Cubs Minor League Rosters

Here are the Cubs Minor League Camp group rosters (updated 3/21). 

The Cubs have released 30 minor leaguers:  

3/30 UPDATE: 

IOWA to TENNESSEE: OF Charcer Burks 

TENNESSEE to EUGENE/MESA: RHP Ryan Williams

SOUTH BEND to EUGENE/MESA: RHP Yovanny Cruz

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3/29 UPDATE: 

The Cubs released what was described as the Myrtle Beach Opening Day roster on Friday, but as you will note it's exactly the same as the current Myrtle Beach Minor League Camp roster below, and it is three players over the Opening Day roster limit.  

So three of the Cubs four full season affiliates are getting close to the Opening Day 25-man limit but none of them are quite there yet, and Iowa keeps adding players! 

SIGNED: INF Dixon Machado (assigned to IOWA)

GOING DOWN: 

TENNESSEE to MYRTLE BEACH: RHP Tyler Peyton 

MYRTLE BEACH to EUGENE/MESA: RHP Casey Bloomquist (going back to the Rehab Throwing Program) and OF Brandon Hughes (is being converted to LHP)   

SOUTH BEND to EUGENE/MESA: RHP Sean Barry and OF Jose Gutierrez 

GOING UP: 

SOUTH BEND to MYRTLE BEACH: RHP Jesus Camargo (replaces Bloomquist) and OF Grant Fennell (replaces Hughes) 

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3/28 UPDATE: 

MLB CAMP to IOWA: LHP Brian Duensing 

RELEASED: C-1B Michael Cruz, 1B Tyler Alamo, INF Austin Upshaw, and OF Luis Ayala 

MOVING DOWN: 

IOWA to TENNESSEE: RHP Craig Brooks, RHP Tom Hatch, and RHP Michael Rucker

IOWA to MYRTLE BEACH: C Tyler Payne 

TENNESSEE to MYRTLE BEACH: RHP Alex Lange, LHP Luis Lugo, INF Jhonny Bethencourt, INF Yeiler Peguero, 2B Carlos Sepulveda, and OF D. J. Wilson

TENNESSEE to SOUTH BEND: C Rafelin Lorenzo 

MYRTLE BEACH to SOUTH BEND: LHP Eugenio Palma, RHP Jeffrey Passantino, LHP Ryan Lawlor, INF Levi Jordan, INF Rafael Narea, INF Andy Weber, OF Jose Gutierrez, and OF Nelson Velazquez    

MYRTLE BEACH to EUGENE/MESA: C Jonathan Soto 

SOUTH BEND to EUGENE/MESA: RHP Ivan Medina, LHP Jack Patterson, RHP Jake Reindl, RHP Carlos Vega, C Alexander Guerra, C Caleb Knight, INF Jake Slaughter, SS Luis Vazquez, and OF Dalton Hurd

MOVING UP: 

EUGENE/MESA to MYRTLE BEACH: C-INF Cam Balego (replaces M. Cruz as #3 catcher at MB) 


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3/27 UPDATE:

IOWA to TENNESSEE:  C-1B Ian Rice and INF Vimael Machin

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3/26 UPDATE: 

The Cubs have optioned LHP Kyle Ryan to Iowa, signed RHP Junichi Tazawa (who was released by the Cubs on Saturday) to a new (different) 2019 minor league contract, and assigned Tazawa and MLB NRI RHP Allen Webster to Minor League Camp. 

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With less than a week remaining before the Cubs four full-season minor league affiliates (Iowa, Tennessee, Myrtle Beach, and South Bend) leave Arizona in their rear-view mirrors, the rosters of the four full-season affiliates are becoming a bit more clear, although considerable adjustments and pruning are still needed (see updated 2019 CUBS MINOR LEAGUE CAMP ROSTERS below):    

The Cubs released eleven minor league pitchers yesterday: 

12/13 UPDATE: 


PLAYERS SELECTED BY CUBS IN MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE:
NONE
 
CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS SELECTED IN MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE: 
NONE 

PLAYERS SELECTED BY CUBS IN AAA PHASE:
1. Luis Lugo, LHP (selected by Cubs for AAA Iowa from Kansas City Royals AA Northwest Arkansas affiliate) 
2. Rafelin Lorenzo, C (selected by Cubs for AAA Iowa from Pittsburgh Pirates AA Altoona affiliate) 
3. Alexander Vargas,  RHP (selected by Cubs for AAA Iowa from New York Yankees Lo-A Charleston affiliate)  
NOTES:
Luis Lugo was signed as a 17-year old IFA by CLE in 2011 and gradually worked his way up through the Tribe system as a SP, before becoming a minor league 6YFA post-2017 after reaching AA in his seventh minor league season... he signed a 2018 minor league contract with BAL but was released at the end of Spring Training... he pitched in Italy for a couple of months before being acquired by KC in July... He was assigned to AA by the Royals where he worked as a SP/RP "swingman", and then he signed a 2019 minor league successor contract with KC post-2018... The 24-year old 6'5 hurler has been one of the top lefty relievers in Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional (the Venezuelan winter league) post-2018, putting up a 0.79 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with a .153 OppBA and 7/15 BB/K in 14 games (22.2 IP) for Lara... He will likely begin the 2019 season in the AA Tennessee bullpen...   
Rafelin Lorenzo was signed by TB ($250K bonus) as a 16-year old IFA on the first day of the 2013-14 International Signing Period (ISP)... an outstanding defensive catcher with a plus arm and HR power, the 21-year old backstop was selected by the Pirates in the AAA Phase of last year's Rule 5 Draft, and split the 2018 season between the GCL Pirates and Lo-A West Virginia, hitting a combined 307/319/474 in 33 minor league games... he projects to be a back-up catcher at either Myrtle Beach or at South Bend in 2019... 
Alexander Vargas was signed by NYY as a 16-year old IFA on the first day of the 2014-15 ISP after the contract Vargas signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2013 was voided by MLB due to a rules violation... Now 21, Vargas has progressed steadily through the loaded NYY system as a SP/RP "swingman," finally reaching AA (albeit just two appearances) this past August... He will likely begin the 2019 season at either AA Tennessee or at Hi-A Myrtle Beach, depending on where he would best fit (TBD)...  
 
CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS SELECTED IN AAA PHASE:
1. David Garner, RHP (selected by New York Mets for AAA Syracuse affiliate from AA Tennessee)
2. Yapson Gomez, LHP (selected by Cleveland Indians for AAA Columbus affiliate from AA Tennessee) 
NOTES:
David Garner was the Cubs 7th round pick in the 2012 draft out of Michigan State where he was the Spartans closer... he features a mid-90's FB and a plus CV and pitched well enough out of the bullpen in 2017 (first at AA Tennessee, then at AAA Iowa, and finally with the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League) that he was projected as a possible MLB bullpen call-up in 2018 and so he received an 2018 NRI to Spring Training with the big club... however, he missed the 2018 season after being suspended by MLB twice (once in March, and the again in June) after testing positive for a "Drug of Abuse" (which usually means marijuana), so his his future in pro baseball is a bit cloudy right now (hopefully not up in smoke!)... If he is able to avoid further suspensions, Garner could conceivably be in the Mets MLB bullpen at some point in 2019...   
Yapson Gomez is a 24 year old rubber-armed little lefty (he's only 5'10)... he was signed by the Cubs out of Venezuela as a 19-year old IFA in 2013 and spent three seasons (2013-15) as a SP/RP "swingman" for the VSL Cubs... he was moved-up to the AZL late in the 2015 season and stayed there in 2016... he was at Extended Spring Training in both 2016 and 2017 (and he pitched well there) before splitting the latter part of the 2017 minor league season between Eugene and South Bend... he returned to South Bend at the start of the 2018 season, before being moved-up to Hi-A Myrtle Beach in August... he features a low 90's FB with sink, a solid CV, and a solid CH, and he uses the pitch-mix to gets lots of ground ball outs... he was assigned to the Iowa reserve list prior to the Rule 5 Draft last year so the Cubs apparently were not as enamored with him this time around as they were this time last year, possibly because of his age and/or because he is eligible to be a minor league 6YFA post-2019...      

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11/21 ORIGINAL POST 

Here are the 2018 Opening Day rosters for AZL Cubs #1 and AZL Cubs #2 as of Monday morning 6/18. Since both teams are based at the same location (the Cubs Under Armour Performance Center at Riverview Park in Mesa, AZ), moving a player from one AZL Cubs team to the other will be very easy and so it could occur fairly often (including anytime any day prior to game time). 

UPDATED 4/3:

Other than players who will be going on the DL in the next couple of days, here are the last of the Minor League Camp roster moves left-over from Monday

12/14 UPDATE:

SELECTED BY CUBS IN MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE:  
NONE  

CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS SELECTED IN MAJOR LEAGUE PHASE:
Pedro Araujo, RHP (selected by Baltimore Orioles from Cubs AAA Iowa reserve list) 

CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS SELECTED IN AAA PHASE: 
Andrew Ely, INF (selected by New York Mets for AAA Las Vegas affiliate from Cubs AA Tennessee reserve list) 
Chris Nunn, LHP (selected by Houston Astros for AAA Fresno affiliate from Cubs AA Tennessee reserve list)
Alberto Mineo, C (selected by Toronto Blue Jays for AAA Buffalo affiliate from Cubs AA Tennessee reserve list) 

PLAYERS SELECTED BY CUBS IN AAA PHASE: 
NONE 

3/31 MINOR LEAGUE CAMP ROSTERS UPDATE: 

IOWA to TENNESSEE: RHP Stephen Perakslis 1B Yasiel Balaguert, and INF Jason Vosler;
TENNESSEE loaned to YUCATAN (Mexican League): RHP Mario Meza:
TENNESSEE to MYRTLE BEACH: RHP Craig Brooks, Scott Effross, Pedro Araujo, James Norwood, and Jeremy Null, LHP Jordan Minch and Tommy Thorpe, C Tyler Pearson, and 3B Jesse Hodges;
TENNESSEE to SOUTH BEND: C-1B Alberto Mineo;

It was initially reported as a rumor by Japanese media earlier in the week, but Baseball America is now confiming that the Cubs have indeed re-signed INF Munenori Kawasaki to a 2017 minor league contract. He will almost certainly receive a NRI to Spring Training.