I could take a guess or two why the Iowa Cubs took right up until the eve of the season before announcing their Opening Day roster, but it’s probably not anything too crazy. The Cubs want to make sure guys are in the most developmentally appropriate place, and that there will be innings/at bats available for the guys who need them.
The roster, and then the comments:
Pitchers
Chris Rusin, LHP
Kyle Hendricks, RHP
Eric Jokisch, LHP
Carlos Pimentel, RHP
Tsuyoshi Wada, LHP
Blake Parker, RHP
Neil Ramirez, RHP
Zac Rosscup, LHP
Casey Coleman, RHP
Marcus Hatley, RHP
Marcos Mateo, RHP
Jonathan Sanchez, LHP
Yoanner Negrin, RHP
Catchers
Eli Whiteside
Luis Flores
Infielders
Arismendy Alcantara
Javier Baez
Christian Villanueva
Lars Anderson
Logan Watkins
Edgar Gonzalez
Chris Valaika
Outfielders
Brett Jackson
Josh Vitters
Matt Szczur
Chris Coghlan
Being that we’ve already seen the rosters for the lower full-season teams in the system, there aren’t really any surprises at AAA to start the year. The pitching staff is full of guys who could be starting, but there is one name missing: Dallas Beeler. I’m not sure what the story is there, but his absence will help resolve some of the rotation glut.
Also missing from the roster is Darnell McDonald, who is with the Cubs on a minor league deal. The outfield, for now, will feature a rotation of the four guys on the roster, with Vitters likely seeing most of his time in left, Szczur seeing most of his time in center, and Jackson and Coghlan rotating around.
In conclusion: Javier Baez.