Opening Day is finally upon us. Teams have officially set their rosters, which will have 30 total spots. In two weeks, each organization will have to cut that down to 28 players. The Chicago Cubs roster didn’t have too many surprises. It consists of 14 positions players and 16 pitchers. Here is what the Cubs opening day 2020 roster looks like:
Infield:
3B Kris Bryant
3B/2B David Bote
SS Javier Báez
2B Jason Kipnis
2B/SS Nico Hoerner
1B Anthony Rizzo
Catchers:
Willson Contreras
Victor Caratini
Josh Phegley
Outfield:
LF Kyle Schwarber
CF Ian Happ
CF Albert Almora
RF Jason Heyward
OF Steven Souza Jr.
Starting Pitchers:
Kyle Hendricks
Yu Darvish
Jon Lester
Tyler Chatwood
Alec Mills
Bullpen:
CL Craig Kimbrel
Jeremy Jeffress
Rowan Wick
Kyle Ryan
Brad Wieck
Casey Sadler
Duane Underwood Jr.
Dillon Maples
Dan Winkler
James Norwood
Rex Brothers
Pitching Analysis
A majority of this roster was expected, but the decisions made within the pitching staff were interesting. The Cubs left Jharel Cotton, Ryan Tepera, and Adbert Alzolay off the initial roster. All of them could’ve been quality bullpen arms. Dillion Maples managed to get one of the last spots, after impressing David Ross in the final exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins. Ross believes his slider could be a real weapon and thinks hitters will struggle versus the 6’2 right-hander.
Duane Underwood Jr. is also someone to keep an eye on. He performed well down the stretch of last season when he got opportunities on the mound. Many people believe he could be a potential closer in the making. He has elite velocity behind his pitches. His changeup has hit at over 90 mph.
Duane Underwood Jr. fastball (96 mph) and changeup (90 mph) pic.twitter.com/8bp17OW24R
— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) July 23, 2020
As for the starting rotations, Alec Mills will get some starts, due to Jose Quintana‘s injury. Quintana is on the 10-day injured list. There is no word on when he is expected to return. Kyle Hendricks will get the nod on Opening Day, which is well deserved, as he has been one of Chicago’s most consistent pitchers for years.
Positional Analysis
The Cubs decided to carry three catchers, though Josh Phegley probably won’t see much action. Victor Caratini should get at-bats at designated hitter, and will likely spend some time at first base when Anthony Rizzo needs some rest. There won’t be a set designated hitter, but the Cubs could benefit from the extra flexibility. Power hitter Kyle Schwarber looks like the best option, but he has insisted that he wants to play in the outfield.
Nico Hoerner and Jason Kipnis will share time at second. We may even see Hoerner in the outfield because the team wants the young batter to get as many reps as possible. David Bote will be the ultimate utility guy, much like Ben Zobrist in past years. You may see him just about everywhere throughout the season. The rest of the lineup should look very similar to their 2019 campaign. Chicago kicks off the 2020 shortened season against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
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