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

While Waiting for the Stove to Get Hot

My god, it’s nearly 70 today in the Midwest, a great day for a ballgame. But there won’t be one for several more months. Still, the weather gets an old guy’s mind on baseball…

So it’s official. Ryne Sandberg won’t be back in Des Moines next year to reprise his role as the skipper of the Iowa Cubs. One and done. No matter; no surprise. Baseball fans in minor league outposts have been used to the transience of ballplayers since way before free agency came to the big leagues.

This town has headquartered the following teams going back to the 1890’s: Prohibitionists, Hawkeyes, Midgets, Undertakers, Underwriters, Champs, Colts, Boosters, Demons, Bruins, Oaks and Cubs.

Sandberg was just the latest in a series of luminaries to spend at least a summer here. Eddie Cicotte won 18 games for the 1906 Des Moines Champs [who were managed by the finely named Dirty Jack Doyle] before later gaining infamy at the center of the Black Sox scandal. Vida Blue fanned 16 in a game while pitching for the Iowa Oaks in 1970. That’s still a record in the American Association. I can remember watching Blue stand on the mound here grinning at the hitters. He was part of the guts of the Oakland A’s team that passed through here en route to a three-peat; one of the last of the great big league dynasties.  Joe Rudi and Gene Tenace were Oak teammates of Blue’s. Tony LaRussa once played for the Oaks before becoming their manager in 1979, the same year when he was promoted to his first big league managerial post with the White Sox in midseason.

In between Cicotte and LaRussa, the Des Moines Demons hosted the first professional ballgame ever played under permanent lights in 1930. That club included a guy named Buckshot May and one Les Cox who hit a paltry .172 in only 58 AB’s – probably had a bad case of rabbit ears.

The ballpark where the town team finally settled over six decades ago was first christened Western Park, later renamed after a local sportswriter, rebuilt in the early 90’s with municipal assistance and then renamed again after its naming rights were sold to a local corporation, so the history of the place pretty well parallels the trend line of professional baseball itself since the latter half of the 20th century. Sportswriters have descended from balladeers to muckrakers and stadia in some cases can be seen as public/private whorehouses.

I’m one to decry the constant peripheral amusements that seem so obnoxious nowadays at sporting events of all stripes but my brief perusal of Des Moines’ background in professional baseball served as ample reminder that forerunners of the Jackass TV/movie franchise were commonplace even long before Bill Veeck and Charlie Finley arrived on the scene. As long ago as 1890 balloon ascensions and parachute jumps were used to lure people to games hereabouts.

Regarding that last one, were parachutes really around before airplanes? If so, couldn’t chickens have come before eggs?

Comments

...a new level in media reporting of breaking news...cute... "According to Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune, Mark Buehrle's wife wrote on her Facebook page that her husband was awarded with a Gold Glove for the American League."

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Good riddance to the most over-rated player of his era. Wow, how tough could it have been batting between Pete Rose and George Foster/Dan Driessen. Think Joe saw many fastballs? I'm not a flag-waving Ryno, should-have-been-named-manager, got-screwed-by-Hendry, Sandberg lover but if I had to listen to that piece of crap run him down one more time............. Morgan played 20 seasons vs. Sandberg played 15 seasons. Morgan's line: .271/.392/.819 vs. Sandberg at .285/.344/.796 Morgan: 268 HR vs. Sandberg at 282 HR Morgan had 1650 R, 1133 RBI, and 2,517 H vs. Sandberg at 1,318 R, 1,061 RBI, and 2,385 H However if you pro-rate Sandberg's averages over 20 years he would have scored 1,980 runs, 3,580 hits, 420 HR's, and 1,580 RBI's. Defensively, 9 time Gold Glove award winner at 2B with a career .989 fielding average. Joe Morgan couldn't carry Sandberg's jock strap.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I didn't mean to imply Sandberg would have hit those numbers or wouldn't have declined dramatically playing 5 more years. Instead, here was a player Morgan demonstrated a continual hard-on for who accomplished virtually the same or better stats playing 5 less full seasons. Not to mention he followed a guy with 4,200 lifetime hits and a batting order lauded by many as the most prolific since the 1927 Yankees. I saw them both play - in their primes - and Sandberg was better.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

I didn't mean to imply Sandberg would have hit those numbers or wouldn't have declined dramatically playing 5 more years. well that was exactly what you were implying even if not intended. nonetheless, Sandberg also had the benefit of there not being one 2bmen in the NL worth a damn for most of his career to help the AS and GG totals. I think Juan Samuel, Tommy Herr, Steve Sax were the de facto All-Star back-ups every year. (of course for all I remember Morgan could have had a similar advantage in the 70's, I don't know the landscape of 2b-men in his prime). and Morgan only played 500 more games than Sandberg, about 3 seasons worth, his first 2 years he barely played and there were a few injury-riddled season along the way. so what I'm basically saying is your analysis was mostly drivel, but I appreciate the unwavering homerism.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

Morgan was a truly great baseball player. He was also an arrogant, ignorant, insecure ex-ballplayer blowhard as a color commentator. He was also, to put it kindly, factually challenged. Any time he told a story from his playing days, you could count on him to be demonstrably factually wrong about one or more of the significant details he recounted in telling the story. Three spring to mind immediately: Claiming that he got his first major league hit in his first big league game to beat the Phillies in the game that started their losing streak that lost the pennant in 1964 (He debuted in 1963, not '64. He was hitless in his first game -- 0 for 1. In his 2nd game he did single in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Phils but he was an entire year too early for it to matter in their 1964 collapse). He also recalled listening on the radio as Koufax struck out Ernie Banks for the last out of his perfect game (Nope). Finally, he stated that the basket at Wrigley was called "Banks' Boulevard" and implied that it was because so many of Ernie's home runs landed in it instead of going over the wall (the basket wasn't installed until 1970, -- only 9 of his 290 Wrigley Field homers were hit after that). Those stories illustrate a couple of his more distasteful qualities -- his inflated sense of his own importance and a cowardly belittling of other great players (Sandberg & Banks). Arrogant douchebag. Don't let the door his you on the ass on your way out.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

I hate to be put in a position to have to defend Joe Morgan, who I hate as an announcer, but the last half of Ryno's career was a completely different era than what Morgan played in. HR's were much more plentiful starting in the late 80's, for various reasons. Morgan played half of his career in the 60's/early 70's, when pitching was much more dominant, hence the low avg., and then he hung on for several years after he was rapidly declining, with more bad averages. His prime years, from 28-33, stack up extremely well against Ryno (who is my favorite player of all time). Ryno had more power, Morgan stole WAY more bases. Ryno should be compared to the Jeff Kent's and Chase Utley's, not a guy from a different era like Morgan.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Morgan's best years were outstanding. Top ten OPS+ years: 186 (1976, MVP), 169 (1975, MVP), 159 (1974), 154 (1973), 149 (1972), 136 (1982), 132 (1966), 131 (1965), 130 (1967) and 116 (tie 1971 and 1983) Led league in walks and OBP 4 times. 689 steals and only 162 CS. Even led league in slugging once. Morgan's career OPS+ was 132. Sandberg's was 114. The big difference between them is the walks and OBP. Sandberg had more home run power in his best years. Sandberg's 10 best seasons by OPS+: 146 (1992), 140 (1984), 140 (1990), 138 (1991), 134 (1989), 131 (1985), 111 (1987), 108 (1988), 108 (1993, but only 503 PA) and 98 (1986 For all Morgan's rantings about Sabermetrics, from what I can tell Bill James just absolutely loved him as a player, even creating a stat called "Player Percentage Index" in the last Historical Baseball Abstract (consisting of weighted factors of fielding percentage, strikeout to walk ratio, stolen base percentage and walk frequency). This stat, apparently designed to evaluate baseball IQ, resulted in Morgan having the highest such percentage in baseball history.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I did not do a good job of describing the factor. The fielding factor is "The player's fielding percentage, compared to period norms for his era and his position." He compares Morgan's career fielding percentage (.981) to a norm for second basemen of his time (.977). I also did not include the last part of James's writeup, which is pretty funny: "in April 2000, Major League Baseball aired a promotional spot in which Peter Gammons, pitching, struck out Harold Reynolds. Broadcasting on ESPN on April 19, Joe Morgan was frothing at the mouth about this commercial. 'Harold Reynolds was a major league baseball player,' Morgan said over and over . . . I may be paraphrasing a little, because my VCR wasn't running. 'Harold Reynolds was an all-star. Peter Gammons does not strike him out. It's just wrong, and I'm not going to keep quiet about it. It's wrong. Peter Gammons does not strike out Harold Reynolds.' "Dear Joe: Does the phrase 'get over yourself' mean anything to you? This is not to deny that you were a major league player, and even that you were a better player than Harold Reynolds, who I suppose must have been an All-Star sometime; what the hell, Dave Chalk started two All-Star games. This is not to deny that you were a brilliant player, Joe, but you are becoming a self-important little prig. Grow up, you little weenie. People make fun of one another; this is called friendship. This is life; only self-important twits take offense at that kind of thing. Jeez, man, get a life. Preferably, not on television. Your friend, Bill James"

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

"if a trade for Gonzalez is not feasible" Between that comment and all the Dunn speculation, I'm a little concerned. I really thought Ricketts was tightening the belt for the franchise, basically hit ctrl-alt-delete for a year or so, let some money come off the books, trade Fuk, probably get what they could for Ramirez, let the youngsters play.... Not that Adrian Gonzalez couldn't be somebody to build a team around (then again, with all their established youth, why wouldn't SD??) but this is starting to smell like Hendry is talking Ricketts into just one more bloated, back-loaded contract (that's going to look like shit in a year or two) on his way out the door... hold me.

According to Barry Rosner, that when Hendry stated in Pat Listash news confernece that Sandberg was not interested in the Cubs AAA job that was news to Ryno. He never told Hendry that he wouldn't go back. Stay classy, Fat Ass.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

read the article Quoting Rozner's (not Rosner's) article in the Herald
1. Sandberg has been talking to several teams about major-league coaching and Triple-A managing jobs, after telling the Cubs he was no longer interested in managing THEIR top minor-league affiliate. Last week Cubs GM Jim Hendry announced what everyone else already knew, that Sandberg wasn't returning. "...but (Sandberg said) I want to coach and teach and continue to do that, whether it's in the minors or the majors. I'm committed to that. I always have been. I never stopped.”
So, Ryno told the Cubs he didn't want the AAA job, then Hendry announced it officially. But Ryno IS WILLING to coach in the minors elsewhere.
2. “Ryne felt it was in his best interests, and (Cubs) ownership's best interests, to not accept the job at Iowa,” said Sandberg's agent, Jim Turner. “He did not want ownership or the fans or Mike Quade to feel that he was sitting there waiting for a disappointing result and an ax to fall in Chicago. That's not how he's built.” Sandberg said a few weeks back that, “I had more press conferences this year because of what was happening (with Lou Piniella) in Chicago than I had the year I went in the Hall of Fame.” Another year of that wouldn't benefit anyone, so a clean break was best for all. “By not accepting the Des Moines job, Ryne's sending a clear signal to the 29 other teams,” Turner said. “He's serious about reaching his goal, and that goal can be reached with any major-league team.”

Bruce Levine chat transcript: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chicago/chat/_/id/35449 Here's a couple of blurbs: Zack B (East Lansing) Bruce,With the Cubs looking for a quality 1st basemen but with a limited budget it would seem that Adam Dunn and Adrian Gonzalez are long shots. With this in mind who do you believe would be the best fit at Wrigley of the remaining available players: Pena, Overbay, Johnson, LaRoche? What do you think? Bruce Levine (1:34 PM) Pena is probably the guy they'll look at. His .199 average is a little scary, but his power numbers are still good. The consensus in the Cubs is he'd hit .250, bring a great glove to 1B and be a solid force in the locker room. He's known as a great teammate with leadership abilities. That might be the direction they go. Paul (Chicago) Bruce, please list your three (3) most likely starting first basemen for the Cubs in 2011. Bruce Levine (1:40 PM) Colvin, Pena and Gonzalez.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chicago/chat/_/id/35449 "Paul (Chicago) Bruce, please list your three (3) most likely starting first basemen for the Cubs in 2011. Bruce Levine (1:40 PM) Colvin, Pena and Gonzalez." Really, Colvin most likely?? Thanks Bruce. Also has Hoff possibly heading to Japan, and Marshall being more comfy in the 'pen. Whatever. In an interesting side note, he's now pushing hard for Dunn on the South side. I'm pretty sure they have a budding relationship, and Levine doesn't like flying into Dulles. Just sayin

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

chicago only gave him a job and let him advance through the coaching system over people with decades more experience. poor ryno. i'm sure he wanted the cubs managing job, but it's not owed to him. i dunno how to gauge the player response at the end of the season with the "we definately want this dude" vs. "this dude can do this for someone" for quade, but meh...whatever...

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

He isn't the first ex big leaguer to be pissed about missing out on huge salaries, and won't be the last. Being a broadcaster doesn't help his issue with that. I've always felt he is angry about missing out. Sorry, Joe, move on.

what the fuck is going on at my old school? They're blowing people away.

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.