Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

37 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (three slots are open)

Last updated 11-17-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 20
Adbert Alzolay 
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Porter Hodge
* Bailey Horn
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Luis Vazquez
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 7
Kevin Alcantara
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

 


Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

2021 Cubs Arizona Instructional League Roster

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

The Arizona Instructional League (known informally as "Instructs") has been in continuous existence for well over 60 years.

This year, Cubs AZ Instructs will begin on September 20th and conclude on October 16th.

Typically, clubs will assign players from the immediately-preceding draft class and players with experience below Hi-A to Instructs, although occasionally a more-experienced player will be assigned to work on one particular phase of his game or to rehab from an injury. Minor league players acquired in mid-season trades are sometimes assigned to Instructs to help them become familar with the Cubs Nike Performance Center and learn to do things "The Cub Way."  

Clubs with Spring Training homes in Arizona are not required to operate a team in the AZIL, and MLB clubs that do operate an "instructs" team are not required to schedule games against teams from other organizations.

The Cubs have 19 AZIL games scheduled versus the Angels, A's, and Rockies (only) in 2021. (The Brewers, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Mariners are not fielding an AZIL team this year).  
 

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

2021 CUBS AZ INSTRUCTIONAL LEAGUE ROSTER (last updated 9-19-2021):

* bats or throws left 
# bats both 

60 PLAYERS 

PITCHERS: 28
Yovanny Cabrera
* Burl Carraway
Dakota Chalmers
Chris Clarke
Bradford Deppermann 
Luis Devers 
Angel Gonzalez-Martinez 
* Drew Gray 
Dominic Hambley 
Porter Hodge 
* Bailey Horn 
* Luke Little 
Michael McAvene 
Koen Moreno 
Eduarniel Nunez 
Nicholas Padilla 
Daniel Palencia 
Eury Ramos 
Sheldon Reed 
Benjamin Rodriguez
Erian Rodriguez 
* Luis Angel Rodriguez 
Frankie Scalzo Jr 
Tyler Schlaffer 
Dauris Valdez 
* Didier Vargas 
Alexander Vizcaino 
* Chase Watkins

CATCHERS: 7 
Pablo Aliendo 
* Moises Ballesteros
* Miguel Fabrizio 
* Ethan Hearn 
# Casey Opitz 
# Malcom Quintero 
* Ronnier Quintero 

INFIELDERS: 15 
* Bryce Ball 
Cristian Hernandez 
Ed Howard IV 
Kevin Made 
* Matt Mervis 
Rafael Morel 
# B. J. Murray 
Christian Olivo 
Miguel Pabon 
# Reggie Preciado
# Pedro Ramirez  
Yeison Santana 
Liam Spence 
James Triantos Jr 
Luis Verdugo 

OUTFIELDERS: 10 
Kevin Alcantara 
* Owen Caissie 
Alexander Canario 
* Parker Chavers 
Christian Franklin 
Frank Hernandez
Peter Matt 
* Ismael Mena 
* Ezequiel Pagan 
Felix Stevens 


INSTRUCTS COORDINATOR: 
Jeremy Farrell 

GAME MANAGER: 
Michael Ryan 

HITTING COORDINATOR: 
Dustin Kelly  

ASSISTANT HITTING COORDINATOR: 
Tom Beyers 

HITTING INSTRUCTORS: 
D'Angelo Jimenez
Don Puente 
Rachel Folden  

INFIELD COORDINATOR: 
Jonathan Mota 

INFIELD INSTRUCTOR: 
Jhonny Bethencourt 

OUTFIELD & BASERUNNING COORDINATOR: 
Doug Dascenzo 

CATCHING INSTRUCTOR:  
Will Remillard  

PITCHING DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR: 
Casey Jacobson 

ASSISTANT PITCHING DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR:  
Carlos Chantres 
Mike Mason

REHAB PITCHING COORDINATOR
Josh Zeid 

PITCHING INSTRUCTORS: 
Tony Cougoule
Armando Gabino 
Danny Hultzen
Clay Mortensen
Doug Willey  

MENTAL SKILLS: 
David DaSilva 
Javier Guerero 

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COORDINATOR: 
Cory Kennedy 

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACHES: 
Cory Chapp 
John Abbott 
Austin Smith 

ATHLETIC TRAINERS: 
Matt Hussey 
Seth Clapp 
Nick Roberts 

Tags
AZ Instructional League
Cubs Minor Leagues

Comments

Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Sun, 09/19/2021 - 09:04 pm

Dakota Chalmers... interesting. He's scheduled to be a MILB FA, correct? Would this be a good sign he has signed a successor deal?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 09/19/2021 - 09:21 pm

DJL: No. Signing a 2022 minor league successor contract would only matter with regard to a player in the Arizona Fall League, because the AFL schedule goes past the date when minor leaguers are declared free-agents. 

AZ Instructs ends on October 16th, which is about two or three weeks before minor league free-agency, so the three guys at Cubs Instructs who are eligible to be free-agehts after the World Series (Dakota Chalmers. Nicholas Padilla, and Eury Ramos) do not need to sign successor contracts in order to play in AZIL games. 

Padilla is rehabbing, but in the case of Chalmers and Ramos the Cubs may be attempting to gather more info before deciding whether to add them to the 40 on 11/19, in case one or both decline to sign a successor contract.   

Along with Luis Lugo and Bryan Hudson, Chalmers and Ramos are probably the post-2021 MLB Rule 9 minor league free-agents the Cubs most do not want to lose if it can be avoided.  

One way a club can induce a player to sign minor league successor contract is by offering the player an NRI to Spring Training and more money than he would have received if he had been on the MLB 40-man roster. The player would also know that he would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

That's actually how the Cubs ended up with Hector Rondon. He was eligible to be a minor league 6YFA post-2012, but signed a 2013 minor league successor contract with the Indians prior to being declared a FA. And then the Cubs selected him in the Rule 5 Draft.   

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 09/19/2021 - 09:01 pm

The Cubs will very likely be splitting the AZIL position players into two 14-man squads (like they did last year), with each squad playng in every other-game, and with the other squad having a Camp Day instructional work-out on a back-field when that squad is not playing in a game. There will also be five combined Camp Days during the course of the four weeks for all players from both squads.  

The pitchers will probably be split into two squads as far as PFPs and other drills are concerned, but each pitcher will pitch in a game or throw a bullpen or a "live" BP whenever the pitcher is scheduled to pitch. So a particular pitcher might pitch in an AZIL game with one squad one time, and then with the other squad the next time. Or he might pitch with the same squad both times.   

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 09/20/2021 - 09:41 am

The top four DSL Cubs position player prospects (SS Cristian Hernandez, C Moises Ballesteros, INF Pedro Ramirez, and OF Frank Hernandez) have been added to the Cubs AZIL roster (see updated roster in post above). 

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 09/20/2021 - 09:59 pm

TIM: They are still assigned to the International Reserve List, even if they are attending AZ Instructs. (That also applies to Minor League Camp and to Extended Spring Training). They can be moved to the Domestic Reserve List if the Cubs need slots on the IRL for international free-agents, but once a player is moved from the IRL to the DRL, the player cannot be moved back to the IRL (and play in the DSL) without consent of the MLB Commissioner. Also, a player cannot remain on the IRL (and play in the DSL) for more than four seasons.

At present, the Cubs 70-man International Reserve List is full, and the 180-man Domestic Reserve List has nine openings. However, the 29 players who are presently on a minor league 60-day IL must be reinstated at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series (players cannot be carried on the 60-day IL during the off-season), which will increase the number of players on the DRL to 200 (171+29). But... at that exact same moment in time, the DRL limit expands from 180 to 190 players (and will remain 190 until 2022 minor league "full season" Opening Day), and also at that exact same moment in time, all unsigned minor league players eligible to be an MLB Rule 9 6YFA or second contract FA post-2021 are automatically declared free-agents (they don't have to file, it's automatic). And the Cubs have a LOT of minor leaguers eligible to be free-agents.  

One other thing to keep in mind is that there are no longer separate reserve lists for each domestic minor league affiliate. The players are all combined into one pot (known as the "Domestic Reserve List"). However, on 11/19 clubs can assign up to 38 Rule 5 Draft-eligible players to the temporary AAA reserve list, and those players can be selected only in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Then as soon as the Rule 5 Draft is over, the AAA reserve list goes away and players who were temporarily assigned to the AAA reserve list for the Rule 5 Draft go back into the DRL pot.  

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 09/22/2021 - 09:16 pm

The Cubs have added Bryan Serra to their Instructs roster. Serra was signed as a 19-year old infielder out of Venezuela in August 2020, and began the catcher conversion program at Minor League Camp this past April. He will be continuing the process at Instructs.   

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 10/01/2021 - 10:47 pm

LHSP Luis Angel Rodriguez, RHRP Dauris Valdez, RHRP Sheldon Reed, LHRP Didier Vargas, C Casey Opitz, INF Liam Spence, 1B Matt Mervis, and OF Peter Matt were moved-up to AAA Iowa from Instructs after Wednesday's intrasquad game. 

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 10/02/2021 - 10:27 am

RHSP Ryan Jensen has been added to the Cubs AZ Instructional League roster. 

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 10:45 pm

The Cubs have added INF-OF Brayan Altuve to their AZ Instructs roster.

Altuve signed with the Cubs as a 16-year old IFA catcher out of Venezuela in 2019 ($1M bonus announced in July, contract not finalized until October), but he has not caught an inning in pro ball.

He is, however, an athletic player with plus-speed and plus-power, and so he has moved back & forth between the corner infield and the outfield in search of a position. 

Because the finalizing of his contract was delayed three months (July to October 2019), he will not be Rule 5 Draft eligible until post-2024, instead of post-2023 (if the contract had been signed & filed when it was originally announced in July 2019).  

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger wins comeback player of the year.  the AL winner was liam hendricks and his 5ip before he got tommy john...setting himself up for a 2025 shot at the award.

  • Bill (view)

    I hope that Perlaza goes on to have a successful career.  On most Cubs teams prior to the current administration, he would have been one of their more highly ranked prospects.  As far as the others are concerned, one or more may well go on to be much better than expected, but unfortunately there is no way to tell which one at the present time.  You can't keep everyone.

  • crunch (view)

    s.gray signs with the cards...3/75m

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Another one of the nine Cubs post-2023 Rule 9 minor league 6YFA has signed, as RHP Carlos Guzman (acquired from the Tigers for Zack McKinstry at the end of Spring Training) signed a 2024 minor league contract with the Mets. 

     

    So RHRP Yovanny Cruz (SD), C-INF P. J. Higgins (CIN), and now Carlos Guzman (NYM) have already signed 2024 minor league contracts with new MLB organizations, and OF Yonathan Perlaza is headed for Korea (Hanhwa Eagles).

  • crunch (view)

    ...and back to 3rd for another game.  at this point i'm gonna hang back and when/if he actually plays 1st then i'll find it notable.  i am glad he's playing a good amount of 3rd, though...give the club one more good look at him there.  shrug

  • crunch (view)

    morel played SS last night (no errors)...hit a homer and a double.  he's got 2 of both in 19PA.

  • crunch (view)

    e.escobar was throwing 95-97mph on his fastball in 2023.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    One more thing about Edwin Escobar. Even though he had accrued less than one year of MLB Service Time prior to signing with Nippon Ham in 2017 (he ended up eventually with Yokohama), he will have Article XIX-A rights by virtue of the seven seasons he spent in Japan. So he will be essentially locked on the 40-man roster (or at least he can't be outrighted without his consent), and he will be a FA whenever his contract expires. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Also, Pirates were supposedly in on Escobar, too, so if the Cubs sign him to a minor league contract there is a very good chance that the Pirates will select him in the Rule 5 Draft. So even though it means he would take up a slot on the 40, it better be a major league contract if the Cubs don't want to lose him right after signing him! 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Ronald Acuna's cousin. 

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