Today the Chicago Cubs made their first cuts of Spring camp, sending minor league pitchers Trey McNutt and Marco Carrillo, as well as infielder Jonathan Mota and outfielder Jae-Hoon Ha to minor league camp.
None is a particularly surprising cut, as none of the four had much of a chance of making the team out of Spring Training. McNutt and Ha are the biggest of the four prospects, with the former considered by some to be the Cubs’ top pitching prospect. McNutt, 22, struggled through injuries and ineffectiveness last year, so he may well return to AA Tennessee to start the year, or to have a total repeat stint there. Ha, 21, could also ultimately wind up back at AA, where he ended the 2011 season.
Carrillo, 25, was excellent at AA last year, but struggled after getting bumped up to AAA Iowa. Mota, 24, is a utility infielder who will, like Carrillo, probably spend most of the year in AAA. Neither is a big-time prospect.
The Spring roster now stands at 59.