The Cubs announced non- 40 man roster invitees to spring training.
Non-roster invitees serve several purposes in camp. First, they eat up innings to rest starters and known position players rehabbing from injury. Second, they get a chance to impress the team and maybe enhance their chances catching on with another club if they are cut. Third, there is a slim chance that one or two may actual make the opening day roster. Fourth, most likely, they are playing for a spot at Iowa.
The names of 16 non-roster invitees who have
signed Minor League contracts and will be invited to Spring Training include Brian Bogusevic, Brent Lillibridge and Darnell McDonald.
Bogusevic, 28, an Oak Lawn native, who attended De La
Salle Institute in Chicago. A left-handed hitter, he batted .203 with
seven home runs, nine doubles and 28 RBIs in 146 games last season with
the Astros.
McDonald, 34, is a former first-round pick, who has played for the
Orioles, Twins, Reds, Red Sox and Yankees since 2004. A right-handed
hitter, he batted .205 combined for the Red Sox and Yankees last season.
Another outfielder invited includes Johermyn Chavez, 23, who has not
played above the Double-A level. He batted .232 in 75 games with the
Mariners' Jackson team last season.
Lillibridge, 29, has played for the Braves, White Sox, Red Sox and
Indians, and posted a .213 average over five seasons. Last season, the
infielder was dealt twice. He opened the season with the White Sox, was
traded to the Red Sox in the Kevin Youkilis deal, then dealt one month
later to the Indians for Jose De La Torre. In four seasons with the
White Sox, Lillibridge batted .217. He is a versatile player and has
played all positions except catcher.
The Cubs also invited infielder Alberto Gonzalez, 29, who has played for
the Yankees, Nationals, Padres and Rangers. Last season, he batted .241
in 24 games with Texas.
Edwin Maysonet, 31, who batted .250 in 30 games with the Brewers last
season, also received an invite, as did first baseman/outfielder Brad
Nelson, 30, who has not played in the big leagues since 2009 with the
Brewers. A fourth-round pick by the Brewers in 2001, he spent all of
2012 with the Rangers' Triple-A Round Rock team, batting .279 with 24
home runs and 81 RBIs in 132 games.
Catcher J.C. Boscan, 33, who has spent 16 seasons in the Minor Leagues,
also received an invite to Spring Training. Last season, he batted .189
for the Braves' Triple-A Gwinnett team.
The Cubs also invited eight pitchers, including right-handers Andrew
Carpenter, Jaye Chapman, Dayan Diaz, Jensen Lewis, Blake Parker, Zack
Putnam and Cory Wade, and lefty Hisanori Takahashi.
Carpenter, 27, has appeared in 23 Major League games over five seasons
with the Phillies, Padres and Blue Jays. The Cubs acquired Chapman, 25,
from the Braves last July in the Paul Maholm deal, and he appeared in 14
games.
Parker, 27, was selected by the Cubs' in the 16th round of the 2006
Draft and opened last year at Triple-A Iowa. He was promoted to the big
league team in mid-May, but appeared in seven games before he was shut
down with a right elbow injury.
Putnam, 25, has compiled a 3.90 ERA over 171 games in five Minor League
seasons with the Indians and Rockies, while Lewis, 28, has a 3.32 ERA in
196 games over eight seasons in the Indians' Minor League system.
Takahashi, 37, has a 14-12 record, 3.97 ERA in 165 games (12 starts) for
the Mets, Angels and Pirates. He pitched for the Yomiuri Giants before
coming to the U.S. Major Leagues in 2010.
The Cubs also signed former big league pitcher Dontrelle Willis, but he
received a Minor League deal and was invited to the Minor League camp.
Willis, who turns 31 on Saturday, has pitched for the Marlins, Tigers,
Diamondbacks and Reds, compiling a 72-69 record and 4.17 ERA over nine
seasons. He was on the World Series champion Marlins team in 2003, and
won National League Rookie of the Year honors that year, posting a 14-6
record and 3.30 ERA. He finished second in the Cy Young Award balloting
in 2005, when he won 22 games.
All four outfielder- infielders have batted well under .250. These are pure journeymen hanging on to a thread of a career. The only one who may have a chance to stick is Lillibridge, based upon the amount of positions he can play, as the 25th man bench player.
Catcher Boscan is headed toward Iowa. He is in camp to catch the pitchers in their workouts like bullpen catchers would do during the season.
There may be one or two bullpen pitching slots open. I believe that Takahashi will make the squad unless he has a horrible spring training or he gets hurt. Willis is a scratch off lottery ticket; extremely doubtful that he will make any strides with his control issues. The rest of the pitchers are a cast of career minor-league types, mostly with limited big league experience. Out of the group, the one with the best shot of making the team would be Putnam, who the Cubs re-acquired this off-season after the winter meetings.
