Non-Roster Invitiees

Eighteen men were invited to Mesa Arizona this winter for a shot at the twenty-five man roster come April 2nd. As of today, all eighteen were sent away.

Most years there is one, or maybe two, who play so hard and show so much enthusiasm that the manager cannot afford not to include them on opening day. Some of these fellows came close to making that happen.

Jake Fox hit .462 with two home runs, but only gathered thirteen at-bats. It was going to be hard for a catcher to beat out Henry Blanco, even with Blanco hitting a meager .156. Blanco had the experience to show that he can help this team. If either major league catcher gets hurt this season, Fox will likely get the first call.

Koyie Hill, another catcher in camp, hit only .200, but stayed longer than Fox because he could play infield. If he excels in AAA ball, he may turn up again in Chicago.

Tomas Perez hit .310 and was considered as having a good shot at the roster, but Ronnie Cedeno’s two home runs and improved fielding effort sent him packing.

From the mound, Les Walrond got the best look, toiling nine innings in nine appearances and only allowing two earned runs. The Cubs have a lot of good arms, but Walrond’s southpaw could be seen in Wrigley before the season is out.

Others were invited just for the opportunity. No one expected 22-year-old Adam Harben to win a spot. 21-year-old Tyler Colvin and Eric Patterson, turning 24 in April, still need seasoning before getting to the big dance. Others like 26-year-old outfielder Chris Walker and Ryan O’Malley, turning 27 in April, may be seeing their chances slipping away.

Coming to Arizona as a non-roster invitee is not easy. I hope every one of them make it to the bigs sometime soon and stick for awhile.

With the last three non-rosters being cut this afternoon, Felix Pie being sent to Iowa and Kerry Wood all be expected to start the season on the disabled list, there are still thirty left in camp. Three pitchers will be sent away. The likely suspects are Juan Mateo, Rocky Cherry and Angel Guzman, but do not be surprised if Mark Prior joins Wood on the DL. Mateo is a pretty sure bet to start the year in Iowa, but manager Lou Piniella will have a hard time choosing between Guzman and Cherry, if Prior goes.

That is assuming there are no trades between today and opening day.

With catching duties set, there are two fielders that will also need to be sent away. The good money is on Buck Coats and Angel Pagan. Either one, along with Jacque Jones, may be being offered as trade bait. What the Cubs are looking for in return is anyone’s guess.

I feel like Jeff Probst at the start of an episode of Survivor. “Thirty players. Five games. One week. Who will be the ‘Opening Day 2007 Cubs’”? (Queue the music!)