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

The Last Right

In the new CBA that will cover the years 2007-11, the right of a player to demand a trade if dealt while in the midst of a multi-year contract will be eliminated. In the previous CBA, players with at least five years of MLB service time who signed a multi-year contract with one team and who got traded to a second team before the contract expired had the option to make a trade demand during the Free-Agency Filing Period (first 15 days after close of World Series) after the conclusion of their first season (and ONLY after the conclusion of the first season) with the new team. Although there are quite a few players who have had this right over the years, it has rarely been exercised. The last time a player exercised this right was a year ago, when Diamondbacks RHP Javier Vazquez demanded a trade. Vazquez had signed a multi-year free-agent contract with the Yankees in 2003, and was traded to AZ after the 2004 season as part of the Randy Johnson deal. The Diamondbacks could have ignored Vazquez's demand and taken a chance that Vazquez would either withdraw his trade demand or not exercise his right to be a FA on March 15th, but the Diamondbacks chose to get what they could get back for him and dealt him to the White Sox for three players (RHPs Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino, and top CF prospect Chris Young). If the Diamondbacks had not traded Vazquez, and if Vazquez had then exercised his right to be a free-agent on March 15th, the remaining years on his contract as of March 15, 2006 (worth $24M 2006-07) would have been voided. This year, there are 18 MLB players with at least five years of MLB service time who have the right to demand a trade, the last time this right will be available: PITCHERS: Kris Benson (BAL) - $8M through 2007, or $15M through 2008 Ray King (COL) - $2.85M through 2007 Damaso Marte (PIT) - $3.25M through 2007, or $6M through 2008 Odalis Perez (KC) - $9.25M through 2007, or $16.75M through 2008 CATCHERS: Paul LoDuca (NYM) - $6.25M through 2007 FIRST-BASEMEN: Carlos Delgado (NYM) - $34.4M through 2008 or $42.4M through 2009 Jim Thome (CHW) - $31M through 2008 or $41M through 2009 SECOND-BASEMEN: Luis Castillo (MIN) - $5.75M through 2007 SHORTSTOP: Cesar Izturis (CHC) - $4.45M through 2007 or $10M through 2008 Neifi Perez (DET) - $2.5M through 2007 Edgar Renteria (ATL) - $21M through 2008, or $29M through 2009 THIRD-BASEMEN: Russell Branyan (SD) - $1M through 2007 Troy Glaus (TOR) - $34.25M through 2009 Eric Hinske (BOS) - $5.625M through 2007 Corey Koskie (MIL) - $6.25M through 2007 or $12.25M through 2008 Mike Lowell (BOS) - $9M through 2007 OUTFIELDERS: Bobby Abreu (NYY) - $17.5M through 2007 or $31.5M through 2008 Marlon Anderson (LAD) - $925K through 2007

Comments

Neifi is going to demand a trade to wherever Dusty winds up. Nice list, I wouldn't mind a year of Benson at $6 million. Maybe his wife could do a Marla Collins (? long time ago) for Playboy.

BTW, the 15-day Free-Agency Filing Period (when players eligible to be a free-agent or eligible to demand a trade can file, and during which time clubs retain exclusive negotiating rights with their own free-agents) could begin as early as tomorrow, if the Cardinals defeat the Tigers tonight. And unless there is another World Series rain-out, the Free-Agency Filing Period will begin no later than Monday. It is at this point when the Cubs will certainly exercise their club option and buy-out Kerry Wood's contract for $3M, allowing Woody to file for free-agency. It is also during this 15-day period when Henry Blanco, John Mabry, Wade Miller, and Juan Pierre, plus Wood, and also possibly Aramis Ramirez (if he exercises his player option to be a FA--and if the Cubs cannot re-sign him to a new contract or extension) can file for free-agency. The Free-Agent Filing Period will end (again, barring any additional World Series rain-outs) on November 11, 12, or 13, depending on when the World Series concludes. It is at this point when all 30 clubs will be free to sign MLB Type XX free-agents.

This is the only of the few real concession the players made in the new CBA. I do think the way this right was structured made it not likely to be exercised. Principally, becoming a free agent on March 15 is pretty late. The idea that a player not named Roger Clemens would get a fair market price for his talents at that time is slim and none. Player salaries are a function of demand, but at that time team rosters should generally be set (unlike Nov-Dec).

All quiet on the Western Front, Rory. when the bashing aramis article comes out in the trib, we'll know we're in trouble. That or the one praising Pedro Feliz.

As expected, the Cubs have hired long-time Piniella crony Matt Sinatro to be the new bullpen coach. Still left to be hired is a hitting coach and 1st base coach. With Quade, Rothschild, Sinatro, and Trammell all white guys, one (or both) of the remaining coaches will be a minority hire.

Ron Jackson and Chris Chambliss it is.... money on Chambliss

The Reds fired hitting instructor Chris Chambliss after the close of the 2006 season. And now, the rest of the story. (Hint: Not enough BABIP)

hitting coaches are probably the most worthless coaches in the bigs behind the 1b coach, but I love that Chambliss basically got fired cause the Reds offense nose-dived after trading Lopez and Kearns and they strikeout too much with Adam Dunn on the team. That seems justified....

And if the Reds want to change the look of their lineup, I'll take Ryan Freel, thank you. The Reds will trade any position player (like Sean Casey, Wily Mo Pena, Austin Kearns, and Felipe Lopez, for instance) for cheap pitchers, and as they proved last year in the deal for Juan Pierre, the Cubs have a boatload of young pitchers they can package in a trade. I'd hit Freel-Theriot 1-2, play Freel in CF until Felix Pie is ready, and then use Freel as a super-sub 3B-2B-LF-CF-RF after Pie arrives. A number of N.L. pitchers would have to be institutionalized if they had to face two cockroaches like Ryan Freel and Ryan Theriot at top of the Cubs batting order.

Word has it that Don Mattingly will be the new bench coach for Torre next year for the NYY. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2640046 Sports radio in NY is basically saying he is being groomed for when Torre leaves. They did mention Girardi, but with the NYY leaning so heavy on former Yankees, most people here believe Mattingly will be picked over even Girardi. It will be interesting to see what Girardi does next year if he strikes out on the NYY job, after striking out on the Cubs job. I like his idea of waiting till next year when the NYY job opens up, but if he doesn't think he will realistically get it, maybe it isn't such a good idea.

A hitting coach got fired because his team stopped hitting. How novel. Meanwhile, in Chicago, a pitching coach got rehired because his team stopped pitching...

Girardi's getting paid for the next 2 years by the Marlins. I don't think he needs to be in a rush to do anything.

Real Neal: "Joe Girardi is a former Yankee." Yes he is, sorry I meant REAL Yankee.

Rob G.: "Girardi's getting paid for the next 2 years by the Marlins." Yes, he is getting $750K each of the next 2 years plus whatever YES or FOX or whichever TV network pays him. But my guess is that doing TV is not what he wants to do. I think he wants to manage. I am sure he wanted one of the big jobs (Cubs or Yankees), and thought he would be able to land one of them, but now that seems out, so he really has no choice but to sit out and see what happens. "I don't think he needs to be in a rush to do anything." But weren't you the one who said there is a less than 1% chance that Girardi or Pineilla would sit out next year? I thought he would be the logical next choice for the NYY job, but if he can't get it, there aren't going to be many good jobs next year opening up unless something unforseen happens. Unless he is willing to take a job with a lower payroll team, he might be doing TV for awhile.

But weren't you the one who said there is a less than 1% chance that Girardi or Pineilla would sit out next year? I said that? Yes, he is getting $750K each of the next 2 years plus whatever YES or FOX or whichever TV network pays him. Was there a buyout of some sort?

my point remains though, Girardi doesn't have to do crap right now. He's a smart fella, get paid by the Marlins, take a cush broadcasting gig in the meantime and if a job he likes comes available, he'll listen. I'd be sitting at home with my family if someone was going to pay me 750,000 a year to do it. Hell, Cubs job will be open in 3 years again most likely, if not sooner.

Why don't the Cubs hire Girardi and make him an assistant to Jim Hendry -- this way when LouPa explodes Joe can pick up the pieces. All kiding aside, why cant the Cubs find some reason to hire Joe outside of manager?

what is Joe going to do? why does anyone think he's qualified for a front office position besides his Northwestern degree? Why would Giradi want to do anything but manage and who would want them on their staff at the moment if they didn't know him personally? Lou puts him on his staff and your talking about nothing but controversy if the Cubs struggle. Any manager that isn't completely safe in their job would be looking over their shoulder worrying that Girardi is pining for his job. Yanks is the only bench job that made sense cause him and Torre are friends and all, but there's a good chance that Girardi wouldn't want any part of that anyway.

with all the hate/distrust/etc. thrown on professional coaches the subject of girardi, even when faced with evidence that he shares traits with people who are hated, is somehow on another level that's not worthy of criticism or objectivity. just cuz the guy slapped on some catchers gear and gave a nice speech when kyle died it doesnt make him a hell of a manager. his first 3 months in florida were a f'n disaster. he hired a staff who couldnt even communicate with non-english speakers and carbon copied almost exactly yanks hired-gun clubhouse rules to apply to a bunch of kids. when the cubs "accidently" win its in spite of dusty/baylor/etc...when girardi wins its cuz of his masterful leadership even if he's sharing the same traits as the villians he's being compared to. what did girardi do to earn this status? people have been wanting him badly before he even managed his first game, some are willing to ignore his bad first missteps, and the guy isnt even very rounded in his ability to reach out to others.

Bids are due on the Trib today fwiw http://tinyurl.com/yn343u a decent article explaining there situation. Options include going private, selling all their assets or selling individual parts.

Rob G.: "I said that?" Yes you did on October 11, 2006 in the "Discovering Daisuke Matsuzaka" thread.

phil/etc... do they have e.pat playing SS in AFL?

I was referring to your specific question that they were going to sit and wait around for the Yanks job, not managing in general. Nice try putting words in my mouth though....

I don't know about E-pat, but Scott Moore has played 1b, 3b, SS and LF so far.

I don't know if it's already been mentioned, but I just read that Bruce Bochy agreed to a three year contract manage the Giants (ugh); cue the boos.

That should read "three year contract TO manage the Giants." Sorry.

what did bochy do in SD to let him walk? letting a guy explore other oportunities while a coach is one thing, but letting your manager openly search for managing work not only elsewhere, but within your own division, that's a weird one.

yeah, I believe the Padres didn't even ask for anything in return. How nice of them. Word had been brewing for awhile that Alderson wanted someone else in there, likely much cheaper. Isn't he the one who mentored Beane on the whole "managers are our bitches" and telling them how to act? I haven't read Moneyball in awhile though.

#29 of 33: By crunch (October 27, 2006 03:00 PM) phil/etc... do they have e.pat playing SS in AFL? --- CRUNCH: Eric Patterson is playing only 2B in the AFL, and he's not doing too well, either He looks very shaky in the field, almost like he is afraid to make an error (so then naturally he does). He seems to panic when the ball is hit to him, and then he makes a high throw, or he double clutches, or bobbles the ball, stuff like that. Offensively, he has been VERY good. He is a good bunter, and hits line drives into the gaps. And of course he has plus-speed and is a good base stealer. As ROB G mentioned. Scott Moore is playing various positions (3B-SS-1B-LF), but he defintely looks much better playing the infield, especially 3B. He plays LF like Matt Murton plays LF, but with a better arm. I'm not sure I would give up on Moore as a SS just yet, either. He has pretty good range. Offensively, his plate discipline has been very good (he was third in the AFL in walks as of a couple of days ago), and (like E-Pat) he has been smoking the ball to all fields. I am very impressed with Moore as a hitter and with his plate discipline. Jake Fox still can't hit a halfways good breaking ball, and he is likely to see more of those at the higher levels. He tries to pull everything and his head comes off the ball on almost every swing. He has yet to meet a fastball he doesn't like, though. He also swings at almost everything. But he can definitely pound the heater, and he has plus-power with a home run hitter's lofty upper-cut swing.

AZ PHIL: Who would be the top comparable player to Jake Fox?

Alderson was Beane's mentor, which is odd because there is extreme hatred from people on these boards and others for Beane, but nay a word on Alderson.

I don't understand the all the hatred aimed towards Billy Beane. What gives?

I don't understand the all the hatred aimed towards Billy Beane. What gives? our long history of winning as an organization gives us the right to look down upon lesser teams who have had a winning record in each of the last 8 seasons and made the playoffs in 5 of those seasons with a payroll close to half of ours. Don't you agree?

I agree in that regard, just seems like an odd way to worship (or despise) a guy who has elevated the Oakland organization to the heights they have reached, especially by the means they are doing so. And Rob, I like the way (most) polls are looking thus far in the keeper league.

Alderson was Beane's mentor, which is odd because there is extreme hatred from people on these boards and others for Beane, but nay a word on Alderson. Alderson didn't write a book about himself bragging about what a great baseball executive he is. Oh wait, Beane didn't do that either. To be fair, there aren't many people on this board singing Alderson's praises and wishing the Cubs were run more like the Padres either.

Rob G.: "I was referring to your specific question that they were going to sit and wait around for the Yanks job, not managing in general. Nice try putting words in my mouth though...." HA HA Nice job not expressing your self properly.

Nice job not expressing your self properly. WTF are you talking about Manny? on Oct 11th you wrote: (emphasis added) So what does everyone think of teh chances of Pinnela or Giraardi not taking any job this year and sitting on teh dielines and working for FOX or ESPN next year waiting for Torre's contract to finish? Unless he wins a WS next year, I can't see him getting a new deal. And even if he does, at his age, he might just want to walk away from the Steinbrenner and media hassle. my response on Oct 11th: less than 1% today from Manny: But weren't you the one who said there is a less than 1% chance that Girardi or Pineilla would sit out next year? then a bunch of other crap about whether I said that or not cause I forgot about it and then my response: I was referring to your specific question that they were going to sit and wait around for the Yanks job, not managing in general. Nice try putting words in my mouth though.... you're the only one who seems confused and trying to put words into my mouth. It was pretty clear what I was talking about on Oct. 11th

Owned

#38 of 44: By Carlos (October 27, 2006 03:25 PM) AZ PHIL: Who would be the top comparable player to Jake Fox? CARLOS: I guess Phil Nevin, although Fox doesn't have Nevin's "eye" or patience at the plate (yet). But everything else about Fox reminds me of Nevin. Fox still needs a lot of work on his defense, but he is not a total loss. While his arm isn't in the class of Henry Blanco, Jose Reyes, or Jake Muyco, he actually throws OK (as well or better than Geovany Soto, for instance, although Soto is an excellent "receiver" while Fox is not). Jake's main problem is with his catching mechanics (receivng skills). If Fox caught Carlos Zambrano on a regular basis, "Z" would lead the league in wild pitches. Fox has trouble stopping anything in the dirt, and he has difficulty catching balls that move a lot. But this is something that could be improved with diligent practice, to where he at least could be passable, if not a Gold Glove. Offensively, I could see him eventually being a slugger but with a mediocre BA (.240's maybe). His walk total will probably improve with experience. I would project Fox as an MLB back-up C-LF-RF-PH, although he could possibly improve his receiving skills enough to catch more often if he spent a couple or three more years catching most every day in AA or AAA. BTW, for those not aware of it, Jake Fox was Rich Hill's catcher at the University of Michigan.

AZ PHIL: After being up close and seeing the Cubs recent Farm hands on the Big Club this past season. I truly was not impressed when I compare their mediocrity with the Molina brothers. And the terrific Pudge... Our current main backstop is a nice offensive player but can't deliver that well throwing out runners, or calling a good game. And MY GOD! - the amount of balls that get past him...! It is a crime. He's got a good hot-temper, though. So I ask you, is there ANY hope that you've seen in the minors or AFL that leads you to believe that there is some real catching talent up and coming down the line?

Barrett was 5th in MLB this year with 10 passed balls Bengie Molia, AJ and Kojima were the same, Posada had 13, Ramon Hernandez as well In 2005, Barrett had 4 Passed balls (way down on the totem pole) In 2004, he had 8 Passed balls, 10th in MLB (one less than Damien Miller) As a team, we were 4th worst in Wild pitches in MLB with 68. Don't know where you can break that up for individual catchers. In 2005, we were 8th worst with 57 In 2004, we were 13th worst with 50 in 2003, we were 5th worst with 63 considering how wild our pitching staff is, tough to put all that blame on Barrett.

#48 of 48: By the E-Man (October 27, 2006 06:03 PM) AZ PHIL: After being up close and seeing the Cubs recent Farm hands on the Big Club this past season. I truly was not impressed when I compare their mediocrity with the Molina brothers. And the terrific Pudge... Our current main backstop is a nice offensive player but can't deliver that well throwing out runners, or calling a good game. And MY GOD! - the amount of balls that get past him...! It is a crime. He's got a good hot-temper, though. So I ask you, is there ANY hope that you've seen in the minors or AFL that leads you to believe that there is some real catching talent up and coming down the line? ---- E-MAN: No. Not catchers. If you could somehow take Jake Muyco's arm, Jose Reyes' quickness, Geovany Soto's old school receiving skills, Jake Fox's power, Chris Robinson's mind, Mark Reed's batting stroke, and Cory Vanderhook's intensity, and put them all together in one guy, then you would have something. But I don't know how to do that. The best hope would probably be Mark Reed. He doesn't have any power, but he is a good hitter (although he slumped at the end of 2006) and has an above-average arm. But Reed will be (at best) a left-handed version of Brad Ausmus. And Reed is probably three years away.

ROB G.: Well, I guess the total of SCORED passed balls were not the worst, but combining his overall defensive catching skills and game calling to date (shit-ass at throwing runners out, too) exposes his mediocrity at best behind the plate. But he sure can hit! Watching the two receivers representing the two leagues is really terrific, however. Seeing Pudge save two wild pitches shows me Barrett has a long way to go. And, Pudge's arm has not been tested THAT much in the ALCS or WS.

yes, Barrett can't throw out a runner to save his life, neither can Loduca or AJ. Barrett's not keeping us from winning anything. The game-calling thing is more perception than reality imho.

comparing Barrett and LoDuca - they are pretty similar on the "D". Lo Du pb 9 SB 84 CS 27 CS% .243 CERA 4.31 Barrett Pb10 SB 89 CS 21 CS%.191 CERA 4.57 I was reminded of the stat, "CERA", the ERA of the receiver while behind the plate. And here's "The Guru's" - Pudge: PB4 Sb 25 CS26 CS% .510 CERA 3.82

what was Pudge's CERA last year or his days with Texas? don't even get me started on that freakin stat...

Wild Thing, I believe the proper spelling is /pwned. "what is Joe going to do? why does anyone think he's qualified for a front office position besides his Northwestern degree?" Actually, I think a degree from NU makes you more qualified than about 95% of the GM's running clubs today.

Henry Blanco: SB 24 CS 18 CS 42.9% CERA 4.98 Michael Barrett SB 89 CS 21 CS 19,1% CERA 4.57 With all apologies to Andy Dolan, people who use CERA as a catcher evalution tool are retarded. It would be an interesting study to see if Blanco's 2006 campaign was the worst game calling effort ever, based on CERA an CS%.

REAL NEAL: "Actually, I think a degree from NU makes you more qualified than about 95% of the GM's running clubs today." Neal - Living up in Evanston, from what I know about Northwestern, the alumni network is "all-powerful" and a dedegree from N.U. certainly opens up a lot of doors around the country. Any athlete that gets a scholarship to N.U., Stanford, Harvard, etc., are not only getting the $100K in tuition paid for, but pretty big-ass earning potential. And, as you say, some pretty academically smart folks.

My parents both graduated from NU, my father twice, but I wasn't really bragging on it. I was more pointing out the lack of general business acumen that most ML GM's display.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.