The Arizona Fall League preliminary rosters were announced yesterday and 4 of the Cubs’ Top 10 prospects are expected to head into the desert. Here is a breakdown of all the prospects the Cubs will be sending to the AFL: Brett Jackson – With Starlin Castro graduating to the majors, Jackson would have to rate as the Cubs top prospect. After a solid season split between high A Daytona and AA Tennessee, Jackson will get more seasoning in the AFL. The hope is that he can make the jump to AAA in 2011 and be ready to take over in center (with Marlon Byrd moving to right) when Kosuke Fukudome’s contract expires after 2011. Josh Vitters – Vitters struggled this year, both on the field and with injuries. He hit just .223 in his first taste of AA and didn’t show the same pop as last year (just 10 HR’s in 316 AB’s). The Cubs are hoping that a stint in the AFL will get him back on track. Ryan Flaherty – Like Vitters, Flaherty struggled in his stint at AA Tennessee (.183 in 71 AB’s). However, he fared well at high A Daytona (.286 in 406 AB’s). If Vitters doesn’t progress, Flaherty could be an option at third. He has played second, short and third since being drafted in 2008 (41st overall) and could end up as a Mark DeRosa type super-utility player. Chris Carpenter – One of the Cubs big three pitching prospects, along with Andrew Cashner and Jay Jackson, Carpenter had another good year. He posted a 3.16 ERA in 119.2 IP at Tennessee, before getting roughed up a bit in a couple late season starts for Iowa. With Cashner being groomed for the setup role in Chicago, Jackson and Carpenter could be mainstays in the Cubs rotation, perhaps as early as mid-season 2011. David Cales – Growing up on the south side as a Sox fan, Cales probably never dreamed of playing for the Cubs, but that is getting closer to becoming a reality. A righthander reliever, Cales put up good numbers at AA this year (2.51 ERA in 46.2 IP) before getting a wake-up call at AAA (7.43 ERA in 23 IP). His fastball sits in the low 90’s and he has some good secondary pitches. If he keeps improving, he could be in the Cubs bullpen sometime in 2011. Kyle Smit – Acquired from the Dodgers in the Ted Lilly trade, Smit fared pretty well for the AA Tennessee Smokies, with a 2.08 ERA in 17.3 IP. Overall, he posted a 2.28 ERA in 71 IP across two levels. He probably doesn ’t have a lot of upside, but he could be a decent middle reliever in the bigs. Jake Muyco – Selected by the Cubs in the 8th round of the 2005 draft, Muyco has not been overly impressive in the minors, including a 4.24 ERA in 74.1 IP (with just 31 K’s). He’s not going to overpower anyone, but he did manage to make it to AAA Iowa this year. This will be his chance to prove himself worthy of a 40-man roster spot. Those are the 7 players the Cubs will be sending to the AFL (barring any injuries or last-minute changes). Jackson (#2), Vitters (#3), Carpenter (#8) and Flaherty (#9) all made the Cubs top 10 prospects, as determined by Baseball America. So, if you’re in Arizona this fall, it would be a good time to check out a game or two and see the future of this Cubs franchise. -- --

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