10 more NRIs announced

[Jon]

Press Release[/url]"]Joining the previously announced Marquis Grissom, Augie Ojeda and Mike Restovich as non-roster invitees are: pitchers Bobby Brownlie, Carmen Pignatiello, Raul Valdez and Randy Wells; catchers Dennis Anderson and Jake Fox; infielders Casey McGehee and Brandon Sing and outfielders Buck Coats and Adam Greenberg.

[goonys evil twin]

Press Release[/url]"]Joining the previously announced Marquis Grissom, Augie Ojeda and Mike Restovich as non-roster invitees are: pitchers Bobby Brownlie, Carmen Pignatiello, Raul Valdez and Randy Wells; catchers Dennis Anderson and Jake Fox; infielders Casey McGehee and Brandon Sing and outfielders Buck Coats and Adam Greenberg.

 

All Cubs, right?

[Jon]

Except for Dennis Anderson, who was in the Florida system for 7 seasons. He'll be 28 and never made it beyond AA by the looks of it.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Does Sing have enough to possibly be the right-handed power bat off the bench we've been looking for?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Why isn't Fontenot on the list?

[rawaction]

So, is Buck Coats officially an OF again? I know he played a lot of CF last year. But I was hoping he'd get 1 more shot at SS. He's not horrible there.

[UK1679666180]

So, is Buck Coats officially an OF again? I know he played a lot of CF last year. But I was hoping he'd get 1 more shot at SS. He's not horrible there.

 

Agreed, his only shot a ML'er beyond a 5th OF'er is as a SS.

[CUBZ99]

I am hoping that Brownlie is finally going to come to spring training healthy and reverts back to the guy the Cubs thought they were getting when they drafted him.

[sporrer17]

A few interesting players on that list. Fox probably more as an extra body, but he's a talented player, IMO.

 

McGehee's value was much better as a C, but he moved back to 3b...

 

Sing would be a nice bat off the bench and to maybe get some ABs for Jones against LHs...and he would give us a backup 1b. I still like Greenberg as a backup, at least moreso than Grissom.

[craig]

Yes, Coats is done at SS.

 

Pretty much any catcher in AA or above, and many from A, get invited to spring training. So many pitchers throwing, you need a lot of catchers to handle them. Does not reflect anything serious about Anderson or Fox. Although it may be interesting that Ritchie was not invited while Fox and Anderson were. Probably doesn't reflect anything encouraging about Ritchie's status or future.

 

When you look at it, basically every pitcher or player in AA or AAA who's ever done anything or who is less than 28 years old gets invited. Pretty much all of the wTenn bunch are there, other than Bacon and Craig? Reyes, Sing, Theriot, Coats, Greenberg, Pie, Sing, Murton, that's eight of the guys who were starters early in the year. And of their pitchers, Nolasco and Pinto would have been had they not been traded, and even after losing them Valdez, Pigs, Marshall, Ryu, Marmol, Aardsma, and Wells are all in camp.

 

That Craig and Bacon didn't get invited probably reflects what roster-fill they are viewed to be.

 

Perhaps they'll add a number of other outside AAAA guys. But most winters they've had in a larger number of outside people. To have only Anderson, Grissom, Augie, and Restovich, that's probably a record low. Probably speaks to what a solid team WTenn had, and they probably want to reward those guys.

 

Perhaps the most surprising invite to me was Randy wells. He put up good numbers this year, but his usage and history don't suggest he's viewed as anything serious. His numbers were pretty good, though; 2.83 ERA, 110/29 K/W in 108 innings is very good, only 5 HR/108 innings is solid, .642 OPS-allowed is good. INterestingly enough his BABIP-allowed was probably unluckily high. (.321 if I figure the total number of at-bats being the number of hits plus 3 times the number of innings. But since a number of outs always result on the bases, via caught stealing, pickoffs, thrown out taking an extra base, and retired via double play, his BABIP-allowed was probably nearer .350.)

 

Wells is built well enough (6'4", 210) and young enough (played the season at age 22 before turning 23 during last week or so) and inexperienced enough (has only been pitching for two years) so that he may not have reached his ceiling yet?

 

Haven't gotten any especially positive comments on his stuff, though. And how he managed to allow only 5 HR's in 108 innings while having a GB/FB ratio of only 0.98 is somewhat questionable, may have gotten kind of lucky.

[abuck1220]

that's disappointing news about coats. i thought he looked much improved at ss last spring.

[stitchface]

Perhaps the most surprising invite to me was Randy wells. He put up good numbers this year, but his usage and history don't suggest he's viewed as anything serious. His numbers were pretty good, though; 2.83 ERA, 110/29 K/W in 108 innings is very good, only 5 HR/108 innings is solid, .642 OPS-allowed is good. INterestingly enough his BABIP-allowed was probably unluckily high. (.321 if I figure the total number of at-bats being the number of hits plus 3 times the number of innings. But since a number of outs always result on the bases, via caught stealing, pickoffs, thrown out taking an extra base, and retired via double play, his BABIP-allowed was probably nearer .350.)

 

At what level Craig? Those are outstanding numbers and peripherals. If the Cubs don't want to treat him seriously they should trade him to the A's. Also, do you know offhand what the average BABIP is? I thought it was around .330.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Perhaps the most surprising invite to me was Randy wells. He put up good numbers this year, but his usage and history don't suggest he's viewed as anything serious. His numbers were pretty good, though; 2.83 ERA, 110/29 K/W in 108 innings is very good, only 5 HR/108 innings is solid, .642 OPS-allowed is good. INterestingly enough his BABIP-allowed was probably unluckily high. (.321 if I figure the total number of at-bats being the number of hits plus 3 times the number of innings. But since a number of outs always result on the bases, via caught stealing, pickoffs, thrown out taking an extra base, and retired via double play, his BABIP-allowed was probably nearer .350.)

 

At what level Craig? Those are outstanding numbers and peripherals. If the Cubs don't want to treat him seriously they should trade him to the A's. Also, do you know offhand what the average BABIP is? I thought it was around .330.

 

High A Daytona with a brief stop at AA West Tenn.

[craig]

Also, do you know offhand what the average BABIP is? I thought it was around .330.

 

.280's.

[TenzilKem]

Maybe Wells could make the 25 man roster as 12th pitcher/emergency 3rd catcher.

 

We all know how Dusty loves versatility.

 

 

 

 

(Yes, I'm just kidding.)

[CuseCubFan69]

Why isn't Fontenot on the list?

 

Because everyone knows that he is the main reason the Cubs traded Sosa to Baltimore and blame him for the move.