Cubs Unleash the Wood at Diablo Park

Trey Martin laced a bases-loaded triple to key a six-run 2nd inning, and Javier Baez and Jeimer Candelario each blasted a two-run home run to highlight a five-run 9th, as the Cubs rode a 21-hit attack en route to a 14-5 thrashing of the Angels in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Diablo Park Field #3 in Tempe, AZ.

The game was extended an extra inning so that all of the pitchers who were scheduled to throw could get their work.

The Cubs offense was on full display today.

Besides hitting his 6th HR in 22 EXST games, Javier Baez singled and walked (his first walk in 110+ professional PA), Trey Martin added a double to his bases-clearing triple, Jeimer Candelario singled twice and walked in addition to his two-run HR, Kevin Encarnacion had four hits including two RBI singles, and Neftali Rosario singled twice and doubled and scored two runs.

Recently-signed catcher Brian Esposito made his Cub debut in today’s game, catching the first five innings before moving to DH.

Now 33 years old, Esposito was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2000 draft out of the U. of Connecticut, and had spent the previous 12 seasons playing for a half-dozen different organizations, mostly at the AA level. He also saw a little bit of MLB action with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 and with the Houston Astros in 2010. He is a career 216/254/304 hitter in 724 minor league games.


1a. Trey Martin, CF-DH: 2-4 (F-8, 3B, 2B, E-5, R, 3 RBI)
1b. Wilson Contreras, PH: 1-1 (1B, R)
2a. Brian Inoa, 2B: 0-2 (4-3, F-9 SF, F-9, RBI)
2b. Danny Lockhart, 2B: 0-2 (6-3, 4-3)
3. Javier Baez, SS: 2-4 (1B, K, BB, P-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)
4. Brian Esposito, C-DH: 0-4 (5-3, P-6, P-4, 4-3, BB, R)
5. Dan Vogelbach, 1B: 2-5 (K, P-6, 2B, P-5, 1B, 2 R)
6. Xavier Batista, LF-DH: 1-3 (1B, K, F-7 SF, K, F-8 SF, R, 2 RBI)
7. Jeimer Candelario, 3B: 3-4 (1B, 4-3, BB, 1B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)
8. Neftali Rosario, DH-C: 3-5 (1B, 2B, 1B, F-9, F-8, 2 R)
9. Kevin Encarnacion, RF: 4-5 (1B, 1B, 3-U, 1B, 1B, R, 2 RBI)
10a. Dong-Yub Kim, DH #2: 2-3 (1B, F-7, 1B, R, RBI)
10b. Garrett Schlecht, CF: 0-2 (4-3, E-5)
11b. Trevor Gretzky, DH-LF: 1-3 (1B, K, P-6)

1. Tayler Scott: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 54 pitches (34 strikes), 2/4 GO/FO
2. Felix Pena: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 33 pitches (23 strikes), 3/3 GO/FO
3. Pete Levitt: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, 26 pitches (17 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO
4. Roderik Pichardo: 1.2 IP, 1 H 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 29 pitches (18 strikes), 1/3 GO/FO

1B Dan Vogelbach - E-3 (missed catch on what should have been 1-3 GO allowed batter to reach base safely)

LF Trevor Gretzky - threw out batter 7-4 trying to stretch a single into a double


WEATHER: Sunny & VERY breezy with temperatures in the 90’s

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Great stuff!

What are Baez's updated #'s?

Fri, 05/18/2012 - 4:14pm — ahs430

Great stuff!

What are Baez's updated #'s?


AHS: Up-to-the-minute EXST stats:

22 GAMES - 79 PA
5 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 18 R, 1/21 BB/K, 2 HBP, 7 SB (1 CS)

Awesome! Thank you!

Bruce Levine says Steve Clevenger will go out on a rehab assignment on Monday.

Cubs unleash the Wood...thought that was a final Kerry pun.

Bruce Miles‏@BruceMiles2112

Iowa spies say Randy Wells headed to Chicago.

Verlander no-hitter through 6 vs. Pirates. Not sure if that will count.

With a headline like that, no wonder Phil Rogers didn't include an actual link to the site.


Unleash the wood. It could be interpreted in different ways. Get it? Where's your sense of sophomoric humor? It was a low rent joke, not worthy of any further explanation.

verlander about to go into the 9th, still going for the no-hitter

ex-Cub Josh Harrison breaks it up with 1 out in the 9th.

What a dildo. My fantasy team needed the nh just to catch up.

As with Randy Wells last month, Optional Assignment Waivers had to be secured before Chris Volstad could be optioned to the minors (that's because Volstad made his debut on an MLB 25-man roster more than three years ago).

Optional Assignment Waivers are revocable the first time they are requested in a given waiver period, and can be requested at any time in a given waiver period starting on 2/16 up through the conclusion of the MLB regular season. Once secured, the waivers are good for the balance of that waiver period. (EXCEPTION: A player cannot be optioned to the minors and Optional Assignment Waivers cannot be requested or secured during the off-season beginning with the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season, and all players on Optional Assignment must be recalled no later than the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season).

The easiest way for a GM to navigate Optional Assignment Waivers is to place all players on the club's MLB Active List (25-man roster) who require Optional Waivers before they can be optioned to the minors on Optional Waivers at the beginning of each waiver period. (Clubs will often do this with Trade Assignment Waivers after the July 31st trade deadline, too). Seven players can be placed on Assignment Waivers (Trade, Optional, and/or Outright) every day, so the process can be done very quickly. And because Optional Waivers are revocable the first time they are requested in a given waiver period, if a player were to be claimed (which is unlikely), the waiver request can be withdrawn, and the club would know that if that player were to be placed on Optional Assignment Waivers again later in that same waiver period, the waivers would then become irrevocable and could not be withdrawn if a claim was made.

The current waiver period commenced on the 31st day of the MLB regular season (which was May 4th), so the Cubs requested Optional Assignment Waivers on Volstad sometime earlier in the waiver period. If it had not been done this way, the Cubs would have had to DFA Volstad today and wait two days for him to clear waivers before he could have been optioned to Iowa.

The current waiver period runs through July 31st, so if the Cubs were to recall Volstad sometime later in the waiver period, they could option him back to the minors again prior to August 1st without having to secure Optional Assignment Waivers again.

This may be WAY 3/44 (I haven't been here forever), but have we discussed the fact that Phil Rogers' minors source is our own Az Phil?!?!?


Very 3/44, but thanks for noticing

And thanks for keeping me honest :)

Tony S, that is so 3/44 its like...6/88!

Speaking of, I JUST heard the Cubs/Dodgers/whoever offered Jason Schmidt 6/88!!!

....No? Just me? ...... Well then, nevermind....

Hey AZ Phil, just curious, is Frank Batista eligible for Rule V next year?

Yes, Frank Batista should be on the list.

Jeffry Antigua, LHP
Frank Batista, RHP
Justin Bour, 1B
Michael Brenly, C
Michael Burgess, OF
David Cales, RHP
Esmailin Caridad, RHP
Matt Cerda, INF
Hunter Cervenka, LHP
Evan Crawford, OF
Willengton Cruz, LHP
Antonio Encarnacion, RHP
Eduardo Figueroa, RHP
Luis Flores, C
Ramon Garcia, RHP
Gregori Gonzalez, IF-OF
Marcus Hatley, RHP
Ty’Relle Harris, RHP
Graham Hicks, LHP
Brett Jackson, OF
Jay Jackson, RHP
Alvido Jimenez, RHP
Richard Jones,1B
Austin Kirk, LHP
Luis Liria, RHP
Jeff Lorick, LHP
David Macias, IF-OF
Nate Maldonado, C
Trey McNutt, RHP
Pedro Medina, RHP (ex-OF)
Jose Montesino, INF
A. J. Morris, RHP
Enyelberth Pena, RHP
Felix Pena, RHP
Starling Peralta, RHP
Nelson Perez, OF
Roderik Pichardo, RHP
Brooks Raley, LHP
Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP
Rebel Ridling, 1B
Greg Rohan, IF-OF
Melvin Rosa, RHP
Jose Rosario, RHP
Zac Rosscup, LHP
Chris Rusin, LHP
Julio Sanchez, RHP
Brian Schlitter, RHP
Ryan Searle, RHP
Matt Spencer, LHP (ex-OF)
Nick Struck, RHP
Larry Suarez, RHP
Francisco Turbi, RHP
Brett Wallach, RHP
Logan Watkins, INF
Casey Weathers, RHP
Rob Whitenack, RHP
Ty Wright, OF


Manny Corpas, RHP
Frankie de la Cruz, RHP
Blake DeWitt, INF
Rodrigo Lopez, RHP


Jim Adduci, OF
Alfredo Amezaga, IF-OF
Juan Apodaca, C
Justin Berg, RHP
Kyler Burke, LHP
Brian Esposito, C
Mike MacDougal, RHP
Jonathon Mota, INF
Nate Robertson, LHP
Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP
Nate Samson, INF
Matt Tolbert, INF
Luis Valbuena, INF

Adrian Aviles, LHP (previously released by LAD)
Michael de la Cruz, RHP (previously released by TEX)





I didn't realize that. We are in danger of losing Cervanko.

Top 5 most-likely to be added to 40-man roster (all are virtual locks):

1. Brett Jackson
2. Trey McNutt
3. Kyler Burke
4. Chris Rusin
5. Rob Whitenack

Kyler Burke is different than the other four, because with him it's not a matter of taking a chance that he could get selected in the Rule 5 Draft, it's a matter of his being a minor league FA post-2012 if he is not added to the 40.

I'm guessing that Rhee would sort of fall into that next tier for you?


A lot will depend on how the rest of the season goes. If Rhee gets stronger as the year progresses, as he did last year, I think there's a higher chance that a team might take him this time around. With the shoddy shape of the bullpen, if Marcus Hatley finishes strong, I'd want to protect him because I view him as one of the few current pen guys (thus excluding McNutt) with late inning potential (Alberto Cabrera is another). That said, with the shoddy shape of the pen, wouldn't surprise if Hatley saw the bigs this year.

A notch below that, I would wonder about a guy like Logan Watkins. The new regime thinned out the upper level positional depth and lucked into Cardenas/Valbuena to replace the departed. Assuming one or both of Adrian and Luis are in the bigs, having a versatile up-the-middle guy like Logan Watkins could prove nice as depth. I think Watkins would have to show some better offensive consistency, though, to get consideration.

AzPhil, what do you think about the chances of the raw arms figuring into the mix, guys like Peralta and Rosario? I just wonder if a team might Lendy Castillo one of those guys, take a raw arm, see if you can hide him, and then send him to the minors next year.

The Cubs like to use the AFL for "bubble" guys like Dae-Eun Rhee and Logan Watkins, and I would expect both to be there. Either could get added to the 40-man roster by the 11/20 deadline with a strong showing in the AFL.

You take a chance by leaving raw arms like Rosario and Peralta off the 40-man roster, and the fact that the Cubs selected Lendy Castillo in last year's Rule 5 Draft means they value that type of pitcher, but yet I would be surprised if either Rosario or Peralta end up on the 40 post-2012.

So need to bring up 2 pitchers

scott maine
randy wells ?

Is Whitenack healthy? Just kidding (sort of).

T. Wood and R. Wells

T. Wood and R. Wells
Hard to recognize the Cubs without a little Wood

AZ Phil's popularity is exploding, got an email from Keith Lockhart looking for Daniel's stats. Has a email, looks like he's an area scout for them.

I've gotten quite a few requests from family members of other players over the last couple of months. So be nice to Rock Shoulders (for example) :)

Here's the thing. I don't know if K Hill's mom is on here. But if she is, it doesn't change anything. He's not a bad person, he's not evil, he simply cannot hit a major league pitch with enough regularity to resemble a middle reliever, and therefore paying him to demonstrate that is a damn stupid baseball move by people who should know better.


Wait, K. Lockhart works for the Cubs, has a son in the Cubs system and he is emailing YOU for his stats? Looks like theo and Co. haven't done all the technology upgrades they were talking about. They should invest in some internets.

Welington Castillo out with a leg issue. Cubs trade cash considerations to CIN for Koyie Hill to plug the gap. I can't imagine for the life of me why we would want Koyie back. CIN undoubtedly made the trade knowing it would make us worse as a team.

ug, at least he knows the staff.

Blake Lalli has to be feeling pretty good about this.

awesome...cubs get a do-over on the season.

it must be April 1st.

I'm trying to muster up some emotions in response to this news, but I got nothing.

I am hoping that this is to allow Koyie Hill to come into the game, catch one batter and then retire as a Cub


*waiting for the "have faith in theocorp" post that tells us k.hill is an obvious smart gamble*

hopefully he'll avoid 200pa...or 150pa...or 100pa.

reality check - what soto was doing k.hill would have a hard time doing worse...sigh...

So the Cubs should have planned for injuries to 3 catchers? Koyie isn't a good hitter but he knows the pitchers and is pretty good defensively. Sure we need something better, but please don't blame Theo for 3 catcher injuries.





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