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11/18/2005 6:17 PM ET
Cubs add eight players to roster
Pie among prospects to have contract purchased
 
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs have selected the contracts of eight players from the Minor League system, including outfielder Felix Pie and infielder Brian Dopirak, and added them to the big league roster.

Besides Pie and Dopirak, others added include infielder Scott Moore, catcher Jose Reyes and pitchers Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Ricky Nolasco and Jae Kuk Ryu. In addition, infielders Mike Fontenot and Richard Lewis and pitcher Russ Rohlicek were outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, and outfielder Adam Greenberg was designated for assignment.

Pie, 20, batted .304 with 33 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs at Double-A West Tenn this season. He was named to both the Southern League's midseason All-Star team and to the World Team for the All-Star Futures Game. Pie was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cubs in 2001. A bone bruise on his right ankle limited him to 59 games, but he was playing Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic.

Dopirak, 21, batted .235 with 26 doubles, 16 homers and 76 RBIs in 132 games for Class A Daytona. The first baseman, who was a second-round pick in 2002, ranked second on the club in RBIs and total bases (196).

Moore, 22, hit .281 with 31 doubles, 20 homers and 82 RBIs in 128 games for Daytona. He was a midseason All-Star and finished the season tied for second in the Florida State League in doubles and ranked third in extra-base hits (53). In addition, he was selected to play for the U.S. Team in the All-Star Futures Game. The infielder was acquired from Detroit as part of a four-player deal on Feb. 9, and was originally selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

Nolasco, 22, recorded his second career double-digit win season in 2005, going 14-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 27 starts for West Tenn. The right-hander led the Southern League in strikeouts (173) and ranked third in ERA -- and established career marks in wins, strikeouts, starts and innings pitched (161 2/3). A fourth-round pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Nolasco was a midseason All-Star for the North Division, and named the Diamond Jaxx pitcher of the year.

Teammate Jae Kuk Ryu led the Southern League in innings pitched (169 2/3) as he reached double digits in wins for the first time, going 11-8. The right-hander posted a 3.34 ERA and struck out a career-high 133 batters while walking 49. Ryu, 22, ranked seventh in the league in ERA and worked six or more innings in 20 of his 27 starts.

Marmol, 23, saw Double-A action for the first time in his career. The right-hander opened the season at Daytona, going 6-2 with a 2.99 ERA while holding opponents to a .227 batting average. After 13 starts, Marmol moved up to West Tenn, where he went 3-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 14 starts. He surrendered 130 hits in 153 2/3 combined innings while fanning 141 batters and was a midseason All-Star for the Florida State League.

Marshall, 23, made a combined 16 starts for Daytona and West Tenn, going 4-5 with a 2.68 ERA. The southpaw, named a Florida State League midseason All-Star, struck out 85 batters in 94 innings and served up eight home runs. Marshall was originally selected by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.

Reyes, 22, spent his first full season at Double-A, hitting .257 with 50 RBIs in 97 games. The switch-hitter had his greatest success against southpaws, posting a .272 average. He set career highs in both RBIs and games played. Reyes was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in July 1999.

Fontenot, 25, batted .272 with 38 extra-base hits and 39 RBIs in 111 games at Iowa. He also saw big league action for the first time in his career, making his Major League debut on April 13. The infielder was acquired from Baltimore on Feb. 2 as part of the Sammy Sosa deal.

Lewis, 25, saw action at Daytona, West Tenn, and Iowa, and batted .222 with 30 RBIs in 118 combined games. The infielder was acquired by the Cubs from Atlanta on March 25, 2004, as part of a four-player deal.

Rohlicek, 25, saw Triple-A action for the first time, appearing in 55 games for Iowa. The left-hander went 3-1 with a 4.33 ERA in 62 1/3 innings on the mound. He joined the Cubs in 2002 after being acquired from Houston.

Greenberg, 24, spent the majority of the season at West Tenn, where he hit .269 with 25 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs in 95 games. He made his Major League debut July 9, but was hit in the head by a pitch in his only plate appearance. Greenberg, a ninth-round pick in 2002, was playing Winter Ball in Venezuela.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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