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

Minor League System Update

Here are the team-by-team start breakdowns for the entire Cubs sytem again, including the major league team. What other information would you like to see in a report like this? CHICAGO CUBS C: Michael Barrett 15, Henry Blanco 5 1B: Derrek Lee 14, Todd Walker 5, John Mabry 1 2B: Todd Walker 11, Jerry Hairston 6, Neifi Perez 3 3B: Aramis Ramirez 18, Neifi Perez 2 SS: Ronny Cedeno 19, Neifi Perez 1 LF: Matt Murton 19, John Mabry 1 CF: Juan Pierre 20 RF: Jacque Jones 15, Angel Pagan 3, Freddie Bynum 1, John Mabry 1 SP: Carlos Zambrano 5, Glendon Rusch 4, Greg Maddux 4, Sean Marshall 4, Jerome Williams 2, Angel Guzman 1 IOWA CUBS (AAA) C: Geovany Soto 15, Casey Kopitzke 5 1B: Brandon Sing 15, Jeff Deardorff 4 2B: Mike Fontenot 11, Ryan Theriot 8, Buck Coats 1 3B: Casey McGehee 17, Jeff Deardorff 2, Buck Coats 1, Mike Fontenot 1 SS: Augie Ojeda 11, Ryan Theriot 9 LF: Mike Restovich 7, Jamal Strong 4, Jeff Deardorff 4, Matt Padgett 4, Ryan Theriot 1 CF: Felix Pie 19, Buck Coats 1 RF: Buck Coats 13, Mike Restovich 5, Ryan Theriot 1, Jamal Strong 1 SP: Jae-Kuk Ryu 4, Les Walrond 4, Raul Valdes 4, Rich Hill 4, Angel Guzman 3, Bobby Brownlie 1 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (AA) C: Tony Richie 11, Jose Reyes 3, Pete Farina 1 1B: Micah Hoffpauir 18, Brian Dopirak 1, Richard Lewis 1 2B: Eric Patterson 20 3B: Scott Moore 17, Richard Lewis 3 SS: Carlos Rojas 15, Gary Cates 5 LF: Luis Montanez 11, Richard Lewis 7, Micah Hoffpauir 1, Gary Cates 1 CF: Chris Walker 18, Adam Greenberg 2 RF: Adam Greenberg 13, Luis Montanez 7 DH: Richard Lewis 3, Scott Moore 1, Gary Cates 1 SP: J.R. Mathes 4, Carlos Marmol 4, Julio Mateo 4, Randy Wells 2, Chris Shaver 2, David Cash 1, Federico Baez 1, Carmen Pigniatello 1, Paul Shappert 1 DAYTONA CUBS (A+) C: Jacob Fox 14, Alan Rick 5 1B: Matt Craig 17, Issmael Salas 2 2B: Nate Spears 14, Issmael Salas 4, Danny Gonzalez 1 3B: Jemel Spearman 19 SS: Joe Simokaitis 17, Danny Gonzalez 2 LF: Nic Jackson 9, Jeff Culpepper 9, Issmael Salas 1 CF: Sam Fuld 19 RF: Ryan Harvey 15, Jeff Culpepper 4 DH: Nic Jackson 9, Jacob Fox 4, Olin Wick 3, Alan Rick 2, Ryan Harvey 1 SP: Justin Berg 4, Sean Gallagher 4, Mark Holliman 4, Grant Johnson 4, Luke Hagerty 2, Matt Weber 1 PEORIA CHIEFS (A) C: Jake Muyco 10, Mark Reed 8, Justin Morgan 2 1B: Ryan Norwood 17, Alberto Garcia 3 2B: Robinson Chirinos 18, Luis Rivera 2 3B: Brandon Taylor 18, Kyle Reynolds 2 SS: Dylan Johnston 15, Luis Rivera 3, Kyle Reynolds 2 LF: Jesus Valdez 11, Johnny Defendis 5, Alberto Garcia 4 CF: Davy Gregg 17, Matt Ciaramella 3 RF: Matt Ciaramella 13, Jesus Valdez 5, Johnny Defendis 2 DH: Alberto Garcia 11, Kevin Collins 5, Ryan Norwood 2, Robinson Chirinos 1, Johnny Defendis 1 SP: Donald Veal 4, Todd Blackford 4, Jesus Yepez 3, Mike Billek 3, Mitch Atkins 4, Scott Taylor 1

Comments

Hoffpauir and Sing should trade places. Sing is doing poorly and hurting the I-Cubs

"What other information would you like to see in a report like this?" A 20 next to Derrek Lee's name.

What other information would you like to see in a report like this? Maybe a simple stat, like OPS for position players and ERA for pitchers, just so we can get an at-a-glance idea of how they're doing. As ever, thanks for the great, great site.

At what point do we get worried about Pierre's 256/291/329 hitting line. While 20 games is a small sample size, it looks more and more like 2005 was the beginning of a trend.

Speaking of Juan Pierre: assuming (hoping) we don't resign him, what's the possibility of seeing Pie playing CF and Eric Patterson starting 2B for the Cubs next year? Supposedly, EPat projects to be a leadoff hitter with his speed and high OBP, and would effectively replace Pierre's bat, while allowing Pie to bat elsewhere in the lineup; he seems much more apt to hit somewhere in the 3 - 6 spots. Of course, this is assuming that the Cubs don't see Pie as a leadoff hitter, which unfortunately is probably the case.

Borowski-- Hadn't seen that. That is awesome.

Carroll had some good stuff about Wood in today's UTK. Not going to post it because it is a subscription article. Wood pitched 3 innings, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 39 pitches.

Wild thing... I don't have access to any of the articles but from what I recall I remember Hendry and Fleita repeatedly state that Pie doesn't belong at the top of the order and they are only batting him there to get him more ABs... sounds odd but I don't know why they'd say that publicly if that's not their intent.

I'd much rather see Pierre next year than Pie or Patterson #2. That's just my own personal opinion. I think he's great for the team.

ROBR, I think the time to get worried about Pierre's ability was the day after he got signed. Seriously, it's a problem. 82 AB's isn't all that small a sample really. Statistical trends tend to emerge at n=30. It's not like he's not making contact, he just seems to have completely lost whatever power he had, if that's even possible. I think pitchers have got the message that whenever you can just challenge the guy, because there's practically no chance he'll hurt you with extra bases. So the dude sees low strike after low strike and if he hits it, he hits it. SB's aren't that much of a concern, cause as fast as he is, he's only a 70% lifetime basestealer, which is just on the cusp of making the extra bases worth the extra outs. I'm not sure if there's a record for times grounding out to 2nd in a season, but I think Juan would give it a run for the money. I thought Pierre was a terrible trade when we made it, and I still think it was a terrible trade. I still can't believe we gave up three(!) prospects for this guy.

Raise your hand if you want Neifi and Patterson back at lead-off? Stop looking at Pierre's stats and look at how he makes our team better. This stuff doesn't show up in stats. His mere presence at the top of the order has changed our style of offense for the better. For example teams are so afraid of his speed that he distracts pitchers and causes defenses to make bad throws that result in key runs. I will argue/have argued that Pierre makes Walker an even more dangerous hitter. I can't believe people are so impatient with a guy that has had three 200 hit seasons before the age of 27.

Stop looking at Pierre's stats and look at how he makes our team better. This stuff doesn't show up in stats. His mere presence at the top of the order has changed our style of offense for the better. You didn't hear me, but I just shouted "Amen!"

Aren't his stats going to be a big part how he can make our team better? I am definitely concerned, although I was concerned when the trade was made. JP is not much different than Neifi with the bat, although his speed turns a few more of those grounders and bunts into infield hits.

well even if Pierre just repeats last year's numbers, it's better than what we had last year. Of course if he does repeat last year's numbers, he won't be getting the $10 mil payday he was hoping for and Hendry might think about resigning him.

Pierre's stats will play a large part in how he makes our team better, but he also has a ton of intangible benefits to this team. As mentioned before, his speed scares pitchers and defenses. He can also do little things like execute a bunt, and he won't hurt you with the strikeout. I think just as importantly, he's changed the attitude of the team. Instead of having a sulking, spoiled underachiever in CF, we have a guy who gets to the park earlier than everyone else and always has a smile on his face. Guys like that set an example for the other players. I've read articles about how guys noticed he was coming in early and then they started coming in early themselves. Those kinds of things are every bit as important as an extra 20 points on his batting average 20 games into the season. Plus, at least he's not clogging up the basepaths...

Here are some Pierre Stats, CAREER Batting Average versus LHP - .302 versus RHP - .304 THIS YEAR versus LHP - .167 versus RHP - .308 So, for some reason Pierre is having trouble with left hand pitching this year. It could be the quality of these pitchers, luck, or something physical. Whatever the problem, against RHP he's been the olde Pierre.

I should add that his OPS vs RHP this year is .756 while his career OPS vs RHP is .740 STATUS QUO There's nothing wrong with Pierre that some hits vs lefties won't fix.

from today's Chicago Sun-Times... >

Pierre is more reliant on luck than a drunk Shriner playing slots at the annual convention. He's a perennial BIP outlier and for someone with his hitting attributes or lack thereof, BABIP is a little bit speed, a tiny bit bat control and a whole lotta luck. He may stay in Endyville or bat .400 for June. Ask a Magic 8-Ball. I'll still take him ahead of Corey, because at least his outcomes are subject merely to chance and not to an innate compulsion burned into muscle memory.

I think we've learned that the Cubs (baker & hendry) are not really into giving young players a spot on the team until they've proven themselves at the major league level. The only way Pie or E-Pat are regulars next year is if they get into some games this year. It's possible for Pie, I don't see it being possible for E-Pat (considering he's not on the 40-man and the # of 2B we already have). If an injury occurs in the OF this year and Pie gets called up, we know Baker will treat him much the same as he did Murton last year and if Pie can perform decently, then he'll be given a shot in the spring. But Hendry will sign a backup plan either way (as he should).

E.Patterson is a year and a half removed from high school so I hope no one is expecting him to be ready for the majors in 2007. He struggled mightily in his AA call up last year. He needs to stay in AA for most of the season, if not all of the season, but if he's successful move up to AAA in August and then start next season at Iowa. If you start rushing guys like E.Patterson you're going to have a K.Patterson situation on your hands. Thankfully it hasn't happened to Marshall yet and I think Maddux is helping with that matter because that promotion could've ended badly. (see Rick Ankiel)

I'm having trouble processing both these statements: Pierre is more reliant on luck... and He's a perennial BIP outlier. If he's perennial, is he really lucky? I'm not a Pierre fan, per se. I'm just asking.

forgot to note that E.Patterson has 20 K's in 79 AB's. Sources close to me report that's nearly a quarter of the time. I'm guessing a leadoff spot in Chicago in 2007 isn't quite in the cards yet.

Levine is reporting that the Cubs & O's are in contact about a deal for Conine. This better be a case where the O's have offered Hendry Conine for nothing but the Cubs still decline.

E-Pat is out of college, not high school. Georgia Tech, 8th round pick, signed for 4th round money, 23 years old

Conine? Platoon right-fielder? 3 year splits vs lefties: 288/342/439 (all of that in Pro Player) passable right field defense, although who knows at age 40 what he still can give. I wouldn't complain if it didn't cost us much more than an average prospect. He's off to a horrible start but had a nice year last year. Doesn't have much power left though...

#25 of 27: By Bogey (April 27, 2006 01:48 PM) Levine is reporting that the Cubs & O's are in contact about a deal for Conine. This better be a case where the O's have offered Hendry Conine for nothing but the Cubs still decline. -- BOGEY: Jeff Conine is a Type XX FA, so he has an automatic "no trade" until June 15th. Even if Conine waives his "no trade," the Orioles cannot trade him for cash in excess of $50,000 and/or for a player or players making more than $50,000 aggregate (which would eliminate be any player on the Cubs 40-man roster), until June 15th.

Bogey: Levine is reporting that the Cubs & O's are in contact about a deal for Conine. This better be a case where the O's have offered Hendry Conine for nothing but the Cubs still decline. Rob G.:Conine? Platoon right-fielder? My first impression was for first base, not right-field.

No doubt, Rob. No such problems with Markakis, Phil!

My first impression was for first base, not right-field. Sadly that is probably what would happen, but somehow I doubt he can out-hit Walker and Walker at 1st solves the defensive 2nd base shortcomings. He certainly would be a better option as a platoon RF, imho. If you care to get angry, a Maddux rumor, please note MLB Trade Rumors does shoot down the deal (sort of): http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2006/04/cubs_shopping_m.html

re: Maddux being shopped. Has Gotham Baseball **ever** reported a rumor that proved to be true?

I would trade Maddux... For one of the following: A-Rod Pujols Wright & Beltran Yea...that would be about it. And not just because of Maddux's pitching ability. The only way that you can make a PR blunder like would be to get a superstar in return. And that is not going to happen.

"This should read from college. Eric played college ball at Georgia Tech after high school." Yes, that's my bad..I had my Patterson's mixed up...for some reason (probably because he's 26 now) I keep thinking K.Patterson went to G.Tech...plus I discussed him in the previous mesage. "My first impression was for first base, not right-field." That's what was reported...I would assume that he's intended for 1B...not that i would think it's going to happen...or it better NOT happen... and AZ Phil I don't think Conine would have a problem waiving his no trade when he's not playing everyday in BAL despite that ugly mess of mediocre 1B/OFers like Conine, Millar and Gibbons..although Gibbons has started to hit a little this year.

It wouldn't be baseball without crazy, unfounded trade rumors.

Rob, I think Conine can out hit Dusty's boy and JHJ. I think just in terms of offensive production Conine/Marby at 1b and Walk at 2nd is better than Walk at 1b and Neifi/JHJ at 2nd. Though I doubt this deal will happen cause Conine signed with them because he wanted to stay relatively close to Miami and BAL cant get anything for him like AZ Phil mentioned. The guy they should go after is Shea Hillenbrand. Toronto has a 1b/3b/DH logjam and could use a solid 5th Starter/long guy and a decent MI backup. How about Hillenbrand for Jwill and Theriot.

dave: For one of the following: ...Beltran... Hell nah, not with that contract. He's staying in NYC.

If he's perennial, is he really lucky? I'm not a Pierre fan, per se. I'm just asking. The BIP thing isn't luck - that's just something banjo hitters who don't hit XBHs, take walks or strikeout a lot do. BABIP, though, seems like it's luck-driven to me for slap hitters, Ichiro excepted.

Even last year Pierre hit .300 against lefties so I'm not worried at all and he has hit over .300 against lefties the past three years as well, so small sample size is just rearing its head.

Dave, I hear ya. I'd probably add a few other guys to that list (Peavy, Santana, M. Cabrera, King Felix) but that list has certainly shortened since the start of the year.

Write this down: GREG MADDUX WILL NOT BE TRADED THIS SEASON. The only possible was it could happen would be at that trading deadline with the Cubs well out of the playoffs. One of the dumbest rumors I have ever read. It makes no sense whatsoever!!!!

Kind of interesting....Len Kasper has been responding on the Desipio message board about what he is trying to do as an announcer for the Cubs. I don't know if the link will work but you can try and take a look. Ofcourse most of it comes with the usual Desipio humor and a million inside jokes, lol. http://www.desipio.com/messageboard/index.php?topic=2668.0

if pie keeps doing what pie is doing no one will have pierre to bitch about next year. there's not much reasoning behind throwing 6-8m a year for 3+ years at pierre when he's basically got 1 tool (of course that tool, speed, is easily a top-3 MLB tool...and his work ethic is incredible). yes pie will K, yes pie won't have the greatest avg/ob%...but pierre is 1 leg/ankle/foot injury from not only being down, but being totally 100% useless. he's got a hell of a great tool in his speed, but his entire game at bat and in the field hinges on that speed. given his age, and yes i know he's not geriatric, and his reliance on 1 single tool he's damn close to being a very dangerous long-term signing. i wouldnt complain about having him back, but its definately not a team neccesity given the risk/reward on pierre. the "downside" is...unless a speed 2nd baseman is signed pie probally would be the leadoff man outta neccesity. no matter how much he projects for power, he isnt a power hitter yet. its just not there. he'd also be the fastest guy on the roster, though he probally wont steal 30 bases.

No Crunch, he has more than one tool. He's a damn fine hitter. Tom Godwin had one tool.

damn fine hitter? i gotta disagree...if it wasnt for his legs you could probally discount a good chunk of hits from his game. pierre is a smart hitter, but a lotta it comes from the fact he has his speed to crutch on. ichiro is a damn fine hitter with speed...pierre is a damn hard worker who knows how to use his speed to get hits. pierre is very reliant on that tool of speed. ichiro is too, but he's a guy who can "place" a ball via contact. ichiro would probally lose a bunch hits to his loss of speed too, but he's a highly adaptable hitter who can not only take advantage of his speed, but compensate in times of lessened ability...plus he dont have to cover CF and has a great arm.

First thing is that he walks more than he strikes out and second he has a .305 career batting average. You see he's a good hitter who knows his strengths. He maximizes on his talents. As opposed to Corey Patterson who did not. Corey minimized his talents. Juan, good hitter. Corey, bad hitter.

walking more than he Ks isnt automatically great when you walk 40-45 times and K 35-45 times a year. he's putting about 550-600 balls in play. he has no power. he hits about 35 extra base hits outta 550-600 balls he puts into play. yes, he maximizes his tallent, but that speed enables him to do almost all of what he does.

Pierre's situation is really a win win for the cubs. He will be a type free agent at seasons end. So by offering him arbitration the cubs ensure that they either A. retain him in 07 for a reasonable 1yr contract or B. Lose him and receive a 1st and 2nd round pick as compensation. bottom line is that there is plenty of time left to evaluate his future value to the team.

ESPN is showing a video clip of the Delmon Young incident that was from a camera in CF. If this video (which has no sound) was not sped up, Young is done for the year. There is some speed behind this toss, it's not just a flip. Funny thing is that some scouts have compared Young to Albert Belle so I guess those predictions aren't too far off.

agreed on all counts aaron. lotta time to determine who/what the deal is in CF and if pie is in the mix.

Kind of disappointing and annoying to see in yesterday's Florida game that Ricky Nolasco gets the win and Joe Borowski the save. WTF. Pinto and Mitre I didn't miss one bit, but I knew we'd regret needing to throw Nolasco in to get Slappy. Pierre sucks, I'm very unhappy. And don't get me started on Jones. $14MM this year the Cubs are paying for these two stiffs. And $17MM for the perennial simulated game all-stars, Prior and Wood. Add in $6MM to Glendon Rusch and Neifi F. Perez, and remind me again why Jim Hendry got an extension??

Eric the Great- That is a very good question... And I am sure there will be many on here asking the same question when Dusty gets extended.

I'm gonna guess that Nolasco was the guy the Marlins really wanted and either Pinto or Mitre were the throw-in.

cubs giving up nolasco wasnt that big of a deal. he was a ranked cubs prospect arm, but he's not even a top 4-5 guy depending on how you wanna rank the arms. guzman, hill, and pawt. are no brainers as the 1-3 (even if you hate hill, his real world value is quite high and definately higher than nolasco)...marshall also plays a role. when nolasco ranks that deep in your system, you got some good tallent with the arms.

According to BA.com; Nolasco was the 7th ranked Cubs prospect behind Pawelek, Guzman, Hill & Marshall. He was rated as having the best control in the system. Of course they say Felix Pie is the best hitter for average and must be painfully unaware of the effect strikeouts have on average or something....

sadly, pie probally is the club's best hitter for average in the minors. his K numbers and K/BB ratio may not project well, but he still manages to get on base. myself, i dont think pie's bat projects extremely well in the bigs for average, but he's got very little compeition numbers-wise on his bat in the cubs minor league system.

btw, murton was BA's 04 pick for the cubs system best hitter for average and strike zone discipline.

well Murton makes sense... $20 virtual bucks says Cedeno and E-Pat have higher career averages than Pie. (assuming E-Pat doesn't completely flame out before he ever makes the majors).

Rob, I'll take that bet. Pie is going to be a superstar.

my biggest issue with pie is the fact the cubs will probally bring him up to play as a 22 year old before his power really has developed. like delmon "prozac" young, he's a guy who's pretty much ready, but probally wont properly flourish until he gets some age/experience/years on his body. the fielding is definately there and they got promise in their bats playing well above their age group. still, by the time their true value is realized they could very well spend 2-3 cheap years "growing up" in time to cash in on a big paycheck.

well remember, I'm just talking about batting average, nothing else. I have no doubts that Pie will be the better player over any of them.

Chad: "Pie is going to be a superstar." Man, we could take Pie's name out and inert one of MANY names in there and been 100% wrong. Go Cubs prospects!!! The best thing we do is hype our prospects and then unload the crap onto other teams for thei good players (Hill for ARam, Choi for Lee, just getting rid of Dubois and PAtterson). I do give Hendry tons of credit for that.

I think some of you should have taken a trip to Arizon in March. Our prospects never looked so talented. You're being unfair to Hendry.

Does anyone else remember when Hendry was comparing Pie to Lofton?? Don't get me wrong Kenny Lofton in his prime was a terrific player but FAR from a superstar. I haven't read anywhere that Pie is projected to be more than a 20 HR guy. But maybe that's just b/c i don't pay for any of reports...

you cant just make a broad statement about a hitting prospect cuz the team has sucked at developing them. every situation is different whether its pure suck or pure gold reguardless of the past. pie is 21 years old and he hasnt developed the power people wanna go on and on and on about, but for a guy of his age playing 2-5 years above his age level still holding his own...it's a very good sign. nothing is automatic and his K's are alarming, but he's got a lot useful tools. his D/arm are pretty much mlb-ready...CF or RF. harvey's probally gunning for RF'r of the future, but pie's got an edmonds-like CF'rs arm.

btw, yes i realize harvey is 2+ years away if he even makes it up...

woh...i would say that Lofton was a superstar in his prime. He was a phenomenal leadoff hitter and a great defender. With that said, him and Pie are nothing alike.

part of pie's hype for power involves him being more powerful than guys of his size and how fluid his swing is. most of his hype for power is based on looking at a 17-20 year old. he just has turned 21 this past february. pie may look like a string bean-sized player with a uniform on, but a lotta that is relative to his size/age...he's a damn athletic guy who's not all skin and bones.

I think barring an injury, Pie will be our CF and leadoff hitter next year. Just curious, does anyone know how Pie's power numbers compare with KPats in the minors?

Corey Patterson only spent three years in the minors. His Slugging dropped each year as he moved from A ( .592 ) to AA (.491 ) to AAA( .387 ). Pie's have gone up the last three years A (.388 ), A+ (.441), AA (59 games) (.554).

Watching the few ST games, I thought Pie had a long swing. Obviously, he's got fast hands, but speed goes away with age. Any other impressions of his swing?

Pie is a string bean now. But at the age of 27 I will be anyone that he will be close to 220 and a power hitter.

Delmon Young has been suspended indefinitely. You can watch him tossing his lethal weapon at the ump HERE. http://tinyurl.com/o2djo Make no mistake about it, it was thrown with authority. If the bat had missed the ump it might have hit his teammate up next.

Manny, I missed your post before. I know you have a lot of history to draw on to make your conclusion but I think the Pie is the real deal. While I am no expert in this field, I haven't been excited by a single Cub prospect since Mark Grace (whom I followed for some reason since he was at AAA).

CWTP: Delmon Young has been suspended indefinitely. You can watch him tossing his lethal weapon at the ump HERE. I saw that video, it's crazy. It's a long tradition that the umps are a symbol of authority and the players need to accept every call, even bad ones. It was a real bad call, but bad calls in the long run go both ways and he should have walked back to the dugout with his head down and mouth shut. I say ban him for a year and ONLY let him return if he agrees to take anger management courses.

Delmon Young has been suspended indefinitely. You can watch him tossing his lethal weapon at the ump HERE. Well, it was a ball. :) Ump had on a chest protector, what's the big deal? (dripping with sarcasm). I actually let out an audible, "oh, jeez" when I saw the bat fly into frame.

i just wonder what the real umps thought of a scab ump getting hit...bet more than a few had a laugh once the shock of it actually happening wore off.

I haven't been excited by a single Cub prospect since Mark Grace (whom I followed for some reason since he was at AAA). I'm hoping you meant hitting prospect, cause what Cub fan wasn't excited about Mark Prior?

That video reminds me of those old fake videos on America's Funniest home Videos where people would walk out of the camera sight, and then something bad would happen that was clearly set up. Obviously it wasn't fake, but it's amusing that the camera only caught the bat flying.

"I'm hoping you meant hitting prospect, cause what Cub fan wasn't excited about Mark Prior?" Or Wood...

Nic Jackson promoted to West Tenn & Greenberg to Iowa. Url is the Daytona Cubs press release on Jackson's promotion.

Rob, yes OF COURSE! I followed Wood and Prior's every move in the minor leagues.

or Corey Patterson... the most hyped can't miss prospect EVER in the Cubs farm system.

Hey Guys, thecubsguy.blogspot.com The site is still under construction and hopefully I can make it look nicer. If anyone knows how to alter the template to give it a cool "the cubs guy" theme, let me know. Thanks. This is my first column and it's my first exposure to people who can read and critique my work. I'm a college student at the University of Illinois and I'm majoring in Journalism with the intent of either becoming a sportswriter or a radio broadcast personality to cover the world of Chicago sports. My first true passion has always been the Cubs, and they (Tinker to Evers to Chance to Santo to Banks to Sandburg to Grace to Lee) will be the focus of my blog. My main goal and first priority is to provide my readers with reliable information on mine (and hopefully your) unhealthy obsession, The Chicago Cubs. The added bonus of this blog will be the feedback that you guys provide me with and the fact that it can help me, hopefully, put together a library of articles as well as gain some readers who enjoy my style. This will be my first experience with published writing, so bear with me through the growing pains that I'm sure I will go through in the coming months. Thanks guys, and here's to a solid 2006 season and beyond. Hopefully I can be your daily source for Cubs info, and hopefully I can supplement the guys at Cubscast, I just want to be one more outlet for Cubs support and information. I do not want to steal their thunder or anything like that, I just wnat to get some people to read and like my stuff. thecubsguy.blogspot.com

Cubs Guy...here is your first hint. Don't spam other blogs.

Hopefully I can be your daily source for Cubs info, and hopefully I can supplement the guys at Cubscast, I just want to be one more outlet for Cubs support and information. I do not want to steal their thunder or anything like that, I just wnat to get some people to read and like my stuff. Yeah this isn't the way to get your blog off the ground. You want to be our daily source of Cubs info? News Flash........Cub Reporter is most of ours, and they have a few years head start in the track record department. Writing 1 post and then go scrounging for hits is totally not cool. When I used to blog I would get about 3-4 e-mails a week with a new flash in the pan blogger wanting me to promote his site after 1 post. Most of them barely survive a month of a blogging. People will visit your site if you have something interesting to say or your style is what they like. That is the only way to get noticed. And that process takes time.

re: the delmon young replay at http://tinyurl.com/o2djo love the blase reaction by the catcher like nothing of interest happened ... ho-hum, ump just got wacked by a thrown bat, i think i'll just walk out to the mound for a chat.

Eric S, too true! I'm sure he's seen it all a million times. The only thing better would have been if Skip Caray were calling it. "Well, that's a called strike three, and it looks as if Young takes issue with that, and well, there he's committed attempted murder, and he'll exit the game. Our next telecast will be Thursday..."

Dusty Baker on the Cards checking Maddux for cheating: "I've been watching it for years. One thing for sure, he's not cheating. If you are, you have to get it from somewhere. You don't see him touching all parts of his body -- he gets the ball and throws it. [He can't be cheating] unless he's Spiderman and he's squeezing stuff out of his wrist." from Cubs.com "Maddux puts hot start up against Crew" ...and so begins the spiderman wrist conspiracy era. I always think of Yogi Berra when I read or hear Dusty talk. "And they give you cash which is just as good as money."

Statistical trends tend to emerge at n=30. Sometimes. It doesn't really apply to baseball stats. You can have fluke weeks, fluke months, even fluke seasons, as Cub fans can attest.

Sometimes. It doesn't really apply to baseball stats. Agreed...anyone remember Derek Jeter's April from last year?

not that I really care about someone trying to advertise their blog here, the Internet is a big wonderful place and there's room for everybody. But, you'd think he'd have the brain power to maybe change Cubscast to The Cub Reporter or something, I would think that would have been a better approach. Maybe actually having some posts up wouldn't hurt either. Maybe the beer is flowing a bit too much down at U of I. :)

Yea...I noticed that. Along with several typos. Not a good way to make me want to read your blog!

You guys are dicks. Who the F cares if he mentions his blog? Are you all threatened? You're all a bunch of dicks.

Z, Derek and Rusch out on the town...they're a walking benetton ad...too bad choi isnt a cub anymore or he could have joined them.

juan cruz (arz) is tentatively scheduled to pitch tommorow as a starter, btw...the 'cruz the starter' experiment continues...06 style.

Anyone hear how Prior did in his session yesterday? Arm still attached?

the Cubs' pitching staff throws a mean towel...remind me why the manager gets all the blame when the instructors are the ones who actually affect the team? Larry Rothschild should have been gone a year or two ago.

For those interested, Korey Patterson got his first base on balls of the season last night. You can't stop him, you only hope to contain him.

Anyone read that rumor starter site about Tony Clark. May be a good move if don't give up anything valuable. Like say, Williams.

I'm a TCR homie too, can't argue with regular good content that provokes and informs- not threatened by scavengers for readership, meh, why shop anywhere else. Even when Derek Smart got "called up", I stayed here. [well maybe I check him out now and then] but as always, I'm encouraging the TCR crowd to put their money where their eyeballs are, and scrounge up that link to the PayPal button; its always down there somewhere.

From the Trib - interesting scenario... The only way to get Pie in the lineup would be to move Matt Murton to first, a position he probably could learn quickly if his smooth ascension from Double A to the majors is any indication. That's not in the cards, however, so Pie is stuck at Iowaóat least for now. Move T-Dubya back to 2B, Murton at 1B w/ Pie in left...very intriguing.

I don't think pie is close to ready for MLB yet, but if someone insists then why wouldn't pie just replace jones?

Re: Delmon Young Not that I'm condoning it, but that pitch had to be atleast 4-6 inches outside. The catcher setup on the black only to move his glove significantly outside to catch it. He didn't even frame it well! It really was an atrocious call. Maybe some dirt kicking or personal insult would have been sufficient, but a thrown bat?

I don't know if people have realized how good Ronny Cedeno has been on offense in the first month.... .308 BA, .348 OBP, 6 2b, 2 3b, 6 RBI, 13 runs, 9 SO, 4 BB, and 4 sacrifice hits. If he can just stay around that range he could have a nice year. I do have a hunch as the season goes on that pitchers are going to go with more off-speed pitches out of the zone against him. So that average could go down to the .250's. But so far so good.

i think that ronny will be better than 250ish. Id surmise 275-280 will be closer to the range.

It really was an atrocious call. Over the course of a player's career he will get bad calls both in his favor and not in his favor.

Hey, I just wanted let you all know that the site that I announced the other day, thecubsguy.blogspot.com, will actually start getting material today, In about a half hour or so, I'll be posting the first Game Preview. Hopefully you'll all stop by and leave some good comments. thecubsguy.blogspot.com

Maybe they'll add your link to the blogroll here on TCR. *grin*

You guys are dicks. Who the F cares if he mentions his blog? Are you all threatened? You're all a bunch of dicks. Well since I don't know why anyone else would be threatened other then us writers, I thought the part where I said I don't care if anyone mentions there blog was kind of obvious. Just giving him some advertising advice....

I guess advertising blogsites is different than advertising for players for fantasy leagues or for selling season tickets or game tickets or meetings with other bloggers. I know, small sample size. How silly of the rest of us for noting the difference. Does that make us blog-haters or blog-lovers, I forget.

Chad - you are right. I am jealous that "The Cubs Guy" might steal some traffic from TCR. Why does it matter to me? Not really sure, but I am jealous anyway! It is pretty standard blog etiquette to not go on other blogs to advertise your own. And it is made worse when you donít have any content on it. I am not trying to be a "dick", but I am saying that this is not a good way to generate interest in your blog.

That's it I quit the TCR! I'm going to that other blog full time!!!!

"I actually let out an audible, "oh, jeez" when I saw the bat fly into frame." Back and to the left. Back and to the left. Back and to the left. I, for one, don't think Young was acting alone.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • 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.