South Bend Cubs announce 2022 opening night roster

SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Cubs, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, have announced their 2022 Opening Night roster. The team is compiled of 30 players, highlighting 17 pitchers, three catchers, five infielders, and five outfielders.

Lance Rymel begins his first season managing the South Bend Cubs in 2022. Rymel, who previously managed in the Arizona League, as well as with short-season Eugene in the Northwest League, was a catcher with the Chicago Cubs minor league system from 2012-2014. Pitching Coach Tony Cougoule is the lone member of the 2021 coaching staff returning to South Bend. Cougoule’s pitching staff struck out 1202 opposing batters a season ago.

Hitting Coach Dan Puente, a native Chicagoan, begins his first campaign with South Bend. Puente worked closely with Chicago Cubs Director of Hitting, Justin Stone, at Elite Baseball Training in Chicago. Puente was a 12th-round MLB Draft selection of the Baltimore Orioles in 2004. Finally, Bench Coach D'angelo Jiménez, a former Major League infielder with the Yankees, Padres, White Sox, Reds, Rangers, Athletics, and Nationals, starts his maiden season with the South Bend Cubs after previously coaching in the Dominican Summer League.

The headliners of the 2022 South Bend Cubs roster feature the club receiving the services of the last two Chicago Cubs first-round draft picks. Infielder Ed Howard (2020) and left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks (2021) each will call Four Winds Field home. The 20-year-old and Chicagoborn Howard grew up 88 miles away from South Bend in Evergreen Park, Illinois. At Mount Carmel High School, Howard hit .421 in his final 35 varsity games. Many draft analysts and writers considered Howard the top shortstop in the 2020 Draft. During his first professional season in 2021 with Low-a Myrtle Beach, Howard played for former South Bend Cubs manager Buddy Bailey and hit .225 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 80 games. Howard is regarded as the Cubs number 14 overall prospect.

Wicks was assigned to the South Bend Cubs late in the 2021 season in order to make his first professional start with the team after being drafted out of Kansas State. In his initial pro start on September 5, 2021, he faced Lake County and struck out the first batter he ever faced. He completed a scoreless inning in the debut. With South

Bend the rest of September, he made three more starts and finished with no record, a 5.14 ERA, no home runs allowed, three walks and five strikeouts. MLB Pipeline positioned Wicks as the number five prospect in the Cubs organization. In his final season at Kansas State, Wicks punched out 118 batters in just over 92 innings pitched.

Other Cubs top-30 prospects on the Opening Night roster include Owen Caissie (8th), who was one of the players the Cubs acquired from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Yu Darvish. 2021 South Bend Cubs lefthander DJ Herz (9th) and 2019 South Bend Cubs righty Kohl Franklin (12th) will be returning to the organization; As well as 2021 South Bend Cubs outfielders Alexander Canario (18th) and Yohendrick Piñango (20th), and catcher Pablo Aliendo (22nd). Joining them is right-handed pitcher Daniel Palencia (27th), who was acquired from the Oakland Athletics last season in a trade for pitcher Andrew Chafin.

In all, 21 players that were with South Bend in previous seasons will be making their way back to Four Winds Field. The new roster released is only a prefatory listing and subject to change.