Folks, this post is pretty self explanatory: I’ve got projected starting lineups, bench players, starting rotations, and bullpens for each of the four full-season affiliates to open the 2026 campaign. Also included is a strategy for the best way to watch each ball club this season. Simple, right? I’m gonna get right into it, starting with seven important caveats:

• It’s SO early. Not only will we get a better idea of roster construction once Spring Training rolls around, but there are still plenty of minor league free agents to be signed — definitely in Iowa and likely Knoxville too — that will then shift players down, causing a cascade of moves down through the system.
• The bullpens in Myrtle Beach and South Bend. Bear with me. It’s Impossible Icing on top of Improbable Cake.
• The Myrtle Beach pitching staff, especially, gets wonky early in the season when the Cubs like to use lots of piggybackers at their lowest full-season level. Pair that with the fact that we don’t know what pitchers from the 2025 draft they plan to use as starters vs. relievers and you’ve got 15 (wait for it) out-getters (ah, that felt good) as opposed to 6 starters and 9 relievers.
• Injuries happen to minor leaguers and you have no idea if a guy is shelved because of a paper cut or his arm fell off his body. It’s always been a part of things down here. So there are players that I’ve omitted here because I have injury questions about them (e.g. Shane Marshall missed all of last season — he’s not included below because I’m not sure if he’ll be healthy come opening day).
• Right now I’m assuming each of Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie, and Kevin Alcántara are in Chicago. That won’t end up happening, I know it. In fact, I’d wager it’s more likely two of those guys end up in Iowa rather than none. But as it stands right now, there’s no one to fill the last bench spot in the bigs. Thus, these guys won’t be found in my Iowa lineup below.
• The Iowa and Knoxville lineups need warm bodies desperately. You’ll find their benches nearly empty right now. Free agents signed over the next couple months will fix that.
• The rotations are generally aligned in a way in which the #1 starter is closest to being bumped up a level and the #6 starter is the next to go down a level if we need to do some shifting here soon.

Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Starting Lineup

1. James Triantos – 2B
2. Scott Kingery – SS
3. Jonathon Long – 1B
4. BJ Murray Jr – DH
5. Christian Bethancourt – C
6. Pedro Ramirez – 3B
7. Hayden Cantrelle – LF
8. Parker Chavers – RF
9. Brett Bateman – CF

Bench

Casey Opitz (C)

Starting Rotation

1. Jordan Wicks
2. Connor Noland
3. Jaxon Wiggins
4. Will Sanders
5. Grant Kipp
6. Walker Powell

Bullpen

Porter Hodge, Ethan Roberts, Riley Martin, Gavin Hollowell, Luke Little, Collin Snider, Zane Mills, Jack Neely

Viewing Strategy

Tune in for every single Jaxon Wiggins start and then flip on broadcaster Jason Kempf for your other cult hero starting pitcher that week (each of Wicks, Noland, Sanders, and Kipp seem to have a devout following). Go back after the game ends to watch Triantos, Long, and Ramirez’s at-bats.

Double-A Knoxville Smokies

Starting Lineup

1. Carter Trice – CF
2. Jefferson Rojas – 2B
3. Andy Garriola – LF
4. Edgar Alvarez – 1B
5. Devin Ortiz – 3B
6. Haydn McGeary – DH
7. Cristian Hernández – SS
8. Ariel Armas – C
9. Jordan Nwogu – RF

Bench

Miguel Useche (C), Ed Howard (IF)

Starting Rotation

1. Nick Dean
2. Tyler Schlaffer
3. Erian Rodriguez
4. Evan Aschenbeck
5. Yenrri Rojas
6. Brooks Caple

Bullpen

Nick Hull, Evan Taylor, Jackson Kirkpatrick, Chase Watkins, Connor Schultz, Luis Martinez-Gomez, Luis Rojas, Kenten Egbert, Jace Beck

Viewing Strategy

Instead of watching live, go back to the on-demand version after and zoom through the outing on the bump for each of these starters. It’s the best rotation end-to-end of the four affiliates and that handy “+10 seconds” button allows you to skip through a start quickly. Bonus points for seeing the defensive work by Hernández and Armas while you’re watching this way. Catch the highlight packages for the crazy things Rojas did with the bat.

High-A South Bend Cubs

Starting Lineup

1. Kane Kepley – CF
2. Kade Snell – RF
3. Cole Mathis – 3B
4. Matt Halbach – 1B
5. Cameron Sisneros – DH
6. Owen Ayers – C
7. Angel Cepeda – SS
8. Jose Escobar – LF
9. Ty Southisene – 2B

Bench

Logan Poteet (C), Yahil Melendez (IF), Leonel Espinoza (OF), Eriandys Ramon (UT), Christian Olivo (UT), Dilan Granadillo (C)

Starting Rotation

1. Ethan Flanagan
2. Nazier Mulé
3. Jake Knapp
4. Jostin Florentino
5. JP Wheat
6. Pierce Coppola

Bullpen

Dominic Hambley, Thomas Mangus, Connor Spencer, Koen Moreno, Brayden Spears, Ethan Bell, Charlie Hurley, Nate Williams, Kevin Valdez

Viewing Strategy

This is by far the best lineup in the org. You should watch these games from end to end, and thanks to a really fun rotation, it doesn’t matter what nights you choose to tune in. Seven of the nine starting hitters and four of the six rotation members are top 40 prospects, in my eyes.

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Starting Lineup

1. Alexey Lumpuy – RF
2. Ethan Conrad – 1B
3. Edgardo De Leon – 3B
4. Eli Lovich – LF
5. Alexis Hernández – SS
6. Albert Gutierrez – DH
7. Jairo Diaz – C
8. Ludwing Espinoza – 2B
9. Derik Alcantara – CF

Bench

Justin Stransky (C), Christopher Paciolla (3B), Darlyn De Leon (OF), Joan Delgado (OF), Michael Carico (C)

Starting Rotation

1. Hayden Frank
2. Colton Book
3. Dominick Reid
4. Kevin Camacho
5. Noah Edders
6. Eli Jerzembeck

Bullpen

David Bracho, Alfredo Romero, Riely Hunsaker, Ronny Lopez, Connor Knox, Yoendris Gonzalez, Yander Maria, Sam Mettert, Ben Johnson

Viewing Strategy

This is your constant “check-in” team. Outside of Ethan Conrad, who you should go back to watch every single at-bat of, every other player both in the lineup and on the mound you should simply be monitoring. Check in on box scores each night, keep up with the highlights, and identify the guy on the hot streak. Jerzembeck’s looking like a steal? Watch his starts. Edgardo De Leon and his crazy bat speed has swatted homers on back-to-back nights? Tune in to see if he makes it three straight.

Come back to the site throughout the offseason and I’ll try to post updated projections as the Cubs continue to fill out the upper levels of the minors.