Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Espinoza Sharp at Sloan

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

After hurling three perfect innings in his previous start, Manuel Espinoza fired three innings of one-hit shutout ball (and threw 75% strikes), and Pablo Aliendo singled twice and drove-in a run and Cam Balego tripled and scored, in Cubs AZ Instructional League intrasquad game action Wednesday afternoon at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.   

The Giants at Cubs AZIL game was canceled, so the Cubs played an intrasquad game instead.   

The five pitchers who were scheduled to pitch in the AZIL game threw in the intrasquad game, and the game was called after 3-1/2 innings of play after all of the pitchers got their scheduled work. 

It wasn't possible to field two full teams because only the players who were set to play in the AZIL game played in the intrasquad game (the other position players retired to the clubhouse after early BP), so there was no DH used in the game and Alfonso Rivas (who is already an accomplished hitter and really doesn't need any more game ABs) played LF for both squads and did not take an AB (he stood out in LF for the entire game -- that's 90 minutes straight defense in 90-degree heat without a break, folks).  

Also, Ethan Hearn played 1B and Yonathan Perlaza (ex-infielder now playing outfield) temporarily moved back to the infield and played 2B. 

Fireballin' RHP Danis Correa labored through one inning of work while throwing almost all secondary stuff (only a couple of high velo FB) after throwing almost all FB in his previous outing, while RHRP Eduarniel Nunez threw almost 100% FB (only two off-speed pitches) and was sitting 95-96 (T-97). Both Corraa and E. Nunez are 21-year old Dominican power bullpen arms who could advance quickly if they can improve their secondaries and FB command (easier said than done, obviously).    

Here is the box score from the game: 
CUBS SQUAD "A" LINEUP:
1. Nelson Velazquez, RF: 0-3 (P-6, F-8, K)
2. Bryce Windham, C: 1-2 (4-3, 1B)
3. Ethan Hearn, 1B: 0-2 (K, 1-3)
4. Andy Weber, SS: 0-2 (K, L-8)
5. Chase Strumpf, 2B: 0-2 (6-3, K) 
6. Rafael Morel, 3B: 0-1 (P-3, HBP)
7. Jacob Wetzel, CF: 0-2 (E-4, 4-6 FC, SB) 
8. Alfonso Rivas, LF: PLAYED DEFENSE ONLY - NO AB

CUBS SQUAD "B" LINEUP:
1. Cam Balego, 3B: 1-3 (K, 3B, P-4, R)
2. Pablo Aliendo, C: 2-2 (1B, 1B, RBI)
3. Felix Stevens, RF: 0-0 (BB, HBP)
4. Matt Mervis, 1B: 0-1 (HBP, L-7)
5. Cole Roederer, CF: 0-2 (5-3 DP, 4-1)
6. Luis Vazquez, SS: 0-2 (K, 6-3)
7. Yonathan Perlaza, 2B: 0-1 (K, BB) 
8. Alfonso Rivas, LF: PLAYED DEFENSE ONLY - NO AB 

CUBS SQUAD "A" PITCHERS: 
1. Danis Correa: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 GIDP, 1/0 GO/AO, 21 pitches (10 strikes)
2. Chris Clarke: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 19 pitches (10 strikes)
3. Brad Deppermann: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 2/2 GO/AO, 17 pitches (7 strikes) 

CUBS SQUAD "B" PITCHERS: 
1. Manuel Espinoza: 3.0 IP, 1 H, ,0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 3/4 GO/AO, 40 pitches (30 strikes) 
2. Eduarniel Nunez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 1/0 GO/AO, 18 pitches (9 strikes) 

CUBS SQUAD "B" ERRORS: 1 
2B Yonathan Perlaza: E-4 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 

CUBS SQUAD "B" CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Pablo Aliendo: 0-1 CS 

ATTENDANCE: N/A 

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 90's

Arizona 
Scoring 
Service 

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

Tags
Cubs AZ Instructional League game report
Manuel Espinoza
Pablo Aliendo
Cam Balego
Alfonso Rivas

Comments

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 11/04/2020 - 11:00 pm

oscar de la cruz signs a minor league deal with the mets (with spring training invite)...dunno if his starting days will get a chance to continue with the mets, but i wouldn't be shocked to see him working effectively out of the pen.  i was hoping the cubs would retain him.

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 11/04/2020 - 11:02 pm

"Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that players want to keep the universal designated hitter for 2021, but owners want them to agree to keep the expanded playoffs for the 2021 season in exchange."

uggg...no thanks expanded playoffs.  dunno how the players feel about it or if they care...or if they consider it plus because of a bigger chance to get a share of that TV loot on their playoff cut.  it all just seems so watered down...

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 11/08/2020 - 11:38 am

BRADSBEARD: Alfonso Rivas got a lot of reps in LF at Instructs, but his best position is 1B.

It's sort of like when Rafael Palmeiro first came up with the Cubs and he played LF because Mark Grace had to play 1B, but as soon as Palmeiro was traded to Texas the Rangers immediatelty moved him to 1B and left him there. 

I think the best comp for Rivas is probably Victor Caratini, if you forget about Caratini as a catcher and think of him  strictly as a first-baseman (or as a DH).  

Disregarding the obvious differences (Caratini is a switch-hitting catcher who can also play 1B while Rivas is a LH hitting & throwing 1B who can also play LF), both Caratini and Rivas are patient hitters who take walks but also strike out because they are willing to go deep into the count and hit with two strikes, and they both have a smooth LH line-drive stroke and make hard contact with high exit-velo when they do make contact. 

Rivas (in particular) sprays line drives from foul line to foul line, although he doesn't have an elevated launch angle so he doesn't hit many HR (even in BP). But if he played every day Rivas could probably hit 30 or 40 doubles and take maybe 80 or 90 walks over the course of a 162-game season. 

Rivas is a legit prospect. Not Top 10 because he is a bat-first 1B-LF-DH who doesn't hit many HR, but because of his ability to hit doubles and take walks he should be at least in the Top 25.

Rivas will be Rule 5 Draft-eligible for the first time after next season (post-2021), and as things stand right now I would say he is a very good candidate to get added to the 40 this time next year (ESPECIALLY if the Cubs don't sign Rizzo to a contract extension, but still likely to be added even if they do).  

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 11:48 pm

"According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the "belief is" the Red Sox are deciding between Alex Cora and Sam Fuld for their managerial opening."

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 11/08/2020 - 11:19 am

Ronny Simon was one of the first five IFA signed by the Cubs in the 2018-19 ISP. 

RHP Richard Gallardo, LHP Joel Machado, and OF Yohendrick Pinango were the hot shot 16-year olds who received substantial bonuses when they were "Signed for Future Service" on the first day of the ISP (7/2), but two older IFA (19-year old RHP Gabriel Jaramillo and 18-year old INF Ronny Simon) were signed a few days later and were placed on DSL active rosters that season.     

And while Gallardo, Machado, Pinango, and Jaramillo were invited to AZ Instructs post-2020, Simon was not (possibly because the Cubs already knew Simon was going to be sent to LAD in November).  

Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 11/06/2020 - 11:03 am

If Sam Fuld gets the BoSox job, Ron Santo will be ordering Seattle Sutton, Acapulco Taco Pies for EVERYONE!

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 11/06/2020 - 11:22 pm

i'm actually surprised he's not going the GM route.

when the cubs signed him out of the draft he was rehabbing injury so he got a internship at STATS INC doing video tracking to kill time.  i think his degree is in statistics, too.

he's most likely a guy who's name we'll hear for decades even if he's never more than a regular baseball lifer.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/08/2020 - 11:20 pm

corey black seems have had a nice twitter meltdown over the election.  he's deleted some stuff after the fact, but he's on the "stolen election" bandwagon.

he's also declaring people moving from Cali to AZ need to stop because AZ people don't want them.  c.black is from san diego and not long ago moved to AZ...but well, you know...he's special.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    i know it's still very early, but i'd like to go into the xmas-to-newyears part of the off-season with something more than...*checks list*...patrick wisdom avoids arbitration with a 1-year deal

    also, steven brault retired and was spotted at the winter meetings with a demo reel and making contacts trying to break into broadcasting (not a joke).  unless he's more optimistic than talented (we already know he can sing) he should make it one day because he seems to be very serious about it.

  • Cubster (view)

    I blame Jason Schmidt’s 3/44

  • Craig A. (view)

    Was all that stuff with the Blue Jays just to squeeze an extra $10 million/yr out of the Dodgers?  It's more than enough to cover his California income taxes!

  • crunch (view)

    unless he pitches into his late-30 that is gonna sting.  a 70m DH...ow.

    it's great to take care of 2 roster spots in 1 player, and i'm sure the team will cut into the pay with the amount of merch/etc he can sell just by being attached to the team....but yeah, i'm not mad the cubs didn't go that extreme.

  • WebAdmin (view)

    Shohei Ohtani to join Dodgers according to ESPN. 10 years for $700 m

  • Cubster (view)

    I'm getting the feeling that Todd Walker might be a Shaw comp. A valuable hit first player but limited albeit not awful on defense. Hopefully, he has more upside. Not a bad floor if Steve Garvey is his ceiling.

  • Wrigley Rat (view)

    AZ Phil - If that's the level of return, I would want NO part of that trade to Cleveland for Clase and Bieber. I have some faith that the Cubs have a strong plan for which prospects they will keep (even if they dangle them in trade talks) and which they will move, because they have plenty of solid prospects they can trade but they shouldn't be trading any of the ones they hope will be future core players. Some guys are redundant, so I hope they choose the right players to keep and the right players to move. It's always important for a team to know its own minor league players better than scouts from other teams (obviously), but I don't think that's always been the case for the Cubs and many other clubs. 

    Cubster - I watched an interview with Carter Hawkins a couple days ago where he said that although Morel hasn't gotten into any Dominican games at 1B, the Cubs did send coaches down with Morel to work on first base skills during practice. So he is developing those skills, whether the Cubs end up using him there or not will probably be dependent on a lot of factors including how those coaches think he looks at the position while training. 

  • tim815 (view)

    He could still play SS at Double-A, but Vazquez, Hoerner, and Swanson are much better defensively, arm strength or not. I'd be good leaving Shaw at SS with McGeary and Ballesteros around, but by the first of June (?), 1B might make sense in DM.

  • crunch (view)

    i have no reason to see a problem, it just seems like it's his most obvious reason to give pause on him at 1st.

    the cubs situation dictates 2nd/SS isn't an option.  his arm dictates 3rd isn't an option.  1st or CF seems to be his best path and he's only played CF in summer ball back in highschool/college...and of course PCA is a better + closer to the bigs CF.

    it's a lot safer to say he's made for 1st than it is he's made for 3rd.  even as a SS his arm is weak, and it's not like his glove is so great he needs to stay in the middle-IF.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    CRUNCH: Steve Garvey (one of Shaw's comps as a hitter) was a 5'10 right-handed throwing first-baseman with a rag arm. Jeff Bagwell (another Shaw comp) was a 6'0 right-handed throwing first-baseman with a rag arm. Carlos Santana (who played 1B for Counsell in Milwaukee last season and is an above-average defensive first-baseman) is 5'11. It's not like Shaw is 5'7 or 5'8. I don't really see the problem. 

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