MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers' youth and potential upside was reflected Sunday when the team finalized a 25-man roster which includes nine players poised for their first Major League Opening Day.
The first-timers were not at the fringes of the roster, either. They included the Brewers' first two starting pitchers (Junior Guerra and Zach Davies), both of the team's catchers (Jett Bandy and Manny Pina), starting shortstop Orlando Arcia, plus three relievers (Jacob Barnes, Corey Knebel and Jhan Marinez) positioned to pitch high-leverage innings. Backup first baseman Jesus Aguilar is also set for his first Opening Day.
"A lot of guys are in the same spot in their career -- they're looking to kind of take that next step and see where that takes them," manager Craig Counsell said.
For the second straight year, the Brewers made a last-minute addition to the bullpen. It was Carlos Torres last season and this time it was Jared Hughes, the former Pittsburgh Pirates sinkerballer who was released last week.
With Hughes in the fold, the Opening Day roster looks like this:
Pitchers (13)
Chase Anderson, Barnes, Davies, Neftali Feliz, Guerra, Hughes, Taylor Jungmann, Knebel, Mariñez, Tommy Milone, Jimmy Nelson, Wily Peralta, Torres
Catchers (2)
Bandy, Pina
Infielders (6)
Aguilar, Arcia, Hernan Perez, Travis Shaw, Eric Thames, Jonathan Villar
Outfielders(4)
Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Domingo Santana