shortstop. In fact he is probably one of the top defensive shortstops in the minors, and he will very likely be the starting SS at Iowa in 2017 (which should make I-Cubs pitchers happy). Soto was suspended for 50 games in 2014 after testing positive for a "Drug of Abuse."

Signed as a 17-year old out of Mexicali, Mexico by the Padres in 2005, Ali Solis played (very briefly) for Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay in 2014, and he also saw service in the big leagues with San Diego in 2012 (he went a combined 0-10 with a sacrifice bunt in 13 MLB games between SD and TB). While Solis is a first-rate defensive catcher, he has hit just 219/266/326 in 561 minor league games (1,996 PA) in 11 seasons. He most-recently served as a back-up catcher in AAA with the Dodgers (2015) and with the Red Sox (2016), becoming a minor league 6YFA after the 2016 season. He will likely replace Tim Federowicz as the veteran catcher at AAA Iowa in 2017 (backing up Victor Caratini), and because of his experience and defensive expertise, Solis (not Caratini)  would probably get first-call to Chicago if anything happens to Willson Contreras or Miguel Montero. Although he was signed by the previous regime, Solis was in the Padres organization when Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod were running things in San Diego 2009-11, so it's not like he is a stranger to the Cubs braintrust. Solis is presently playing winter ball for Culiacan in Liga Mexicano del Pacifico (LMP), as he does every year.

Soon to be 30, switch-hitting speedy Jemile Weeks is the younger brother of long-time Milwaukee Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks Jr. Jemile was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 2008 MLB Rule 4 Draft out of the U. of Miami, and was rated by Baseball America as one of the A's Top 10  prospects his first three seasons in pro ball. He made his MLB debut in 2011 with the A's, hitting an impressive 303/340/421 with 26 doubles and 22 stolen bases in 97 games. However, he was unable to sustain his success in 2012, hitting just .221 and getting demoted back to AAA. He has spent most of the last five seasons in AAA with occasional call-ups to the big leagues with OAK, BAL, BOS, and (most-recently) SD, morphing into an athletic super-sub AAA utility guy (2B-3B-SS-CF-LF), and that will likely be his role at Iowa in 2017. Weeks spent most of the 2016 season on the Padres MLB 60-day DL with a hamstring injury, and he elected to be an Article XX-D minor league free-agent after being sent outright to AAA El Paso in October. 

Comments

Just watched the replay of WS Game 5 on CSN. Wow. Chapman with 2.2 innings of one hit shutout baseball, protecting a one-run lead with the Cubs facing elimination. Everyone will remember Game 7, but, without Chapman, they may not have made it past Game 5.

j.hammel not only still isn't signed, he's barely making anyone's rumor list. also, he has a new agent as of last week. yeah, he's only a 5-6 inning guy, but he does a good job with those 5-6 innings. give him a decent IF defense playing behind him and you got a nice mid-rotation guy. *shrug*

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In reply to by crunch

via fanragsports...tucked away toward the bottom of the article... --- However, many teams are unwilling to commit to Hammel beyond one year after the Cubs left him off the postseason roster because of elbow tightness. Scouts also believe the quality of the 34-year-old’s stuff is declining. Hammel changed agencies earlier this month in hopes of drumming up more suitors, switching to ACES from Octagon. “He’s going to have to lower his sights,” a scout from an American League team said. “There are just too many questions marks surrounding him. I’m not saying he couldn’t help someone, it’s just that he’s not a sure thing and it’s tough to commit a lot of money to that kind of player.” http://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/rumors-rumblings-padres-excited-about-y…

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In reply to by Charlie

he has a legit shot at having more errors at 2nd than walks at the plate. hope that contact continues to fall in where a defender isn't. with solid D and the power, plus what the lineup already has, you can just stash him down in the lineup and hope he can move others up the line.

Why do I punish myself by watching Aaron Rodgers' most recent three-hour dissection of Detroit? The Packers have put a hall-of-fame quarterback on the field every season since 1992. When Rodgers is done, it will be almost thirty years. Sid Luckman's last year as a Bear starter was 1948, appropriately the year I was born--very late in the year. Maybe I'm the curse.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

And, they are getting progressively better. Favre could be beaten because he would occasionally make a mistake and throw an INT. Rodgers is just ridiculously good, accurate, elusive and always finds the right receiver. They basically just won 6 straight without a running back.

Thank you USC. I don't have to watch or hear about the child rapist supporters until next September.

"Sports Hochi reports that the Cubs are close to re-signing Munenori Kawasaki to a minor league contract." neat. kinda.

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In reply to by crunch

Munenori Kawasaki is now out of minor league options (he had a 4th minor league option available in 2016, and it was spent), so if the Cubs sign Kawasaki to a minor league contract and he is added to the MLB 40-man roster at some point in 2017, they won't be able to send him back to Iowa (like they did last season) without exposing him to waivers. 

Also, Kawasaki is an Article XX-B player, so if he is signed to a 2017 minor leaue contract, he gets a $100K retention bonus if he isn't added to the MLB 40-man roster by Opening Day and an automatic June 1st opt-out if he isn't added to the MLB 40-man by 6/1. Last year the Cubs got around that by releasing Kawasaki and two other Article XX-B players signed to minor league contracts (LHRP Manny Parra and OF Shane Victorino) five days prior to Opening Day and then re-signing each of them to another (different) 2016 minor league contract without the Article XX-B rights (an Article XX-B player only gets the $100K retention bonus and automatic 6/1 opt-out if he signs a minor league contract at least ten days prior to MLB Opening Day, so by releasing Kawasaki, Parra, and Victorino and then re-signing them to a new 2016 minor league contract five days prior to Opening Day, the Article XX-B rights did not apply).  

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Another thing to keep in mind this month is that because Dallas Beeler was outrighted to the minors without having been tendered a 2017 Major League contract, he must be tendered a 2017 minor league contract by January 13th (normally it's January 15th, but because 1/15 falls on a Sunday, the deadline is moved up to the last business day prior to 1/15), and his 2017 minor league salary must be at least 80% of what he was paid in 2016.

Beeler spent the entire 2016 season on the Cubs MLB 60-day DL (shoulder), so he was paid at the MLB rate (in his case, $508,500), accrued a full season of MLB Service Time, and did not use up his last minor league option (he still has one left if & when he is added back to an MLB 40-man roster), and thus his 2017 minor league salary must be at least $406,800, and that might be too much for a rehabber.  

So the Cubs might choose to non-tender Beeler on 1/13 and then try and re-sign him to a "second contract" for a more-appropriate 2017 minor league salary (probably somewhere in the $100K range). 

The Cubs have no other minor league players in this class. Zac Rosscup would have been if he had been outrighted instead of non-tendered, but Rosscup (unlike Beeler) is an MLB Rule 55 player, so he would have been declared a free-agent at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series if he had been outrighted to the minors prior to that deadline, and then he could not be outrighted after that until he was tendered (and signed) a 2017 Major League Contract.

So the Cubs non-tendered Rosscup on 12/2 and then subsequently re-signed him to a 2017 minor league contract (the correct move in his case), so he could not be a minor league 6YFA - AND - the Cubs did not have to pay him a $400K+ 2017 minor league salary when he was signed to a "second contract" after being non-tendered. 

The Cubs could have just waited until 12/2 to non-tender Beeler, too (like they did with Rosscup, Mullee, Concepcion, and Villanueva) and not be on the hook for a 2017 $400K+ minor league salary, but apparently the Cubs believed they would need Beeler's slot on the 40-man roster prior to December, and because he is an injured player, the Cubs needed to outright him by 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the 2016 World Series. But unlike Rosscup, Beeler was not eligible to be a minor league 6YFA post-2016 once he was outrighted. There is just the 2017 salary issue with Beeler, and that could cause the Cubs to non-tender hm on 1/13 and then try and re-sign to a minor league "second contract" for a lot less momey, but then of course nothing compels Beeler to accept the offer.  

"T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers are "being aggressive in trying to get a deal done" for Tyson Ross."

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In reply to by jacos

"According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Rangers and Cubs are the favorites for free agent starter Tyson Ross. Ross met with members of the Rangers front office on Wednesday after spending time on the north side of Chicago earlier this offseason. It sounds like he could be close to nearing a final decision."

Baseball America just released their 2017 Cubs Top 10 prospect rankings: link Here are the BA Cubs Top 10 prospects from the past 30 years: link

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In reply to by Arizona Phil

Wow. Some memorable names from those old lists: Mike Harkey Earl Cunningham Ty Griffin Lance Dickson Derrick May Gary Scott Hee Seop Choi Felix Pie Brooks Kieschnick (#1 prospect 3 years in a row) ..and so on. I remember having such high hopes for all of them.

Derrick May looked like a beast. Choi got us DLee. Good trade for Hendry. Pie and Corey Patterson could actually hit a little bit. But, they were told to be lead off hitters at the MLB level. Pie did get one year at AAA to try and do it before his call up. They were successful in MiLB as 3hole hitters. They should have been middle of the order or lower guys. Patterson especially. He had legit 20 HR pop. Others: Kevin Orie Roosevelt Brown Brant Brown Bobby Hill, got us Aramis Jose Cueto Juan Cruz Angel Guzman Then all of those top draft picks from 2001 to 2011 that didn't pan out. We traded Josh Donaldson for Rich Harden. Okay at the time I guess. Long history of rough development. Thanks TheoJed.

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In reply to by Childersb3

I remember they tried to get CPat to hit ground balls between short and 3rd to use his speed. Didn't work. However, he had no concept of the strike zone. Personal bias: I went to a game where the pitcher walked the bases loaded, walking the last 2 men on 4 pitches each. CPat swung at 3 straight slides int he dirt. Just brutal. Career OBP .290.

Baseball America is reporting that the Cubs have signed 3B-1B Chris Dominguez to a 2017 minor league contract. I would think that he will probably get an NRI to Spring Training, and then will provide depth at AAA Iowa.

Dominguez was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 3rd round of the 2009 draft out of the U. of Louisville. He hit 21 HR and drove in 101 runs in his first full season (Lo-A Augusta) in 2010 and was ranked one of the Giants Top 10 prospects by Baseball America and was rated as having the organization's top infield arm going into the 2011 season, but he never reached his potential, spending the past five seasons in AAA with San Franicisco (2012-14), Cincinnati (2015), and Boston (2016).

Dominguez hit 241/275/439 at Pawtucket in 2016 with 13 HR in 77 games (298 PA), missing considerable time with an oblique strain. He has hit just .175 with two HR in two "cups of coffee" in the big leagues (eight games with the Giants in 2014, and 14 games with the Reds in 2015).  

Baseball America is reporting that the Cubs have signed 32-year old switch-hitting catcher Carlos Corporan to a 2017 minor league contract. He will almost certainly get an NRI to Spring Training.

Corporan has considerable MLB experience (232 games and 780 PA over the course of six seasons with MIL, HOU, and TEX), and he will battle Ali Solis (signed by the Cubs to a 2017 minor league contract last month) for the veteran catcher slot at AAA Iowa and for the Chicago Cubs unofficial #3 catcher gig (would be called up to Chicago if anything happens to Willson Contreras or Miguel Montero). Corporan has hit 218/280/342 over the course of his MLB career (4+019 MLB Service Time).

A native of Puerto Rico, Corporan was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Lake City CC in the 12th round of the 2003 draft. He is a solid defensive catcher, but he struggled mightily at the plate in 2016 (hitting just 197/246/323 in 57 AAA games), first at Durham (TB) and then at New Orleans (MIA), getting released both times. However, Corporan is currently hitting a robust 321/379/425 for Carolina in Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (the Puerto Rican winter league), and is 3rd in the PWL in hitting, 5th in OBP, and 6th in doubles. 

Looking crowded in the upper minors, especially with pitchers. Wondering: Outside of roster limits, how many players are typically held back at Extended Spring Training when the season starts up? Should we expect many of them to be released, or stashed away in Arizona?

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In reply to by Wrigley Rat

W-RAT: Typically about a dozen players are released from Minor League Camp, most of them during the final week. Everybody else who doesn't make the Opening Day roster of one of the four full-season minor league affiliates stays behind at Extended Spring Training in Mesa. Usually there are about 60-70 pitchers and position players (think of them as the combined AZL Cubs and Eugene rosters) assigned to Extended Spring Training, plus another 15 or 20 rehab guys (mostly pitchers).

There are no roster limits at Extended Spring Training, beyond the reserve list limits for the Cubs eight minor league affiliates (combined that's a maximum of 285 players on minor league reserve lists, not counting players on a 60-day DL, and not counting players who were "Signed for Future Service" in 2016).

There are three types of players assigned to EXST:

1. REHAB GROUP: Pitchers and position players (mostly pitchers) rehabbing from injuries. These guys get first priority in EXST Cactus League games, and are in a separate group on a different schedule from the rest of the EXST squad. In addition to rehabbers, this group would also include players serving prohibited substance suspensions, position players who are being converted to pitcher, and pitchers or position players who sign late and/or report late and are getting themselves into playing shape. The "Rehab Group" is old school traditional "Extended Spring Training."
NOTE: When Extended Spring Training was first created back in the 1960's, it was designed specifically for pitchers and position players rehabbing from injuries who were not ready by the end of Spring Training (hence the term Extended Spring Training). Because there were only maybe 15 or 20 players at EXST back in the day (there was no DSL or AZL back then, so if a player did not make a full-season affiliate out of Spring Training and was not injured, he would just get released), the concept of the "simulated game" (or "sim game") was introduced, which is a hybrid between "live" BP and an actual game. From the pitchers POV it's essentially a real game, but the pitch count can be more-strictly enforced and game scenarios can be set-up for the pitcher.

2. REPLACEMENT CADRE: Older and more-experienced pitchers & position players who failed to make a full-season roster in Minor League Camp but who are not released are kept at EXST to serve as a replacement cadre for pitchers or position players on the rosters of the four full-season affiliates who get hurt during the first half of the season. By maintaining a replaceme cadre at Extended Spring Training, the club doesn't have to keep signing free-agents to replace injured guys or move guys around from one affiliate to another every time somebody goes on the DL at South Bend, Myrtle Beach, Tennessee,or Iowa. (There is an influx of players into the system after the June draft, so players get moved-up from one affiliate to the next more frequently starting in mid-June). In recent years, clubs have started keeping an extra position player (typically a catcher) and an extra pitcher or two on the so-called "phantom DL" of each full-season affiliate (it's only a seven day DL in the minors, so it can be used more-liberally) to be activated whenever a player goes on the DL, which has cut-back a bit on player movement from EXST to full-season affiliates.

3. EXST CUBS: Pitchers and position players who are competing for jobs with the two short-season affiliates (Eugene and AZL Cubs). Some of the pitchers and position players are virtual locks to go to Eugene, others are virtual locks to stay in Mesa for the summer with the AZL Cubs, some will be sent back to the DSL Cubs, and some will get released, but everybody in this group wants to get to Eugene. Included in this group are usually about eight or ten guys who played in the DSL the previous season and are making their U. S. debut at EXST, spending April and May at EXST and either making the AZL Cubs roster (occasionally one will jump over the AZL and go directly from DSL Cubs to to Eugene, as happened with INF Yeiler Peguero last year), or getting sent back to one of the DSL squads at the end of May (these are the guys that clearly aren't ready for AZL).

The thing to keep in mind about EXST Cactus League games is that while they are not "official" games, they are real, actual games. They are not company softball games or scrimmages, and it is insulting to the players to dismiss these games as bogus or irrelevant. There are rules variances peculiar to Cactus League Extended Spring Training games (multiple DH are permitted, batters can hit out of order, rehab guys can hit once an inning, and an inning can be stopped by the pitching coach before there are three outs), but then the DH is a fairly significant rules variance between the A. L. and the N. L., too. For the players, EXST Cactus League games are no different (and in some cases more important) than AZL games, because for most of the players at Extended Spring Training, they are competing for jobs at Eugene or AZL Cubs or even for the survival of their pro career, and how they perform in the games matters and can positively or negatively impact their future.

BTW, 2017 will be my 40th Cubs Spring Training. I go back to when the Cubs had Spring Training in Scottsdale and played their games at Scottsdale Stadium, and when Minor League Camp and Extended Spring Training were at El Dorado Park on Miller Road.

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In reply to by Eric S

ERIC S: I can't begin to express how cool it is that the Cubs won the World Series. It's almost unbelievable. I never thought I would see the day. I keep thinking about everybody I've known in my lifetime who would have been equally thrilled, but never got to experience it.

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).

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    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.