Cubs MLB Roster

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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

It's Opening Day; I'm Going to Throw Out the First Hurricane Ike Reference

The Astros hate the Cubs. Everyone who is not a Cubs fan hates Carlos Zambrano. And the Houstons are opening the season at home with the best pitcher in team history on the mound. You'd think that would be enough to activate their adrenal glands. But of course, there's that other business left over from 2008:

After surging back into the wild-card race with the best record in the National League after the All-Star break, the Astros saw their season stalled for two days because of Hurricane Ike. With downtown a mess and most of Houston without electricity, the Astros were dispatched to Milwaukee to play two “home games” against the Cubs.

Several in the pro-Chicago crowd held up signs thanking Ike for shifting the series to Miller Park. Even worse, Zambrano no-hit the Astros in the first game, beginning the five-game losing streak that put an end to their postseason hopes.

Hurricane Ike hangover or not, tonight's matchup, on the road, against a great pitcher, looks like a tough one for the Cubs, who have gone 2-2 in Zambrano's previous Opening Day assignments. But regardless, how much fun is it knowing that in just a few hours, regular season baseball will be back?

Comments

For everyone predicting the Reds to be a contender this year...they're Opening Day lineup

Hairston, D. McDonald (no idea), Votto, Phillips, Bruce, Encarnacion, Hernandez, Gonzalez....

that lineup ain't winning shit....

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Well... to be fair, I'd take Votto, Phillips, Bruce, or Encarnacion over Fontenot in my lineup any day. Tavaras out with the flu. Harang v. Santana (ouch)

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I thought Chris Dickerson would get the LF job he only hit .323 with 2 HR 6 RBI and had 6 SB's (5 cs) to Hairstons .111 spring average. But what was a i thinking, its Dusty Baker. He has enough young players being thrust on him, he needs his veterans somewhere to show the other guys how the game is played. Btw nice route on that simple fly ball Hairston. It almost ate you alive, geeeez what shitty manager. If your going to go with a shitty OFer in LF, atleast go with Johnny Gomes. He has a .879 career OPS against lefties which i think is better than Hairstons .703. Well atleast Hairston is athletic he has that going for him.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Yeah, Gomes has power but a low OBP. That won't do on the new-look Reds. Dusty likes 'em (s)crappy.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Darnell McDonald is a former Corey Patterson type prospect with the Orioles as I recall. Besides him batting in the most important spot in the order, that lineup is pretty decent. 3 - 8 have all had good ML seasons recently, with the exception of Bruce who will have one this year.

[ ]

In reply to by Jace

Opening day! 2004 - Grudzielanek 2b, Patterson cf, Sosa rf, Alou lf, Ramirez 3b, Lee 1b, A Gonzalez ss, Barrett c, Wood P 2006 - Pierre cf, Walker 2b, Lee 1b, Ramirez 3b, Jones rf, Barrett c, Murton lf, Cedeno ss, Zambarano P

Fukudome should be hitting 8th. A Japanese player who thrived in a league of junk ballers should be in a position to hit where he'll see similar pitches. Switch TheRiot and Fuk, and I'm fine with the lineup. (if you'll excuse me I am off to continue beating my dead horse)

MLB.tv is complete crap today...

about to make fun of Khalil Greene batting clean-up, he singles in a run.

Not surprisingly Cincinnati blacked out the Reds/Mets game in Nashville. They feel like they own the Nashville market (and do because of the draconian MLB TV rules) and since nobody cares about the Reds here no TV station will pick up their broadcasts. In retaliation the Reds black out our metro area. A great number of Nashville baseball fans despise the Reds because of their heavyhandedness in this respect. It's opening day, break a leg Joey Votto or Jay Bruce!

Vinny from Brooklyn you're on. Vinny- Dis Sabathia sucks!! How do you pay a guy....(fill in the rest)

Who filled out that lineup card for Houston? Dusty Baker? Kaz Matsui and Ivan Rodriguez batting 1st and 2nd with their career .331 and .339 OBPs. To be fair, Kaz did break .350 last season. But Rodriguez hasn't even been close to his mediocre career OBP in the past two years.

Cubs looking good. My only critique is they had a chance to run with Soriano-and they hit and ran into a dp. They had a chance to run again with 2 out in the 7th with Theriot on and Soriano up-no go. Whats up Lou? Put the pressure on baby! I'd say Reed Johnson will play tomorrow and forever...

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.