Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

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

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: if a pitcher is recalled to be the 27th man for a doubleheader and then is optioned back to the minors the next day, the 15-day "clock" does NOT reset. The one day call-up for the doubleheader is treated like it never happened with respect to a pitcher having to spend at least 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Probably the only reason David Peralta is still in the organization (he is at AAA Iowa) is to be available in case anything bad were to happen to Ian Happ (which it just did). So if Happ needs to go on the IL, the Cubs can select Peralta to play LF, DFA Wisdom (and hope he and what remains of his $2.725M salary gets claimed off waivers), and recall Mervis to platoon at DH with Cooper (with Canario / Tauchman sharing RF), at least until Suzuki and Happ are back...

     

  • crunch (view)

    i'd just like to take a moment to express to the world i'm still pissed willson contreras is not a cub when the pricetag was 5/87m (17.5m/yr).

    it would be nice to have a legacy-type player to stick around, especially one with his leadership and the respect he gets from his peers.  cubs fans deserved more than 1 season of contreras + morel...that was gold.

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

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