Knoxville Smokies announce 2025 Opening Day roster
KNOXVILLE, TN - The Knoxville Smokies, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, have announced their initial 2025 season roster. The team features Chicago Cubs top 30 prospects, and returning faces to East Tennessee. The infield flaunts Cubs’ #18 prospect Pedro Ramirez. A switch-hitter, Ramirez clubbed a .284 batting average and
KNOXVILLE, TN - The Knoxville Smokies, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, have announced their initial 2025 season roster. The team features Chicago Cubs top 30 prospects, and returning faces to East Tennessee.
The infield flaunts Cubs’ #18 prospect Pedro Ramirez. A switch-hitter, Ramirez clubbed a .284 batting average and 48 RBI in High-A South Bend last year. Ed Howard, the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft, makes his Class AA level debut this year with the Smokies. Other infielders will be Hayden Cantrelle, Haydn McGeary, and BJ Murray who were each on the Smokies’ roster at points during the 2024 season.
Outfielders for the Smokies are headlined by Felix Stevens and Parker Chavers, who were both on the Smokies’ postseason squad a season ago. Joining them are Jordan Nwogu and Jaylen Palmer.
Catchers for Knoxville will look familiar, with Cubs’ #27 prospect Pablo Aliendo donning the Smokies uniform once more. Aliendo played in 58 games for the Smokies in 2024, racking up 49 hits with 33 RBI and 10 HR. Casey Opitz will return, and a 6th round pick in 2019 by the Cubs, Ethan Hearn, will make his Class AA debut.
Opening Day Starting Pitcher for the Smokies is projected to be Cubs’ 2023 4th round pick Will Sanders. Sam Armstrong, Brad Deppermann, Nick Hull, Wil Jensen, Chris Kachmar, Grant Kipp, Robert Kwiatkowski, Ben Leeper, Zac Leigh, AJ Puckett, Tyler Santana, Frankie Scalzo, Mitchell Tyranski, and Cayne Ueckert round out the staff.
The Smokies will begin their 2025 home campaign against the Chattanooga Lookouts on Tuesday, April 15. The entire promotions and giveaway schedule, as well as individual game and season ticket information can be found online at smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at 865-286-2300.
ABOUT THE KNOXVILLE SMOKIES
The Knoxville Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the eight-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America’s national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Knoxville Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com.