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

Bond Bullet Snatches Tie from Jaws of Victory at Riverview

Alexander Guerra drilled a two-run HR and a single and Jonathan Sierra doubled, walked twice, and scored a run for the Cubs, and Francisco Medina belted a solo HR for the Giants black squad, as the two teams played to a 3-3 tie in Cactus League Extended Spring Training game action Monday morning on Field #5 on John Arguello Way at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.   

With two outs and the scored tied in the bottom of the 9th inning, Jonathan Sierra sliced an opposite-field double into the LF corner, but then was thrown out at the plate by Giants LF Aaron Bond a batter later to end the game while attempting score on an Alexander Guerra ground single to left.   

Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):
CUBS LINEUP:
1. Fernando Kelli, CF: 1-4 (1B, K, 5-3, 6-4 FC, R)
2. Reivaj Garcia, 2B: 2-4 (1B, 1-3, 1B, 4-3, PO)
3a. Luis Vazquez, SS: 0-2 (4-3, E-3, CS)
3b. Herson Perez, 3B: 0-2 (K, K)
4. Jonathan Sierra, RF: 1-2 (BB, BB, 4-3, 2B, R)
5. Alexander Guerra, C: 2-4 (HR, F-8, 5-3, 1B, R, 2 RBI)
6. Yovanny Cuevas, LF: 0-3 (K, P-2, F-7)
7. Eric Gonzalez, DH #1: 1-3 (K, L-8, 1B)
8. Carlos Pacheco, DH #2: 0-3 (K, K, K)
9. Fabian Pertuz, 3B-SS: 0-3 (K, K, F-7)
10. Fidel Mejia, 1B: 0-2 (F-7, 3-U, BB) 

CUBS PITCHERS
1. Eury Ramos: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 1/2 GO/AO, 31 pitches (15 strikes)
2. Yovanny Cruz: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 GIDP, 2/2 GO/AO, 27 pitches (15 strikes) 
3. Nathan Sweeney: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 2/3 GO/AO, 28 pitches (13 strikes) 
4. Eugenio Palma: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 0/3 GO/AO, 30 pitches (17 strikes)
5. Yan de la Cruz: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GO/AO, 14 pitches (9 strikes) 

CUBS ERRORS: 1
3B Herson Perez: E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 

CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE
Alexander Guerra: 0-4 CS. 1 PB 

CUBS BASERUNNING
Jonathan Sierra - thrown out 7-2 attempting to score fom 2nd base on ground single to LF 

ATTENDANCE: 20 

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 90's 

Arizona 
Scoring 
Service 

"Just because it isn't official doesn't mean it didn't happen" 
 

Comments

BRADSBEARD: As far I know they are no relation. They don't look alike (Yan is 5'11 and Oscar is 6'4) and don't pitch alike (Oscar is a power-pitcher while Yan features an 84-86 MPH cutter and a slow curve), and while both are Dominican, they are from different cities in the DR.

BTW, Yan de la Cruz is 24 and will be 25 in August (so he's nearly two years older than Oscar) and has been in short-season ball for five years (originally signed by Houston in 2014, then was released in 2016 and signed by the Cubs as a minor league second-contract  FA). He has used up his max four years in the DSL so it's AZL or bust for Yan in 2018. 

The party line is that the SB Cubs, with a stacked young pitching staff and some potentially interesting bats, can make noise in 2018 and it will bode well for the parent club down the road. The problem I have with half of this theory is that all of these interesting bats are part of an infield which has made a brutal 20 errors in just 14 games. One of this group has a serious reputation of "good bat, needs to find a position" which doesn't seem to have followed him to Chicago, yet.  All of these players are South American, or second/third-day draftees. We're all rooting for diamond in the rough stories here but there is no DH on the North Side. So are these hidden gems, scouting mistakes or some of both?

[ ]

In reply to by JustSayin'

Kind of different issues. Making noise in 2018, as far as competing for the post-season, is based heavily on health, and similar things. Also, Brendon Little will likely be wild, somewhat often. The offense is based around a few players through the Cubs Dominican pipeline. An 18-year old infielder will often bobble more chances than a 23 year old from a 4-year college. If the pipeline pitching over the next 5-6 weeks meets or exceeds, the Cubs can likely draft hitter-heavy, which should help long-term than another year of almost exclusive pitching.

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.