Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

37 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (three slots are open)

Last updated 11-17-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 20
Adbert Alzolay 
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Porter Hodge
* Bailey Horn
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Luis Vazquez
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 7
Kevin Alcantara
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

 


Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Pirates - Wood vs. Liriano; Game 13 Thread

Submitted by Rob G. on

We're just an Albert Almora and Kyle Schwarber away from a full deck of prospects.

Travis Wood vs. Francisco Liriano

#Fowler CFHarrison 3B
Soler RF#Walker 2B
*Rizzo 1BMcCutchen CF
Bryant 3BHart 1B
Castro SSMarte LF
Denorfia LFKang SS
Castillo CCervelli C
Wood PRodriguez RF
Russell 2B*Liriano P

We had that awfully scary moment at the beginning of the game where a Starlin Castro fouled a ball that somehow hit a poor woman in the head that looked like she was trying to get back to her seat. It appeared the net just had a little too much give as the ball didn't go through or she was right up next to the net. Thankfully, all seems to be okay as she was released from the hospital.

As for the game, the Cubs squandered many an early opportunity, but ultimately prevailed on Kris Bryant's Little League home run that plated three and gave the Cubs a 4-1 lead at the time. Bryant did commit his second error already at third base but all is forgiven as long as your hitting .429/579/571.  Jake Arrieta was his usual awesome self, navigating a few hard hit balls in the first to just give up one run on 7 K's in 7 IP on just 100 pitches.

As for today, the big news is the very unexpected call-up of Addison Russell to take over second base from automatic out Herrera. Russell's call-up means the Cubs are putting out 5 of 8 position players that are 25 or under and Russell bumps Bryce Harper as the youngest player in the National League. And with Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara and Billy McKinney, it's not out of the realm of possibility that in a year or two we could see a lineup of all 8 positions filled with players that came up through the farm system (not all drafted, but acquired via trade and spent some time in the minors with the Cubs before becoming regulars).

As for batter vs. pitcher match-ups; Liriano has had his way with most of the Cubs lineup albeit in small doses. Beefy sports a decent 4/12 off him. The Pirates have had some success against Travis Wood so far, most notably;  J. Harrison with a 4/13, C. Hart 4/12, S. Marte 6/21 with 2 HR's, A. McCutchen 7/27 with 2 HR's and Cub-Killer Walker at 7/18 with a HR.

Tags
Cubs 2015 Game Thread

Comments

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:29 pm

so as of now, Cubs have the followng players under conrol through 2020:

Rizzo, Castro, Soler, Russell, Bryant, Lester, Alcantara, Baez, and of course guys like Schwarber, Almora and McKinney

Arrieta control goes through 2017, at which point he'll be entering his age 32 season, so not sure how much of a extension they'll go with there.

[ ]

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:53 pm

And their Opening Day payroll is only $120MM. With those guys under club control for the next many years they have some $$$$ to spend of FA or trades to get higher prices players. Heck they had a payroll of $144MM in 2010 that got them only 75 wins. Even if they only go up to that they have $24MM more to spend. Things are looking extremely positive...

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:09 pm

MLB Network debuting in-game "StatCast" tonight with the STL/WAS game. it goes beyond some eyecandy overlays on the broadcast, though. think of it as data collection with intelligent tools to determine start point/stop point/speed/ideal routes/etc from a nearly endless set of things one could collect with image analysis. all of this stuff collected together can paint a picture of all kinds of player tools. it was installed in limited parks last year and it's in every park this year. it's going to present a whole new range of data to work with that comes from the real world tied to specific players.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:15 pm

it totally will. it's like having a modern on-going NFL combine scouting exhibition 162 games a season. as long as you have control of distance measurement/time and target identification in your image the possibilities are almost limitless...from data you can extract to things you can add to the system to gain even more useful data.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:11 pm

lol rizzo hpb. standing on top of the plate is awesome.

Submitted by Transmission on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:17 pm

J.D. with the Bryant/Pujols comp that I've seen floating around a few websites lately.  Just incredible.

[ ]

Submitted by Transmission on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:30 pm

In plate discipline, sure, quite different.  I think J.D. and then random commenters' observations are more due to the idea of the big man who begins his career at 3B with a surprisingly compact and controlled swing, wide stance, and ability to hit it the opposite way with power.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:17 pm

Liriano has owned Castro in his career and got him on a K with runners on 2nd/3rd in 1st yet again.

Submitted by CTSteve on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:18 pm

Bryant is so used to hitting HRs that he doesn't know how to stop at a base that isn't home.

Submitted by Carlito on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:18 pm

Bryant is one of the best hitters I've ever seen and THE luckiest base runner I have ever seen. He's horrible and it works. Hahaha.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:25 pm

there's been better attendance at games AZPhil writes about here...this is oddly pathetic.

[ ]

Submitted by Carlito on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:08 pm

Honestly, he trips over bases and over-runs them on almost every play. Obviously he has to chill a little because he's going to roll an ankle, and obviously they are gonna start getting him on the over-runs. Don't get me wrong, I love him and aggressiveness and in sure it's just adrenaline etc. but it's uncanny how inept the Pirates get around him! It is Wizardly ... Obi Wan shit.

Submitted by CTSteve on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:01 pm

Manny-- Back in New Haven, after a 3-year stint in NYC.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:38 pm

Bears schedule out. Not great. Open at home vs. Packers. At Seattle week 3. Broncos, Packers and SF in consecutive weeks. Looks like 8-8 to me.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:48 pm

  1. vs. Packers
  2. vs. Cardinals
  3. @ Seahawks (afternoon game on Sunday)
  4. vs Raiders
  5. @ Chiefs
  6. @ Lions
  7. Bye
  8. vs. Vikings
  9. @ Chargers (Monday Night)
  10. @ Rams
  11. vs. Broncos
  12. @ Packers (Thanksgiving)
  13. vs. 49ers
  14. vs. Redskins
  15. @ Vikings
  16. @ Tampa Bay
  17. vs. Lions

limited Monday and Sunday nights and just the Thanksgiving game for a Thursday. Everything else at noon on Sunday which is beautiful.

[ ]

Submitted by Carlito on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:47 pm

I'm a huge Castro fan. I think anyone who thinks he is going to be shipped is way off base. He turned into a stud last year. He could end up at 3B ... But at this point the media is still about 2 years behind on their Castro story lines, still think he's an airhead and weak defender when he really is a very confident player on the rise. And young. And cheap.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:50 pm

if he can get 20HR power in there I like him a lot more...even if he moves off SS. He's a contact guy that this lineup needs desperately in the midst of all the K's.

I never thought they'd trade him unless someone paid a whole lot. Still might happen, but it's dependent on others being good that aren't right now.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:27 am

Carlito, I wouldn't call myself a fan but I do think Castro will put up impressive numbers, numbers we haven't seen yet, like 30 HRs now and again, and hits galore. (Sveum called him a hit-chaser.) But he's not as good as Addison Russell, so I hope and expect they will trade him for top-of-rotation pitching. There will be days when he hurts the Cubs and they will wince when they remember that they traded him voluntarily. But there's only room for one big dog at shortstop, and other teams need him there more than the Cubs do, even though they've been low-balling the Cubs so far. The Cub FO likes to talk about a player's "makeup." Brains is a big component of that. On the day that they passed out brains, Castro was turned around, daydreaming, his glove in his right hand, his back to the infield, spitting sunflower seeds.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:09 am

I was going to start this reply with "no offense intended," but actually I don't care. 1. Let's not get ahead of ourselves on Russell. I'm excited too, but one of the nice things about this call-up is that it gives him at least a taste of MLB and a chance to show what he's got vs. high quality pitching. He could be better than Castro, but right now Castro is a proven MLB shortstop and Russell is not. There are good reasons that the front office didn't dump Castro and fully commit to Russell, Baez, and Alcantara. 2. Russell's patience in the minors has been spotty, though sometimes pretty decent. But let's compare minor league numbers. Castro in 4 seasons, 1098 PA: .310/.362/.421 with 75 BB and 121 SO. Graduated to the majors during his age 20 season. Russell in 4 seasons, 1087 PA: .301/.377/.520 with 104 BB and 229 SO. Getting his first taste of the majors during his age 21 season. The two are quite comparable, with Russell showing more power but also more tendency to strike out. Starlin's walk rate sank and his SO rate rose during his time in the majors, not a terribly unusual trend. So, yeah, Russell is the better prospect than Castro was, but not by some enormous gap, nor is it safe to say he is the better player now. 3. The whole "Starlin is dumb" argument has no credibility unless it comes from someone who knows him personally, and it usually smacks of a particular brand of systemic racism that is still acceptable and maybe somewhat invisible from within baseball. It's a knee-jerk narrative with little support made possible largely by a narrative generated out of a Bobby Valentine comment made on the air when Starlin was still Russell's age. Let's not perpetuate this B.S.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:26 am

True, and I should actually say I don't intend any offense. I'm not trying to accuse VA Phil of being racist here; rather, I just want to point out that the "dumb Starlin" narrative was able to gain traction in the media due in part to race on multiple levels. I'd like to see its traction disappear entirely.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:25 am

I missed the dumb plays I guess, I rememeber a lot of checking out in exhibition games which is what they've been playing ever since he's been a Cub. If he effs up like that this year in a game that matters, it'll give some credence to the narrative.

They're not gonna trade Castro unless they have a player that needs a spot. Still got 3 places on the diamond to shove players (LF, CF and 2B) and currently not enough players to fill them. Russell is ridiculously young and if he doesn't do much until La Stella is healthy or Alcantara starts hitting, I can see him getting sent down.

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:01 am

But at a position like shortstop, playing on a bad team, he's done pretty well for a guy who just turned 25 and had little minor league training. Remember Aramis Ramirez when he first came up? And that awful shuffle from one side to another when a ground ball was hit to him? Remember his double clutching? He ironed both of those out, and trained on the job just like Castro is doing. Why suffer through all this and let someone else reap the benefits? Makes no sense. Castro is starting to play aggressively. This seems to play to his strength, and seems to also keep his head out of his ass. For me, I'm glad he worked on this stuff while the team sucked. I won't claim he isn't capable of a mental error again - unless he gets on a ritalin regimen or something, but good shortstops with team friendly contracts who hit are a premium. Theo is no dummy. He won't trade the guy unless he's overwhelmed, and that is the absolute right way to go about it.

[ ]

Submitted by Tito on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:09 am

Pretty sure I'm not arguing with you. :) I've always attributed anything negative Castro did to youth. His gaffes have been overblown. I'd be happy if they kept him for a long time. I wish he'd stop swinging at balls in the dirt, but maybe that's youth, too.

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:21 am

It's part of my current rant/theme, so comments aren't directed at you so much as this overall notion that he should be traded. I dunno if he'll ever stop swinging at balls in the dirt, but there's a chance he might. They tried to get him to be more selective a couple years ago and it kinda messed him up. With age, he may improve on that some, but it's not something you can really force, as long as he is making such good contact generally.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:55 pm

It all comes back to the idea, expressed frequently on this site, of punitive trading--trading guys you don't like. That's not a good way to think about this. I don't dislike Castro. It's hard to dislike a guy who is well on his way to 2,500+ hits. But even if I liked him more than I do, I would still trade him if I thought we had somebody better. "Don't trade him, then. Just move him over to the right or the left." A goal of any organization is to increase the aggregate value of its players. Given the same set of hitting skills, a shortstop is worth more than a third baseman, who in turn is worth more than a second baseman. So Castro is worth more to another team at shortstop than he is to the Cubs at second or third. You can trade him for a second baseman and a catcher, or for a third baseman and a pitcher. The second baseman you get back won't have a shortstop's arm, but he won't need it, and he may have more power or more speed. The third baseman you get back won't have a shortstop's range, but he won't need that, and he may have more power. In my view, the last thing the Cubs wanted to do was to make Baez or Russell move over. They are naturals at short, as many have noted. But the Cub brass had no choice, because Castro has to be marketed as a shortstop.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob Richardson on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:25 pm

If they need to trade a shortstop (which is a big if), IMO the Cubs are much more likely to trade Baez. It is hard to get value for a proven 25 year old three time all star who is under team control with a reasonable contract for a number of years. That said this management team has traded big name shortstops before on their way to winning the world series so who knows.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob Richardson on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:36 pm

They have two top of the rotation starters and they also need a major league quality SS and 2B, so unless you are going to count on the unproven trio of La Stella, Russell and Baez I don't see them trading Castro anytime soon. That said who know, it is very early maybe Russell and La Stella show they belong and Lester continues to underwhelm.

[ ]

Submitted by mannytrillo on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:26 pm

I agree the Cubs need to market Castro as a SS if they want to trade him and get the most value out of him. Now they might never get what they want for him, thus never trade him and have to decide which player is going to play out of position. But for time being leaving him at SS is the right thing to do.

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:31 pm

"But even if I liked him more than I do, I would still trade him if I thought we had somebody better" Well, yeah, but that's just it - they don't have someone better. If Russell is the prospect most think he is, he's probably going to be at second awhile until/unless Alcantara and Baez demonstrate something more than they have. That said, if someone offers something for Castro that is too good to pass up, I'm sure they'd make a deal. But I think GMs around the league are perfectly happy quoting Valentine and otherwise cultivating Castro's reputation during trade talks, and that probably ends those talks right there. Castro has to some extent earned his reputation, and it's kinda neat to hear him say he's trying to work on it. Most GMs know Castro is a high quality player, but the smart ones are going to try to steal him away. It's all a lot of fun, really, watching all of this play out. I find it so much easier to root for a team where the talent comes through the system than the Hendry journeymen. Castro's improvement last year was really cool to watch. I mentioned during spring training around these parts he may be ripe for a break out year, then wondered aloud what that might actually look like. Way too early to think we may be finding out, but at least it's trending nicely.

[ ]

Submitted by Carlito on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:57 pm

That's basically what I am trying to say: if you hear Harold Reynolds or someone talk about him it's like the Bobby Valantine play happens every day and last year didn't happen. And I think there is something to Charlie's point that it is part cultural. Yes Starlin earned part of his rep (at a very early age while playing for a crap team and outhitting most of the other players in the league) BUT Rizzo made a couple flat out lazy mental errors last year and they go away like vapor. Nice white boy. I'm not saying that's all of it -- he definitely has had his flighty moments -- but letting go of that storyline appears to e difficult. The other thing I am saying is that Starlin might be a serious badass not just an average badass.

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:15 pm

The other day JD called out Castro for a lazy run to first. That made curious about how Maddon enforces his Respect 90 thing. It really is a neat thing I think - at the very least, run hard to first base on every play, but I honestly am not seeing that happen from everyone - I'm seeing it a lot more than last year, that's for sure, but not every time. I wonder how he enforces it. Does he fine them for not doing? One, he doesn't seem like a fining type. Two, a fine can't mean much with today's salaries. Maybe he just points it out when it doesn't happen? Did he say anything to Castro the other day when he didn't do it? What about Castillo? I saw him get lazy to first, too recently.

[ ]

Submitted by mannytrillo on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:40 am

Agree with much of that, but don't agree with this statement: "There are good reasons that the front office didn't dump Castro and fully commit to Russell, Baez, and Alcantara." The Cubs, nor any fan that I can remember, tried to dump Castro. They clearly were trying to trade him for the right starting pitching piece. Nobody was biting this offseason at that price. That could change in season (especially with the Mets clearly competing this year).

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:57 pm

Yeah, that was an unintentional straw man. My bad. Also, apologies to VA Phil--my aggravation is more directed at the thing he brought up and not at him personally. I don't know how aggressive my reply actually came off, but in my head it seems too aggressive. Sorry.

[ ]

Submitted by mannytrillo on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:59 pm

Can't speak for VAPhil, but it don't come off too harsh to me, especially with your clarification right away. But I love your passion! I was hoping to get the Mets to deal Colon for Castro, what do you think? Ha ha, just messing with you.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 04/23/2015 - 04:22 pm

Apology appreciated and readily accepted, although it's unnecessary. You didn't strike a nerve there with me. It's not a sensitive point. I grew up on the south side and should have been a Sox fan like my dad, and even started out that way, until I noticed what a player named Ernie Banks was doing on the north side. I was turning ten--a baseball-impressionable age--when Banks won his second straight MVP. Take that, Aparicio! My next-favorite all-time Cub had to be Jenkins. I was probably too harsh on Castro. When Valentine went off on him, I thought it was a cheap shot. I just think Castro is a great conversation starter when Epstein and Hoyer talk to other GMs.

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:44 am

Thank you for that. I am absolutely baffled by the eagerness to trade Castro. Especially for starting pitching, which is being approached the right way by TheoCorp - throwing all kinds of arms against the wall to see what sticks. These days, today's good pitchers have a pretty decent probability of being tomorrow's garbage. Of course Castro, who just turned 25 this season, has had his issues during his development. He's also got something like 800 hits. Or more. God knows I don't keep track of these things. A lot, for someone his age. I'd love to see a list of most hits at age 25, in historic terms. Russell may be outstanding. Hasn't played two games in the majors yet. He may not be able to hit his way out of a paper bag. The list of failed outstanding prospects is too long to go trading a proven guy in order to slot in an unproven one. Even if Russell kicks ass, so far the Cubs are 0-2 on the second baseman front. Until either Alcantara or Baez figure things out, there's no logjam.

[ ]

Submitted by Carlito on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:24 pm

I don't think a lot of people watched the Cubs every day last year, and rightfully so. But to many of us who watched a bunch, there was a massive change in Castro's entire field presence last year. In the field but especially at the plate. Probably one of the most dramatic maturation dichotomies I've ever seen from the Sveum season to last year. That's why I say the press' story lines are 2 years old. Listen to MLB Tonight and it's like last year never happened. They still portray him as the air headed kid who swings at everything. To the discerning Cubs' fan though I think we see the difference. For anyone who has MLB subscription, if possible go back and watch the series in NY against the Mets, he pounded their asses from the plate, he had a strut that was confident and he tore their hearts out in the field. I think that's the guy we get most days now.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:47 pm

Hey Castillo, how about you run out of the box instead of watching a ball that should have been caught against the wall.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:55 pm

Oh crap.

Submitted by CTSteve on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:56 pm

Think of all the other ways Maddon could call to the bullpen to bring someone named "Schlitter" in.

Submitted by Charlie on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:07 pm

Dear Joe Maddon, What do you see in Brian Schlitter that the rest of us do not? Does he treat his mother kindly? Does he have nice handwriting? Is it just the facial hair? Sincerely, A Bewildered Fan

Submitted by sbwilliams on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:10 pm

Nice little play from Russell under pressure. Anyone got any theories what makes Schlitter so ineffective with his velocity? Doesn't seem he has much off-speed.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:11 pm

There's no excuse for that pitch with first base open. Maddon's achilles heel so far is this idiot.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:13 pm

I have a theory about Maddon/Schlitter. Fans need something to complain about with any manager. The Great Maddonini is simply obliging us.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:21 pm

I think Jackson has only had 2 appearances all year. I thought he has been forgotten about until he made a showing the other day. He has to be used more to at least give him a shot.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:26 pm

TIE!

Submitted by Transmission on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:27 pm

Just me, or is Castro selling out for power a bit more this year? Seems like there's more swing-from-the-ass-in-case-you-hit-it mode going on.  I mean, it's working, so no complaints here...

[ ]

Submitted by Transmission on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:36 pm

Hmm yeah, from 17.6 down to 13.7...  Still seems like I am seeing more step-in-the-bucket-and-uppercut-it swings  from Castro than I remember.  Zero complaints with the results, and the numbers say otherwise, so must just be me seeing something that's not quite there. That, or he's making a serious leap forward, being able to sell out for power while maintaining or improving contact...

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:29 pm

here's the test of bryant's luck...challenge on the play at home with the lead on the line.

Submitted by Transmission on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:30 pm

Safe.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:32 pm

Another great block of the plate by Cervelii. That is back to back nights. Saved the Pirates two runs maybe more.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:37 pm

That's two errors now by Bryant during the shift going to his left. Needs some work on that. Doubt they shift much in minors.

Submitted by sbwilliams on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:49 pm

Castillo has hit pretty well to start this year. Weird problem to have. I really don't like carrying three catchers though.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:49 pm

Good to see Castillo run out of the box on that one. Hopefully Maddon had a talk to him in the dugout.

Submitted by Carlito on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:58 pm

I think maybe we just don't pull the fucking starting pitchers so early. Lester and Wood were actually doing okay in those games. And if Spitter was all we had ... We had nothing. Get him off the roster as well.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:01 pm

Len: "I don't think we are far away from Edwin pitching in higher leverage situations." Nice fastball, and he can bring it all the way in a short appearance, and combine it with a slider like that. Why not?

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:04 pm

the only unfortunate thing is he's not bringing extra velocity in relief. a lot of guys can dial it up a bit when they move to the pen...a short workload + higher velocity may have brought something better than what we've gotten out of ejax so far. that said, he's still looked decently good in a middle relief role.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:02 pm

RALLY!

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:10 pm

SO DAMN TIED! SO DAMN MAN ON 3rd AND 0 OUTS!

Submitted by Transmission on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:10 pm

Easy to miss:  On the single, Bryant slid head-first into third without a play. Total face-plant

Submitted by sbwilliams on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:11 pm

It's really nice we keep getting Castro up in situations where we really need contact.

Submitted by johann on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:25 pm

I think Madden brings in Schlitter just so we can have fun seeing the Cubs come back again!

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:26 pm

that was awesome...just awesome. nothing extraordinary, just fun as hell.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:27 pm

Never a doubt...Ha ha! Great win. Team seems to have some good mojo going, hope it can last the entire year.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:50 pm

watching STL/WAS hoping STL loses... it's been too too TOO DAMN LONG since i've been able to give a shit whether another team won or lost when the cubs won. i couldn't get into the whole "cheering for a draft pick slot" thing with other team's wins and losses...not judging at all, that's a totally legit outlook given the situation...i just couldn't get into it. feels good.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 04:44 pm

danny dorn debuts for ARZ in the bottom 7th...32nd round pick in 06. 30 year old rookie for ARZ, 31 in 3 months...10 years in the minors. works a full count then walks. welcome to the show.

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:08 am

Scott Boras has a terrible idea to fix the service time issue.

http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-how-scott-boras-would-change-kris-b…

“For example, I would say that the union or somebody may come in and say that they’ve made a claim that this player is major-league ready,” Boras said. “And that to place him in the minor leagues would not be appropriate from a skills standpoint. And then all of a sudden, it’s subject to review by a panel of former managers or baseball experts.”

[ ]

Submitted by Ryno on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:43 am

The human factor and judgement calls are brought in to settle other disputes in baseball- I'm thinking about salary arbitration. Maybe give the athletes a single "call-up appeal" in which the athlete can make his case for being major league-ready. If he wins the appeal, his service clock starts even if the club doesn't call him up. If he loses, he cannot make any more appeals for the remainder of his career. I mean I'm not at all a Scott Boras fan, so it pains me to side with him on this issue, but I also recognize the inequity and unfairness of how the Cubs handled Kris Bryant. He was major league-ready last year.

[ ]

Submitted by mannytrillo on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:17 am

It might be unfair to Bryant, but two things: 1. There are very few players this scenario works against. 2. This is collectively bargained and agreed to by the players, and now he can also qualify for Super Two status, so not as big of a deal.

[ ]

Submitted by videographer on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:08 pm

Under Scott Boras' logic, the Cubs would have had to put Bryant on the roster which meant the Cubs needed to open a 40 man roster spot and send down or release a player on the 25 man roster. That could have been two players just to get Bryant on the opening day roster. This could also have affected the bullpen and restricted Maddon to one less pitcher to accommodate Bryant - all before the start of the season. However, by starting Bryant in the minors, a roster spot opened by attrition with Olt and LaStella going on the DL. Imagine other clubs in the central division watching such a scenario and hoping this arbitrary, off the field outcome, could help them competing against the Cubs and the effect in the standings. How does this arbitrary ruling continue during the season if the player is not playing up to the club's standards? Does a panel of MLB and Union representatives determine if a player can be sent down? All agents care about is their meal-ticket. Boras is no different. The sooner Bryant can hit the open market, the more money Boras Corp. can make. The media cannot get enough of Boras because he helps sell advertising and keeps the pundits in the spotlight. Get use to the Boras tom-foolery for the next 7 years. He will be pushing his agenda to squeeze every last cent from the paying Cubs' fans for Bryant services.

Submitted by Jackstraw on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:25 am

Since my mind has a tendency to wander at times...although it was never planned this way, for probably the first time in his baseball career, Javy Baez is watching the party from outside. I think we will find out if he can really do whatever the f%^& he wants since it has to be utterly clear to him what he needs to do to join Bryant and Soler again (with Russell to boot) and be part of the fun times that seem to be just starting on the big club with a chance for continuing for a long, long, long time. On the down side, the simple thing he has to accomplish (not swing and miss so much) is apparently really f&^%ing hard to do.

[ ]

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:05 am

From what I'm seeing so far early on is that this crew (Maddon and his coaches) are really emphasizing pitch selection. Maddon has said quite a bit that Baez's problem isn't mechanical so much as it is just swinging at everything. You look at Bryant (so far) and he is not looking at all like a guy with what? in the minors - Something around a 30% K rate? I can't imagine ever seeing Baez quite mastering the plate like Bryant has so far - emphasis on so far - but when he was coming up to the plate this spring pitchers' eyes were getting wide with delight. Not quite the reaction you hope for.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:08 am

3/44? Cubs were 0-79 last year when trailing in the ninth, according to Muskat Love

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:22 am

Dammit, I got up early to catch today's game because I thought it started at 6:05 am, not PM. #chompingatbit

Submitted by Carlito on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:43 am

The great thing about the Statcast is pretty soon we can get rid of these stupid players and just use prorated vintage Strat-O-Matic cards and get down to business. No more boring humans running around on grass and dirt.

[ ]

Submitted by mannytrillo on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:56 am

I watched a bit last night and some highlights and it is only on replays, so it makes it bearable to watch. But much of the stats they show in replays is standard stuff that really isn't helpful. It seems the more helpful stats they are gathering could be used off line, like defensive coverage and SB details (jump, speed to 2B, C release, etc.).

[ ]

Submitted by Carlito on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:17 pm

I'm mostly being the 'you kids get off my lawn' guy I guess. I don't like the crazy graphics (think hockey puck flaming streak graphic). BUT it is only on replays. None of the stats had any relevance to my understanding of the game. I'm sure that could change as they begin to associate 'perceived MPH, and # rotations' to some empirical outcomes. But for now the graphics are distracting and stats mean nothing to me -- and when they talk about an outfielder getting a good break on a ball and there being no room for error I find it redundant.

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:58 pm

Harrison 3B, Polanco RF, McCutchen CF, Walker 2B, Marte LF, Alvarez 1B, Cervelli C, Kang SS, Worley P for Pirates tonight

Submitted by dcf on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 04:26 pm

Maddon: “I have a lot of faith in this group. I think we are going to perform. But be patient. They are young. They are going to make mistakes. They’re going to have some bad days. It’s not going to be an oil painting every night. But if you have a creative mind’s eye, you can see over the next couple years (what) it’s going to possibly look like.” Interestingly, if you google "Joe Maddon" and "oil painting," you'll see that it is a figure of speech he has used several times before. Evidently, it means "a good thing," or at least a manner of play to be aspired to. If it's not an oil painting, it's not so great, but it's not necessarily a loss. I suppose you could even lose an oil painting if you lost an exceptionally well played game. Apologies to any students of Maddon's speech that have already noticed an documented this tendency.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    morel played somewhere besides 3rd and SS...he got 8 innings in CF, 2 putouts and an assist.

  • crunch (view)

    ryan flaherty new cubs bench coach.

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger wins comeback player of the year.  the AL winner was liam hendricks and his 5ip before he got tommy john...setting himself up for a 2025 shot at the award.

  • Bill (view)

    I hope that Perlaza goes on to have a successful career.  On most Cubs teams prior to the current administration, he would have been one of their more highly ranked prospects.  As far as the others are concerned, one or more may well go on to be much better than expected, but unfortunately there is no way to tell which one at the present time.  You can't keep everyone.

  • crunch (view)

    s.gray signs with the cards...3/75m

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Another one of the nine Cubs post-2023 Rule 9 minor league 6YFA has signed, as RHP Carlos Guzman (acquired from the Tigers for Zack McKinstry at the end of Spring Training) signed a 2024 minor league contract with the Mets. 

     

    So RHRP Yovanny Cruz (SD), C-INF P. J. Higgins (CIN), and now Carlos Guzman (NYM) have already signed 2024 minor league contracts with new MLB organizations, and OF Yonathan Perlaza is headed for Korea (Hanhwa Eagles).

  • crunch (view)

    ...and back to 3rd for another game.  at this point i'm gonna hang back and when/if he actually plays 1st then i'll find it notable.  i am glad he's playing a good amount of 3rd, though...give the club one more good look at him there.  shrug

  • crunch (view)

    morel played SS last night (no errors)...hit a homer and a double.  he's got 2 of both in 19PA.

  • crunch (view)

    e.escobar was throwing 95-97mph on his fastball in 2023.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    One more thing about Edwin Escobar. Even though he had accrued less than one year of MLB Service Time prior to signing with Nippon Ham in 2017 (he ended up eventually with Yokohama), he will have Article XIX-A rights by virtue of the seven seasons he spent in Japan. So he will be essentially locked on the 40-man roster (or at least he can't be outrighted without his consent), and he will be a FA whenever his contract expires. 

Click HERE for the last 50 comments