Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and eight players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, four players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Richard Lovelady
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
* Matt Mervis
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Pete Crow-Armstrong 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 8 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2
* Cody Bellinger, OF  
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 4
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P
* Jordan Wicks, P    

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Albertos Gives D'backs Plenty of Nothin' at Salt River Fields

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

RHSP Jose Albertos (2015 IFA - Mexico - $1.5M signing bonus) hurled four innings of one-hit shutout ball with seven strikeouts and Cubs 2016 7th round draft pick Michael Cruz (making his pro debut) belted an RBI double off the top of the right-centerfield fence (near HR) with two outs in the top of the 8th that drove-in the run that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game, as the AZL Cubs withstood a four-run 9th inning rally and edged the AZL Diamondbacks 5-4 in Arizona League action Wednesday night on Whirlwind Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Strick Resort east of Scottsdale, AZ. 

Besides the 8th inning RBI double, Cruz also was hit by a pitch (right shoulder) in his first pro AB, fouled a ball off his right instep in his second AB, and took a foul-tip off his right shoulder in the bottom of the 4th while working behind the plate (he caught all nine innings in 105+ degree heat). Welcome to pro ball. 

The 17-year old Albertos was masterful beyond his years in his four innings of work, staying ahead in the count (69% of his pitches were strikes) and mixing a 96-98 MPH fastball with a plus-change and an occasional curve to keep the opposing hitters off-balance. In fact, the Albertos change-up was so deceptive that one D'backs hitter injured his right knee (and had to leave the game) screwing himself into the ground on a swinging third strike trying in vain to hit one. The only hit off Albertos was a broken-bat line drive single over the third-baseman's head with two outs in the top of the 1st.

The AZL Diamondbacks were held to one hit (the first-inning broken-bat single) through the first eight innings of the game, but Kyle Smith (two-run double), Juan Araujo (RBI double), and Michael Branigan (RBI single) contributed run-scoring hits to the four-run 9th inning rally that fell a run short, as the potential tying and winning runs were left-stranded on the bases.

LHRP Jack Leathersich (ex-NYM) had another clean 1-2-3 inning (K, K, 6-3), as he continues to impress in his rehab from July 2015 TJS.    

Here is the abridged box score from the game (AZL Cubs players only): 

AZL CUBS LINEUP:
1. Luis Ayala, RF: 1-5 (L-7, L-5, 1B, 1-3, K)
2. Jose Gonzalez, CF: 0-4 (1-3, 4-3, 6-3, BB, K, R)
3. Jhonny Bethencourt, SS: 0-3 (4-3, L-4, BB, 6-3, R, SB)
4. Gustavo Polanco, 1B: 1-4 (3-U, L-8, F-9, 1B, R, RBI)
5. Kevin Zamudio, DH: 1-4 (2B, F-9, 5-3, F-8, R)
6. Michael Cruz, C: 1-3 (HBP, F-7, F-8, 2B, RBI)
7. Rafael Mejia, 3B: 2-4 (1B, 2B, 6-3, K, R)
8. Edgar Rondon, 2B: 1-3 (3-U, 5-3 SH, 1B, K, RBI)
9. Ruben Reyes, LF: 1-3 (4-3, F-7 SF, K, 1B, RBI)

AZL CUBS PITCHERS: 
1. Jose Albertos: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 3/2 GO/AO, 54 pitches (37 strikes) 
2. Jack Leathersich: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GO/AO, 14 pitches (8 strikes)
3. Eugenio Palma: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 4/2 GO/AO, 19 pitches (12 strikes) 
4. Tanner Griggs: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 2/2 GO/AO, 28 pitches (17 strikes) 
5. Luis Aquino: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1/0 GO/AO, 4 pitches (4 strikes)

AZL CUBS ERRORS: 1 
1B Gustavo Polanco: E-3 (missed catch allowed batter to reach base safely)

AZL CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Michael Cruz: 1 PB

ATTENDANCE: 16

WEATHER: Clear with temperatures 100+  

Tags
AZL Cubs
Jose Albertos
Michael Cruz
Jack Leathersich

Comments

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 06:56 am

John Arguello (Cubs Den) also goes to the AZL Cubs games and he writes game reports, often has a photo gallery, and provides a link to the milb.com box score, so if you want info about the AZL Cubs and AZL Cubs games going forward, please visit Cubs Den.  

link 

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 06:13 pm

One thing I have noticed about two of the Mexican pitchers (Camargo and  Albertos) who have come through Mesa Riverview over the past couple of years is that they have a plus-change-up but struggle a bit with their curve. This is almost exactly the opposite of what you see with most other young pitchers down here. Usually a young pitcher has a promising fastball and a decent if not plus-breaking ball (curve or slider) but struggles to learn the off-speed straight-change.  

Could it have something to do with the way young pitchers are coached in Mexico? Perhaps the change-up is taught instead of a breaking ball to help cut-down on elbow and shoulder injuries. 

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 06:24 pm

BRADSBEARD: I haven't seen enough of Michael Cruz to say one way or the other, but he received the electric stuff Jose Albertos was throwing without any problems. (It was by far the best outing Albertos has had as a pro as far as command is concerned, going back to post-2015 Instructs, 2016 Minor League Camp, and EXST).

Cruz wasn't challenged by any D'backs base runners (because there were only three through the first eight innings, and none of them tried to steal), but FWIW, he did make some really lousy (Miguel Montero-like) throws to 2nd base after pre-inning pitcher warm-ups. 

Cruz will certainly get some intense instruction/evaluation at post-season Instructs, and his future as a catcher will be more-clear after that. I'm sure the Cubs very much want Cruz to remain a catcher if at all possible. 

As a hitter, just prior to the 8th inning RBI double off the right-centerfield fence, Cruz hit a long fly down the RF line that had home run distance but hooked foul at the last second. I've seen him take BP a few times, too, and he has legit raw HR power. A LH hitting catcher with HR power would be really nice to have. 

Submitted by The E-Man on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 06:24 pm

AZ PHIL: Albertos is only 17!!? Not 18 until November, apparently. Julio Urias will be 20 this summer. I can assume that - since he is from Reynosa, MX (Broncos de Reynosa is the Club - apparently Kyle Farnsworth has prev been on their roster), and Urias' Diablos Rojos del Mexico were in the same league - that they know one another. If Albertos pans out, it could be a huge coup for the Cubs, as Urias is for the Dodgers. The team certainly needs some impact arms in a big way, as I am not feeling so happy-face over Underwood and Pierce Johnson - or ANY Iowa Cubs starter except perhaps Ryan Williams.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 06/29/2016 - 06:31 am

SHOW ME THE MONEY: Jose Albertos has signed with Mega-Agent Scott Boras.

Albertos has already received his signing bonus and won't see any additional significant money until he reaches the big leagues, so this is a long-term investment for the Boras Corporation.  

Other Cubs represented by Boras include Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Albert Almora Jr. 

Submitted by cubbies.4ever on Wed, 06/29/2016 - 06:34 pm

Boras is 63, maybe he'll be retired or dead by the time Bryant, Russell, Almora, Albertos all hit free agency. Doubt he will be before Jake hits there though.

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    It is easy to quibble about details, but the major thing I see is that I believe that PCA will return to Iowa when Bellinger comes back, regardless of how well he does until then.

    Mervis will be going down.  He needs consistent playing time, whether to get him ready for the Cubs to bring up, or to improve his trade value.

    Madrigal and Mastrobuone are pretty interchangeable as far as value is concerned.  I doubt that the season will be substantially changed no matter which one is chosen.  Madrigal may win one game with a timely single, while Mastrobuone may win one with a timely home run, but I would expect a wash for the season.

    The pitching staff will be all of the above.  Wesneski, Keagan, Alomonte, et al will remain on the Iowa shuttle whenever someone is temporarily overworked and a new rested arm is needed.  I doubt that will change.

    Right now it looks as if the Cubs are performing at the upper end of their team potential.  But their talent level is nowhere near elite level, and adding one or two players, whether closer or hitter, is not going to bring them up to an elite level, equal to the Dodgers, Braves, or Yankees.  We are going to have to wait another year or two for that, when the PCA, Cassie, Horton, Brown, Alcontara group not only come up, but have a year or two experience behind them.  And of that group, Horton and Brown are the only ones that can really make an immense difference.  

    One elite pitcher is much more valuable than one elite hitter.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    18-11 and gave a way a "few". Leading the division on April 30th
    So, I'm going to pose a question based on the idea of the injured players coming back and the roster appearing stable. 
    => Steele-Taillon-Imanaga-Assad-Wicks-Brown-Wesneski-Keegan-Leiter-Alzolay-Neris are locks. That leaves Almonte-Brewer-Palencia-Little-Smyly-Lovelady for the last three pen spots. Hendricks is out for me.
    => Amaya-Gomes-Busch-Nico-Dansby-Morel-Happ-Belli-Seiya-Tauch-Wisdom-Madrigal are locks.  That means it's PCA-Mervis-Mastro for the last spot. If PCA out performs Mervis and gets routine ABs, I think Jed will keep him up. I still wonder if Mastro is a better option than Madrigal but's probably a waste of time to consider.
    The Question: what are the spots we need to "add" ? 8th/9th Inning Bullpen spot, right?
    If PCA can hit, I think our best lineup is Belli at 1B, PCA in CF and Busch at DH. Tauch seems to hit better when he's a fielder and not a DH. Maybe Tauch in CF. But Belli is certainly our best 1B defender !!
    So, who can we add for late Bullpen help?
    The dream is Clase from Clev, but they're winning so he isn't going anywhere.
    Mason Miller from A's, but he'd cost a fortune.
    How about Kopech from the Southsiders? He hits FAgency in 1.5 yrs. He turned 28 today.
    Thoughts?
     

  • Charlie (view)

    Well, game 29 on the year was a hell of a game. That felt like a throwback, too. I had a feeling Morel had a shot at catching up to that fastball.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil,

    Any thoughts/details on Carico and/or JP Wheat?

  • crunch (view)

    MIL loses!

    cubs finally get to sole control of 1st place in the central.

  • crunch (view)

    MIL out here stealing 3rd with 1 out and down by 1 in the bottom 9th.

    it worked.  this MIL team is annoyingly fun to watch so far this year...

  • crunch (view)

    it took him 24 pitches, 2 walks, 2 Ks...but he got it done.  woo.

  • azbobbop (view)

    Full pack!

  • crunch (view)

    neris still doesn't have his command/control...

    i don't expect it to dog him all season, much like i don't expect alzolay to be a HR machine.

    i'll take alzolay over neris to close out a game, though...over leiter, too.

  • crunch (view)

    MOREL HR!  his first homer in like, 3 years or something...or feels like it.

    top of the 9th, 2 run shot off f'n diaz to break the tie.

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