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

Baseball Prospectus Top 11 Cubs' Prospects

    ''5-Star Prospects''
  1. Josh Vitters
  2. Starlin Castro
    ''4-Star Prospects''
  3. Hak-Ju Lee
  4. Brett Jackson
    ''3-Star Prospects''
  5. Andrew Cashner
  6. Jay Jackson
  7. Chris Carpenter
  8. Chris Archer
  9. Kyler Burke
  10. Ryan Flaherty
  11. John Gaub

Kevin Goldstein puts Chris Huseby, Logan Watkins, Dae-Eun Rhee and Darwin Barney as 12-15. You can see past lists at Wiklified.

Most prospecters seemed to have soured a bit on Vitters, but Goldstein gives him a break for his disappointing season in Hi-A due to a hand injury, citing much better numbers against better pitchers in the AFL. Goldstein says his defense has improved and then gushes about his swing.

Vitters' swing is among the sweetest in the minors. It's smooth, powerful, gets into the hitting zone quickly, and stays there a long time. His plate coverage is off the charts, and he's as comfortable turning on an inside fastball as he is driving an outside breaking ball to the opposite field.

Goldstein also notes that Vitters plate coverage can also be a negative as he doesn't draw a lot of walks.

And although he puts Castro as a 5-star prospect, he has these words of warning.

While most believe that Castro will be an above-average big-league shortstop, he doesn't have the tools for true impact potential. His line-drive swing and contact-oriented approach offers little power or projection for much more, while he's also a free swinger who rarely walks. Several scouts noted below-average running times to first base, and his range is affected by it, possibly leading to a move to second base down the road.

I'm not going to reproduce all of BP's premium content, but here are some other highlights.

  • Folks within the organization see a Hak-Ju Lee at short, Castro at 2b infield with them batting 1-2 in the lineup.
  • Raves about Brett Jackson's 5-tools being good enough to be a early first round pick, but cautions about his swing-and-miss hitting.
  • Sees Cashner, Jackson, Carpenter all on the same path to either middle of the road starter or more dominant late-inning bullpen pieces.
  • Seems everyone sees Flaherty as a second basemen.
  • Gaub relies more on deception than stuff.

Otherwise, a big step forward for the organization and says they'll move way up in the overall rankings.

Comments

So, do we see Castro and Lee simultaneously at AA for a significant stretch next year? And why is Lee a 4-star prospect and Castro a 5-star prospect if Lee is the true shortstop with elite speed and more plate discipline? Is it just that Lee hasn't played at as many levels? And if Castro doesn't have the potential of an impact player, why is he a 5-star prospect? Good to hear that sort of gushing about Vitter's swing though. I think [hope] that his plate discipline will come around as he faces more challenging pitchers. Am I right in assuming he starts next season in Daytona with the possibility of a promotion to Tennessee if he performs? That would put his optimistic ETA at September 2011, right? And how far are each of Jackson, Cashner, and Carpenter from contributing to the big league club? I guess those last two questions are mostly for AZ Phil.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

So, do we see Castro and Lee simultaneously at AA for a significant stretch next year?
Lee is going to start at Daytona or Peoria and it's possible that Castro may never see AA again.
I s it just that Lee hasn't played at as many levels?
That and Lee's defense is less proven.
Am I right in assuming he starts next season in Daytona with the possibility of a promotion to Tennessee if he performs? That would put his optimistic ETA at September 2011, right?
Optimistic is that he starts at Tennessee at finishes the year in Chicago. High A or AA will probably depend on how well ST goes for him.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Submitted by Charlie on Sun, 01/24/2010 - 5:25pm. So, do we see Castro and Lee simultaneously at AA for a significant stretch next year? And why is Lee a 4-star prospect and Castro a 5-star prospect if Lee is the true shortstop with elite speed and more plate discipline? Is it just that Lee hasn't played at as many levels? And if Castro doesn't have the potential of an impact player, why is he a 5-star prospect? Good to hear that sort of gushing about Vitter's swing though. I think [hope] that his plate discipline will come around as he faces more challenging pitchers. Am I right in assuming he starts next season in Daytona with the possibility of a promotion to Tennessee if he performs? That would put his optimistic ETA at September 2011, right? And how far are each of Jackson, Cashner, and Carpenter from contributing to the big league club? I guess those last two questions are mostly for AZ Phil. =================================== CHARLIE: I would say Andrew Cashner is closest to being MLB-ready. He showed in the AFL that he can get the better hitting prospects out. The main issue with Cashner is whether he will be a rotation starter or a reliever (8th inning set-up man or closer) at the big league level, because if he is used as a reliever he could be ready right away. If he continues to be developed as a starter, he probably won't be ready until 2011. Cashner was (arguably) the #1 closer in college baseball at TCU in 2008, and the Cubs used him as a closer at Daytona in the FSL playoffs in September 2008 (where he was "lights out"). But then the Cubs moved him to the starting rotation at Daytona (and later Tennessee) in 2009 to get him more innings and to force him to develop and use his "secondary" stuff, and he continued to be a starter in the AFL post-2009, although he still throws too many pitches per inning because he doesn't throw strikes consistently. His best pitches are a 98 MPH four-seam fastball (96 MPH when he starts) and a killer hard-slider, but as a starter he has added a change-up (still very much a "work-in-progress") in addition to his two "out" pitches (but again, he adds about 2 MPH to his fastball when he knows he is going to throw just one inning and "let's it all hang-out"). So it might be better to have him stick with his dynamite fastball/slider combo and use him exclusively as a late-inning reliever. Jay Jackson more fits the profile of a rotation starter, with a full-array of plus pitches and the stamina to go deep into games. He is also a good hitter and an athletic defender (he played CF at Furman on days he wasn't pitching) which probably would be more of an advantage if he starts than if he is used out of the bullpen. Jackson could be ready to pitch as a rotation starter in MLB sometime in 2010. He is (in my opinion) the Cubs #1 starting pitcher prospect (while Cashner is the Cubs #1 closer prospect). Chris Carpenter is probably about a half-season behind Jackson and Cashner, but he should be ready to contend for a spot in the Cubs starting rotation sometime in 2011, although he might end up in the bullpen when he reaches MLB. The thing to remember about Cashner, Jackson, and Carpenter (and this is true for Starlin Castro, too) is that if any of them are brought up to the big leagues in 2010 and then get optioned back to the minors sometime later in the season, they will get four minor league options, because Cashner, Jackson, and Carpenter (and Castro) have completed only one "full season" through the 2009 season. So the Cubs shouldn't hesitate to bring Cashner, Jackson, Carpenter, and/or Castro up to the big leagues this season if one or more of them earns a ticket to The Show and the Cubs believe they are ready to help the big club.

Arbitrary ranking system, but if you just add Stars, the Cubs are tied for 4th of the teams released so far. Team Total 11th Rays 45 3 Rangers 40 3 A's 40 3 Cubs 39 3 Indians 39 3 Red Sox 39 3 Braves 39 2 Twins 39 2 Angels 38 3 Royals 37 2 Tigers 37 2 Yankees 36 3 Jays 36 2 Orioles 36 2 Mariners 35 3 White Sox 33 2 Dbacks 31 2

can make the Super Bowl there has to be hope for the Cubs.

in something that I probably only care about, the archives by writer has been fixed finally and should be adding an RSS feed for each writer soon, so you can skip my boring shit if you're just here for AZ Phil.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • 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.