Getting to know the Tennessee Smokies

Owen CaissieThe Tennessee Smokies, the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate since 2007, announced their 2023 roster Tuesday. This year’s roster is packed with the top prospects in the Cubs’ system.

It shouldn’t really be a surprise that the Smokies are loaded, since this year’s roster is mostly made up of players who either on the 2022 Midwest League Champions South Bend Cubs or players on last year’s Smokies, who came within one game of winning the Southern League last year.

The Smokies are managed by Michael Ryan, who managed the Smokies last year to the Southern League Championship Series before the team lost the title to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 2 games to 1. Ryan managed the South Bend Cubs in…