The Cubs have one of the deepest and most interesting groups of non-roster invitees in baseball, so get ready for a jumbo-sized edition of my notable NRIs, where I look at a whopping seventeen players!
RHP Chris Carpenter—Carpenter is something of an overrated prospect in my book. He’s undeniably got a nice fastball/curveball combination, but he’s already 25 and has never posted exceptional numbers. Even at his advanced age, Carpenter has only made three Triple-A starts. He should be a nice fourth starter in the end, but is already nearing his prime.
C Steve Clevenger—Something of an offensive catcher prospect, Clevenger hit .317/.367/.461 in Double-A last season. He struck out just 28 times in 88 games, and consistently puts the ball in play. However, he rarely walks. Not regarded as a premium defender, Clevenger caught 30 percent of attempted base thieves last year and is an adequate receiver. Everyone loves lefty-hitting catchers, so he’s likely ticketed for a role as a solid MLB backup. Soon to be 25, he’ll need to prove himself at Triple-A–where he struggled in 2009–first.
RHP Angel Guzman—Guzman is almost always hurt, but in the rare instances of health, he’s been quite solid, showcasing mid-90’s heat and a vicious power slider. The two big questions: Is he healthy, and if so, is his stuff back?
OF Brett Jackson—The best position-player prospect in the system, Jackson hit .316/.420/.517 in High-A and .276/.366/.465 in Double-A last year, chipping in 30 steals. His strikeout rate is a bit high, and his power isn’t quite all the way there yet, so he’s got some things to clean up in Triple-A, but he could be up at midseason and evolve into a very solid MLB center fielder.
RHP Jay Jackson—Like Carpenter, Jackson is a bit overhyped, as he’s more of an innings-eating fourth starter prospect than a budding ace. He allows a bunch of fly balls, and thus homers, and only whiffed 6.81 batters per nine innings in Triple-A last year. Still, he’s got a solid four-pitch mix and throws strikes. Jackson is a longshot for the fifth starter’s job, but he could be up quickly in 2011.
OF Reed Johnson—Johnson is one of those guys whom it’s weird to see on a minor league deal, but it’s justified after he hit just .262/.291/.366 for the Dodgers last year. He’s still a reliable corner-outfield glove, but his K/BB regressed badly in 2010, and that’s not the sort of thing that will necessarily improve at age 34.
1B/OF Bryan LaHair—LaHair was once a power prospect, but the power didn’t really show up until his prospectdom expired. The big lefty swinger made it to the big leagues in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2009, at age 26, that he began to hit like the fearsome power hitter his frame suggested. He’s hit 51 bombs between 2009 and 2010 in Triple-A, after hitting just 24 there 2007-08, but LaHair has never gotten a chance to improve on his .250/.316/.348 MLB line in 2008. He’s also branched out defensively since 2008, taking up the corner outfield spots in addition to his usual first base position, and has actually played quite solidly on D. He’s worthy of an MLB roster spot.
RHP Braden Looper—Looper almost certainly is not worthy of an MLB roster spot; he pitched very poorly in 2009 (5.22 ERA, 5.74 FIP) and couldn’t catch on anywhere in 2010. Now 36, he’s never gotten strikeouts, and his velocity is nowhere near where it was half a decade ago. Perhaps a season of rest could allow him to return to passable MLB form, but he’s probably best deployed as a long reliever, if anything.
RHP Trey McNutt—McNutt is the Cubs’ best prospect, at least in my book. Nobody could touch him at either A-ball level, as his fastball/curveball combination was just too much, particularly given his solid command. He looks like a future #2 starter, and could be in Chicago right around his 22nd birthday on August 2.
OF Luis Montanez—The erstwhile 3rd overall pick in the 2000 draft is back with the organization that first drafted him. Montanez really has never showed much outside of a huge year in Double-A in 2008, when he hit .335/.385/.601 and then went 33-for-112 with the Orioles. The past two seasons have brought sub-Mendoza Line averages in the majors with the Orioles, and Montanez has also struggled to stay healthy. The 2008 Montanez deserves a big league spot, but the 29-year-old has lots of work to do to get back in that form.
INF Scott Moore—Another guy on the Chicago-Baltimore shuttle the past few years, Moore is a career .223/.270/.370 hitter. Like Montanez, he’s a former top-10 pick who has largely struggled in pro ball, with the exception of some occasional good performance in the upper minors. He’s a versatile defender, but doesn’t stand out defensively at any one position, and his lack of plate discipline undermines his considerable power. There are worse 25th-man types, but that’s hardly a ringing endorsement. Moore is coming off a .209/.274/.337 line with the Orioles last year, although he hit a solid .280/.345/.476 in Triple-A.
INF Augie Ojeda—Another Cub with Baltimore connections (he was drafted by them), Ojeda is also on his second stint with Chicago. He brings what he always brings–more walks than strikeouts, solid defense all over the infield, zero power, and too many fly balls for a guy with zero power (which is why his averages are so low in spite of the fact that he almost never whiffs). At 36, little has changed for Ojeda since he first came up with Chicago a decade ago, and he’ll likely continue to be a rather average glove-oriented backup in 2011.
INF Bobby Scales—Scales is another veteran utility candidate. More offensively oriented than Ojeda, he hit .268/.397/.453 in Triple-A last year and is a career .248/.342/.401 hitter in the big leagues. Scales, however, can’t play shortstop, and like Moore, he’s not a better than average defender at any of his numerous positions. He certainly could be of some use to a big league roster in a utility role, though, with a better-than-average bat for a multipositional reserve. Still, don’t be shocked if the Cubs take Ojeda over him–defense can go a long way in these 25th man battles.
3B Marquez Smith—Smith tore the cover off the ball in Triple-A last year, hitting .314/.384/.574, proving yet again that power is often the last tool to develop. An exceptional defensive third baseman, Smith is very possibly a better player than incumbent Aramis Ramirez, though the latter’s contract prevents Chicago from opening up the hot corner for Smith. He could be bigtime trade bait, try to learn another position, sit on Chicago’s bench as a righty pinch-hitter, or spend yet another season in the Iowa cornfields. It’ll be interesting to see what Chicago elects to do with this late bloomer, but he sure could help somebody in 2011.
OF Brad Snyder—Speaking of guys that can help in 2011, here’s another one. Like Smith, this former first-round pick took a long time to really get going; Snyder didn’t make much noise until 2009, at which point he was 27. Injuries played a major part in his slow development in the Indians organization, but so did incredibly high strikeout totals. Undaunted, Snyder has hit .278/.335/.549 and .308/.381/.568 in the past two seasons in Triple-A. He’s a capable defensive outfielder and has swiped 29 bags in 37 attempts over the past two seasons. Yes, he was just 5-for-27 with the Cubs in 2010, but Snyder deserves a longer look.
3B Josh Vitters—I’ve never been a Vitters fan, mainly because I dislike his over-aggressive approach at the plate. He continues to rely on his contact skills to get him by, which is becoming more and more problematic as he moves up the ladder. It’s imperative for Cubs coaches to get a hold of Vitters and get him to stop swinging at everything; in the last two seasons, he’s walked a total of 33 times. Just 21, he has plenty of time to improve, and will start 2011 in Double-A, but Vitters’ inability to improve his weaknesses is quite concerning.
RHP Todd Wellemeyer—Yet another former Cub back on the North Side, Wellemeyer has just one good season on his resume: 2008, when he was coached by (of course) Dave Duncan. He’s never shed the “thrower” label, and his fastball continues to lose velocity, all the way down to a 90.2 mph average last season. He’s never been known for his offspeed stuff either, so it’s tough to say that there’s much left here, even though Wellemeyer is only 32.