Kalish is a Kub

As I posited yesterday, Mike Olt is a part of my All-Time Roster Collection now.  Jed Hoyer officially confirmed that Olt has made the team today; but, he wasn't the only one who made it.

Ryan Kalish has climbed back into the major leagues!

Just like he climbed this wall.  He was once a top prospect with the Red Sox under Theo, but neck injuries really stunted his career.  Ryan went under the knife to have a cervical fusion surgery, performed by the same doctor who fixed up Peyton Manning, but 2013 was a completely lost season.  He wasn't able to get into any minor league games and the Sawx decided to cut ties with him in October.  

The Cubs picked him up as an NRI this offseason and he did nothing but impress in spring training.  In 15 games, he's batted .275 with a .370 OBP, stole 6 bases and showed that he's a fine fielder in all 3 outfield positions.  He'll make a fine 5th outfielder for now, but he could turn out to be much more than that.

Welcome to the binder Ryan!

But, by taking Ryan and Mike, that meant that the Cubs were leaving some people behind.

Chris Coghlan, also fighting for that 5th outfielder spot will go to Iowa, where he'll be ready in case of an injury to the parent club.  A former NL ROY, he'd make a decent substitute and could very well end up in my collection at some point.

Ryan Roberts though, will not.  Since the Cubs are taking Olt and Emilio Bonifacio, the Cubs have no need for the utility man.  Rather than sit around and wait in the minors, he decided to opt out of his NRI contract and try his hand at finding a major league deal somewhere else.  With his versatility, he'll likely find one soon. Good luck to you Ryan!

This time of year is always crazy for my collection.  But, the craziness isn't over yet; the Cubs have yet to announce who will fill in the back of their bullpen.  However, no new faces are expected to be in the running. That said, you just never know for sure!