Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
* Matt Mervis
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 9 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Ian Happ leadoff hitter?

Submitted by moshethecubsfan on

The Cubs need a leadoff hitter, this is undisputed. I submit Ian Happ may be the best candidate. In 2017 Cub leadoff hitters slashed .246/.324/.422, the middle number being most concerning. The Cubs desperately need a leadoff hitter who will get on base at a greater than .350 clip. I think Happ can easily surpass that mark. While most Cubs fans’ first impression of Ian Happ was his power, his 2017 homerun numbers were actual an aberration. Happ’s greatest attribute, and the reason the Cubs drafted him, is his knack for getting on base.

Happ slashed .253/.328/.514 last year, with a 9.4% walk rate. Hardly leadoff hitter numbers. Yet Happ posted an OBP above .440 in each of his three college seasons. He also posted a .408 OBP in his 2015 low A ball debut, a .410 mark in 2016 at high A, and a respectable .362 at AAA in 2017. He did flounder each season after promotion, dropping to .315 in A ball in 2015, .318 in AA in 2016, and .328 in the majors in 2017. Yet each offseason he regrouped, learned, and improved; and then dominated in higher competition the next year. I expect the same pattern to continue.

If Happ raises his walk rate to 11%, which is more consistent with his minor league production, and raises his batting average by only 10 points, his should post an OBP in the .350-.360 range. This would make him a solid leadoff hitter. Happ is a switch hitter with positional flexibility (CF, LF, 2B). This would allow him to stay in the line-up regardless of pitching matchups and defensive alignments. I suspect Joe Maddon will give Happ the first chance to prove he can be the Cubs’s 2018 leadoff hitter.

What do you think?

Tags
Ian Happ

Comments

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 02/27/2018 - 02:44 pm

Amen! People forget Happ only had 116 PAs at AAA before seeing major league pitching. I expect a significant improvement in both his K and BB rates this year.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 02/27/2018 - 02:56 pm

well, he hit another leadoff homer today. so he's got that going for him. ...and a double. hell of a spring so far, but he's no mike freeman.

Submitted by Cubster on Wed, 02/28/2018 - 02:32 am

Roy Orbison says Albert Almora is singing for the lonely. “Hey, It’s me, and I want to lead off only...”

Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 02/28/2018 - 02:09 pm

I was looking over the numbers for Happ, Almora, and a couple others pondering this same question. I agree with what you suggest here, moshe--a slight boost to BB% and slight drop in K% (down to Baez territory even) might be enough to make Happ the best leadoff candidate, provided he doesn't do worse on balls in play. I'm less optimistic that Almora could boost his walk rate or keep his BABIP high enough to maintain an OBP over .340 or so. But there's not really a compelling candidate beyond those two, unless you are a Zobrist or Heyward believer.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 02/28/2018 - 02:26 pm

there seems to be no obvious clear leadoff type...no legit/traditional type of either the "speed leads" or "ob% monster leads" types anyway.

 

i hope they go with the bryant 2nd, rizzo 3rd thing again, though.  it may only amount to 20-ish more PA's a year moving up a slot, but giving those 2 guys 40-ish more PA a year combined isn't something i'd complain about.

[ ]

Submitted by tim815 on Wed, 02/28/2018 - 02:54 pm

Obviously, not Phil.

That said, I' not sure either is in camp to get a game or three of pre-season games in. While they might get an inning here or there, they might be in camp more for time with the coaches more than for actual game time.

 

The extra time with the coaches is more important than game time for both, possibly.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 03/01/2018 - 03:50 am

darvish scratched because of "illness"...a.mills getting the start today strop sore left calf b.morrow is supposedly fine, but the cubs aren't in a hurry to get him early work

Submitted by Sonicwind75 on Thu, 03/01/2018 - 03:21 pm

Just scanning box score.  Duensing bouncing back with a clean inning and 2Ks, any word on how his stuff looked?

Submitted by John Beasley on Thu, 03/01/2018 - 03:30 pm

It sounds like Travis Wood hurt his knee badly during a spring game today with the Tigers.

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Things I've been wrong about:

    -Tauchman is fine as a 4th OF. I knew that. I just want a better LH DH option and he was really the DH for us until Seiya got hurt. I'm glad Mervis is getting a chance at it. Caissie is coming for that job for sure. But Tauchman continues to be highly useful as a 4th OF with Seiya being hurt

    -I wanted Yency to go to get guys at Iowa a chance. Guys like Palencia and Sanders or RileyT. Maybe even Hodge! But Yency has been better the last two plus weeks. He did hit 96 the other day. He was 93 in Texas to open the season.

    -Leiter has his split working enough. It just needs to stay there

    -I was surprised Jed picked Wisdom over Cooper. I wonder if this happens if Seiya wasn't hurt. Wisdom has more power. Cooper is the better hitter. Jed picked Wisdom and Wisdom had an option left as well.

    -Palencia just doesn't miss enough bats. Similar to ManRod, just two yrs younger. ManRod is killing AAA for TB right now!

    Things I got right so far:

    -Hendricks. Sorry Kyle. You got paid though!

    Jed, you missed there.

    -Smyly. If Jed could've traded him before or during ST, then he should have and saved some cash.

    -Mastro.  Not a LH DH. Pinch runner. Defensive utility. Maybe he's better than Madrigal but didn't get a legit chance to prove it.

    -Luke Little is good. He's had one bad outing. That's it. Needs to get better entering with guys on base. But he needs to stay in MLB.

    -Oh yeah....Morel is doing fine at 3B! He'll get better as well!!

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger "right rib contusion"

  • Childersb3 (view)

    South Bend just lost the lead in the bottom of the 9th on the weirdest scenario, ever.

    It's absolutely pouring rain....men on 1st and 2nd, 1out....JPatterson asks for a new ball, but no time out was called....he throws the old ball toward the dugout (not sure if it rolled out of play).....the ump declares the runners get two bases each so one run scores. Then a single up the middle ties the game.

    The rain was coming down in buckets at this point.

    Just weird

  • crunch (view)

    ...and bellinger is gone in the 7th because of that 2nd blown chance and the wall he bounced off of...

    hopefully his rib cage/shoulder feels better tomorrow, we just got happ back.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil,

    Any thoughts on Y. Rojas' stuff and Y. Melendez's game (I believe I've asked about him before, sorry)?

  • crunch (view)

    wow, things are moving fast.  hopefully it continues.

  • crunch (view)

    morel with 4 clean plays in 4 innings...showed off his 100000000mph arm a couple times.

    cody bellinger not having a good 4th, though...5 run leads are handy when your CF is making your pitcher have a 5-out inning.  2nd blown chance was ruled a hit even though it went in/out of his glove...1st was lost in the lights, also ruled a hit.

  • crunch (view)

    welcome back happ!  double off the wall 1st PA back.

  • crunch (view)

    oh yeah, totally, i was just chiming about why i fan like i fan.

    i would like nothing more than hendricks to keep on hendricks'ing.  guys with his stuff can throw for a long, long time as long as it works.

    he velocity is actually up a minor amount this year.  it's really "damn" when a guy like him not only has gas in the tank, but it's looking like it was years ago.  he added a curve a few years ago and it helped a little bit, but he's throwing it less and less while the fb/change combo are less effective.

  • Alexander Dimm (view)

    CRUNCH—There is no one person in this community I’m talking about.  My remarks were not directed at you or anyone, but at a tone I’ve noticed lately. 

    You have a great, dry sense of humor and there is thought behind your comments.   You and I don’t always agree but I always understand your position.  

    Lastly, and I’ll be quiet, I agree with you on Hendricks.  We can dislike the recent performance but still love the guy.  Lots of questions about his future.
     

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