Your Invitation Is In The Mail

Every year, teams bring in a bunch of guys to Spring Training for trial runs. After all, when you can roster several dozen players and have to fill several different levels of farm clubs, you're going to want to get a look at as many guys as you can. This, every March, clubs send out invitations to a couple handfuls of aging stars, former blue chip prospects, career journeymen, and chronic injury risks looking for a change of scenery or one last shot at glory. Most times, these guys are cut before the month is over or are stashed throughout the bush leagues as insurance. In fact, some end up selling insurance rather than playing ball. However, if you're a club like the Cubs - owned by a billionaire clan but crying poorer than TV's Connors family your spring training invitation might just end up being a ticket to the starting lineup.

After all, that's what happened to Northbrook, Illinois native, Jason Kipnis in 2020.  And with the tear down really kicking into high gear this winter, the cast at Wrigley Field might closer resemble a bunch of TV extras than a competitive show.

Anyway, before I fully launch into another rant, let's get back to the topic at hand - training camp invitees who ended up making the Major League roster out of the gates.  Of course, this post is part of series of blog entries covering the Cubs' roster additions that I missed while I sat out the 2020 baseball season.  This year, with *ahem* circumstances turning Spring Training into Summer Camp and expanding rosters by four, a whopping three invitees upgraded their non-guaranteed contracts into Major League deals.

First, let's talk about the aforementioned Kipnis.

Personally, despite my snark, I was absolutely rooting for him to make the club; I just didn't expect him to end up as the everyday second baseman.  While the longtime Indian made life hell on the Cubs in the 2016 World Series, it's hard to root against a hometown guy.  Despite injuries and age catching up with him by the time he became a free agent, the two-time All Star was adequate for the Cubbies in what was originally supposed to be a time share at the keystone with Nico Hoerner.  However, Nico proved himself not quite ready for the big time and Kip's .341/.404/.744 slash didn't do anything to fix the broken offense.

Now, Jason is a free agent again and there's been no word on him returning back to Chicago, despite the franchise's bargain bin shopping plan.  At any rate, I'm glad the Chicagoland resident got a chance to don his hometown colors.  Now, I just have to decide which card to add to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection - the Heritage High Number which tops the post or this sweet double play shot from Topps Update.  Bonus points to the latter for a fellow Cub cameo:  the runner, Phillip Ervin, was claimed off of waivers last month.

Next up, we rotate through the infield from second base to home plate, with backup to the backup catcher, Josh Phegley:

For a guy who barely came unglued off of the bench during his stint with the Cubs, Phegley sure did get a lot of love from Topps this year.  Two cards in Topps' flagship set (between Series 2 and Update) and a pop-up in Heritage High Numbers seems a bit excessive for such a role player, but who am I to complain?   I didn't think he'd ever even receive a Cubs pasteboard based on the usual Topps treatment for such players, after all.

Phegley was a top prospect across town with the Sox for a few years, making him one of a select Windy City few to have plied their trade for both sides of the rivalry, before making his way to the A's.  The Cubs brought him on board with the intent of him serving as catching depth in AAA Iowa - but, with the cancellation of the minor league season, the expansion of rosters, and Victor Caratini being the best backup option at both catcher and first base, it wasn't much of a surprise that Josh made the team out of Summer Camp.  What was a bit puzzling was the fact that he only appeared in 11 games with all of 14 frames in the field.  

Although, with a .063 batting average, maybe my eyebrows shouldn't be quite so raised.  Still, I expected some more unique roster utilization with the extra extra catcher hanging around.

Finally, like Phegley, the final non-roster invitee to make the club might have been somewhat familiar to Chicago baseball fanatics... emphasis on fanatics, as only the most diehard rooter would have noticed him.

As a matter of fact, this wasn't Rex Brothers' first time in the Cubs' pre-season camp.  Going into 2016, Theo Epstein and crew actually swung a trade with Colorado for Brothers as a bullpen lottery ticket.  While the '16 went on to make baseball history, unfortunately for the reliever, he was cut in March, long before the curse-busting began.  So close to earning baseball immortality, yet so far.

2020 camp went much better for Sexy Rexy, as the expanded roster allowed the Cubs to dream on the ridiculous movement his arsenal possesses and officially bring Brothers into the family.  However, his branch seemed to fall off of the family tree pretty quickly, as he only appeared in three games and was absolutely hammered (8.10 ERA) in those contests.  That being said, Rex hasn't been disowned just yet, as he was brought back on another spring invitation for 2021.  Maybe this year will finally be the one where he puts it all together for the formerly lovable, once again losers.

Unlike the other two spring success stories in this post, Rex doesn't appear on a single piece of cardboard from 2020, let alone in a Cubs uniform.  Luckily for me though, I ferreted away this Rockies single way back when Brothers was first brought into the fold in 2016, just in case he made the roster then.  Since I'm a pack rat, I've had it stashed away since - turns out I was playing (and won) the long game.  Must have stored this card near the heating vents though - dig those salty sweat stains on Brothers' hat!

Here's a picture of Rex in a Cubs uniform, just as proof his (so far) brief Cubs tenure actually happened.  The image comes courtesy of the team's official Twitter account.

With that, between this post and last, Wrigley Roster Jenga is now caught up on all of the 2020 offseason roster additions made by the Cubs and my CATRC is that much larger.  Next time out, we'll continue with the first player to ride the shuttle between Chicago and the alternate training camp in South Bend, Indiana.  Cubs fans - do you remember who that was?  I'll give you a hint, he received a vote in the MVP race last year.

In the meantime, I gotta get outta here because a certain someone is feeling cranky and that might have something to do with a dirty diaper.... no, not Tom Ricketts - a different baby.