Cubs invite 21 non-roster players to Major League Spring Training

The Chicago Cubs have invited 21 non-roster players to major league spring training, which begins Saturday, February 18 when pitchers and catchers are invited to report in Mesa, Ariz.  Their first workout will take place on Sunday, February 19.  Position players are invited to report to camp Thursday, February 23 with the team's first full workout Friday, February 24.

Nine pitchers - righthanders Marco Carrillo, Manuel Corpas, Jay Jackson, Rodrigo Lopez, Trey McNutt, Blake Parker and Dae-Eun Rhee and lefthanders Trever Miller and Chris Rusin - have been invited to major league camp, as well as catchers Michael Brenly, Jason Jaramillo and Blake Lalli.

Five infielders - Alfredo Amezaga, Edgar Gonzalez, Jonathan Mota, Bobby Scales and Matt Tolbert - have also been invited, along with four outfielders - Jim Adduci, Jae-Hoon Ha, Brett Jackson and Joe Mather.

Jim Adduci, 26, returns to major league spring training for his third year in a row.  The left-handed batter and thrower hit .308 (73-for-237) with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 20 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 71 games at Double-A Tennessee last season.  Adduci enters his sixth season in the Cubs organization after being acquired by the Cubs following the 2006 minor league season to complete the Todd Wellemeyer trade.

Alfredo Amezaga, 34, is a career .247 hitter (348-for-1,408) in all or part of nine major league seasons with the Angels (2002-04), Rockies (2005, 2011), Pirates (2005) and Marlins (2006-09, 2011) covering 584 games.  The versatile switch-hitter has seen big league time at every position but pitcher and catcher, with his most appearances at shortstop (117 games), second base (76), third base (73) and center field (256).  Amezaga batted .182 (14-for-77) in 40 major league games last year.  He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this offseason.

Michael Brenly, 25, batted .206 (69-for-335) with 11 doubles, one home run and 24 RBI in 96 games for Single-A Daytona last season, his fourth year in the Cubs organization.  The right-handed batter was selected by the Cubs in the 36th round of the 2008 Draft and has hit .256 (299-for-1,167) with 55 doubles, 11 home runs and 113 RBI in 331 minor league games, throwing out 31 percent of runners attempting to steal.

Marco Carrillo, who turns 25 on Wednesday, went 7-5 with three saves and a 3.44 ERA (41 ER/107.1 IP) in 40 appearances (nine starts) with Triple-A Iowa and Double-A Tennessee in 2011.  He spent most of the year with Tennessee, posting a 2.36 ERA (20 ER/76.1 IP) in 29 outings (seven starts).  Carrillo signed with Chicago as a non-drafted free agent March 18, 2005 and is 38-21 with eight saves and a 3.60 ERA (224 ER/560.2 IP) in six seasons.

Manuel Corpas, 29, is 12-16 with 34 saves, 51 holds and a 3.93 ERA (125 ER/286.0 IP) in all or part of five major league seasons with the Colorado Rockies (2006-10).  He missed the 2011 campaign due to Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in September 2010.  He spent the 2011 campaign in the Rangers organization but did not pitch.  Corpas agreed to terms with the Cubs on a one-year deal last month.

Edgar Gonzalez, 33, has 193 games of big league experience with San Diego from 2008-09.  He saw time at every infield position plus left and right field with most of his action at second base (87 games).  The right-handed batter hit .315 (159-for-505) with 30 doubles, 14 homers, 82 RBI and a .378 on-base percentage in 137 games last year for San Francisco's Triple-A Fresno affiliate.  Gonzalez is a career .255 hitter (122-for-478) with 23 doubles, 11 home runs and 51 RBI at the major league level and signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this offseason.

Jae-Hoon Ha, 21, combined to hit .279 (145-for-520) with 31 doubles, 11 homers, 72 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 132 games with Single-A Daytona and Tennessee, reaching Double-A at the age of 20.  After starting the year at Daytona, Ha batted .283 (64-for-226) with 16 doubles, three homers and 25 RBI in 61 games with Tennessee to close the year. The right-handed batter and thrower originally signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on September 19, 2008.  Ha is a career .281 hitter (298-for-1,061) with 20 homers and 155 RBI in three pro seasons.

Brett Jackson, 23, posted a .274 batting average (118-for-431) with 23 doubles, five triples, 20 homers, 58 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a .379 on-base percentage in 115 games between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2011.  The left-handed hitter began the season with Tennessee before a July promotion to Triple-A, his first, and finished the campaign by hitting .297 (55-for-215) with a .388 on-base percentage and .939 OPS in 48 games with Iowa.  Jackson was selected by the Cubs in the first round (31st overall) of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

Jay Jackson, 24, went 8-14 with a 5.34 ERA (87 ER/146.2 IP) in 26 starts with Iowa last season, his fourth year in the Cubs organization and his second full campaign at Triple-A.  The 2012 season marks his second non-roster invite to major league spring training.  The righthander is 31-31 with a 4.23 ERA (87 ER/146.2 IP) in 95 appearances (80 starts) since being selected by the Cubs in the ninth round of the 2008 Draft.

Jason Jaramillo, 29, split the 2011 campaign between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a .326 batting average (14-for-43) with three doubles and six RBI in 23 games at the big league level.  The switch-hitter has spent time in the majors each of the last three seasons, batting .235 (79-for-336) with 19 doubles, four homers and 38 RBI in 119 big league games.  Jaramillo, who signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this offseason, was originally selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2004 Draft.

Blake Lalli, 28, batted .287 (100-for-349) with 22 doubles, nine home runs and 52 RBI in 108 games with Tennessee, his third full season at Double-A.  The left-handed batter enters his seventh season in the Cubs organization after signing as a non-drafted free agent on May 22, 2006 and is a career .303 hitter (580-for-1,917) with 124 doubles, 33 homers and 263 RBI in 571 professional games.

Rodrigo Lopez, 36, returns to the Cubs after going 6-6 with a 4.42 ERA (48 ER/97.2 IP) in 26 games (16 starts) last season after being acquired from Atlanta on May 26.  The righthander began the season with Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 6-1 record and 2.59 ERA (17 ER/59.0 IP) in nine starts before the trade.  Lopez has pitched for six teams during his 10-year big league career, compiling an 81-88 mark and 4.82 ERA (720 ER/1,344.1 IP) in 253 appearances (215 starts).

Joe Mather, 29, has spent part of three seasons in the majors with St. Louis (2008, 2010) and Atlanta (2011), batting .228 (61-for-268) with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 126 big league games.  The right-handed batter and thrower split the 2011 campaign between the Braves and Triple-A, hitting .213 (16-for-75) with one homer and nine RBI in 36 games with Atlanta and batting .306 (83-for-271) with 19 doubles, seven homers and 35 RBI in 73 games in the minors.  He signed a minor league deal with the organization this offseason.

Trey McNutt, 22, went 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA (48 ER/95.0 IP) in 23 appearances (22 starts) last season with Tennessee, his first full year at Double-A.  The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder was selected by the Cubs in the 32nd round of the 2009 Draft and is 18-8 with a 3.13 ERA (83 ER/239.0 IP) in 61 appearances (53 starts) during his three-season professional career.

Trever Miller, 38, is 18-17 with 11 saves and a 4.18 ERA (243 ER/523.1 IP) in 694 major league appearances, all but five in relief, in all or part of 13 seasons with eight organizations.  The southpaw pitched for St. Louis, Toronto and Boston last season, combining to go 0-1 with one save and a 3.80 ERA (9 ER/21.1 IP) in 48 relief appearances.  Miller agreed to terms on a minor league deal with the Cubs this offseason.

Jonathan Mota, 24, combined to hit .270 (76-for-281) with 19 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBI in 98 games between Tennessee and Iowa last year.  The right-handed batter and thrower has played more than 100 games at second base, third base and shortstop in his pro career since signing with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on August 23, 2003.

Blake Parker, 26, went 4-5 with seven saves and a 3.23 ERA (27 ER/75.1 IP) in 53 relief appearances last season between Tennessee and Iowa, combining to strike out 80 batters in 75.1 innings.  He was promoted to Triple-A in May and went 3-3 with four saves and a 2.81 ERA (16 ER/51.1 IP) in 37 outings.  Parker was selected by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 2006 Draft.

Dae-Eun Rhee, 22, went 8-7 with a 4.02 ERA (57 ER/127.2 IP) in 25 appearances (17 starts) with Daytona last season, his second full year in high-A ball.  The righthander has pitched four seasons in the Cubs organization since signing as a non-drafted free agent on August 15, 2007, going 17-22 with a 4.37 ERA (141 ER/290.2 IP) in 66 outings (56 starts).

Chris Rusin, 25, went 8-4 with a 3.96 ERA (61 ER/138.2 IP) in 26 outings, all but two as a starter, with Tennessee and Iowa last year, reaching the Triple-A level in only his third pro campaign.  The southpaw walked only 30 batters in 138.2 innings, an average of 1.9 walks per nine innings.  Selected by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2009 Draft, Rusin is 14-12 with a 3.51 ERA (111 ER/284.2 IP) in 60 career minor league outings (54 starts).

Bobby Scales, 34, returns to the Cubs organization after joining the Nippon Ham Fighters midway through the 2011 campaign.  He began the season with Iowa, batting .304 (70-for-230) with 22 doubles, nine homers and 43 RBI in 68 games before going to Japan.  Scales made his major league debut with Chicago in 2009 following 11 seasons and more than 1,000 career minor league contests and has batted .248 (34-for-137) with eight doubles, three homers and 17 RBI in 61 big league games covering two seasons with the Cubs (2009-10).

Matt Tolbert, 29, has spent part of the last four seasons in the majors with the Twins (2008-11), batting .230 (139-for-605) with 27 doubles, three homers, 54 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 247 games.  The switch-hitter has played 103 games at second base, 64 games at third base and 51 games at shortstop.  Tolbert batted .198 (41-for-207) in 87 games for the Twins last year.  He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this offseason.