Pete Crow-Armstrong’s defense. Brennen Davis’ health. 4 Chicago Cubs prospects to watch during spring training.

Spring training often marks the first opportunity to see an organization’s rising talent play alongside big-leaguers.

When the Chicago Cubs kick off spring training Wednesday, most of the key spots on the opening-day roster will be in place. But prospects will be among the 72 players in major-league camp, and here are four in particular worth watching.

Crow-Armstrong earned a non-roster invitation coming off a strong year between Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend. The Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, who turns 21 next month, quickly became a standout in the minor-league system in his first full season.

“I don’t pay attention to it,” Crow-Armstrong said last month about prospect rankings. “I don’t know when I get moved in the rankings. I don’t really care.”

Crow-Armstrong’s defense in center field especially bears watching during camp. His range and great ability to read the ball off the bat allows him to cover a lot of ground and make spectacular plays.

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Offensively, the left-handed hitter showed a mix of power — 16 home runs, 20 doubles and 10 triples in 101 games — and getting on base at an efficient clip (.312 batting average and .376 on-base percentage).

“This offseason was about managing my reps. Don’t do too much,” Crow-Armstrong said. ”The biggest thing is searching for the consistency.”

The biggest question surrounding Davis coming into camp: Can he stay healthy?

Back issues cost him most of the 2022 season, most notably vascular surgery in his back that caused him to miss more than three months. A stress reaction in his back ended his time at the Arizona Fall League after just five games.

Davis said last month at the Cubs Convention he has focused on building up his body and creating a base that will sustain him through the season.

“It‘s just getting back to where I was and where I know I can be athletically and physically,” Davis said.

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Still one of the Cubs’ top prospects, Davis, 23, needs to stay on the field to get at-bats and experience. Since 2019, he has played in only 153 games with 630 plate appearances, slowed by the lost COVID season in 2020 and injuries.

If Davis can start strong and stay on the field, he could make his big-league debut this season, aided by already being on the 40-man roster.

The 23-year-old Brown reached Double A for the first time in his professional career, making the jump after the Cubs acquired him in August from the Philadelphia Phillies. Brown, who went on the 40-man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, posted a 4.06 ERA in seven starts with the Tennessee Smokies, striking out 44 and walking 13 in 31 innings.

Brown adds to the up-and-coming pitchers in the Cubs system. He’s ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect by Baseball America and No. 7 by MLB.com. He lost most of his 2019 season after Tommy John surgery and didn’t get back into a minor-league game until 2021 because of the canceled 2020 season.

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Brown relies predominantly on a fastball, curveball, slider combination, though he started throwing a changeup during bullpens between starts last year.

“I do believe my stuff right now plays at the next level, but also I’m not looking to just skate by,” Brown told the Tribune in September. “I want to make sure I have the best opportunity to do as well as I’m capable of doing.”

The 6-foot-6 Alcántara will be impossible to miss on the field. Beyond his size, Alcántara’s raw skills and potential make him the Cubs’ No. 3 prospect behind Crow-Armstrong and Davis. Alcántara has worked to find more consistency with his swing while harnessing his frame and power.

“I’ve always thought that I have the physical ability and the tools with my swing and what I’m doing,” Alcántara said last spring. “For me, the big thing is when I’m in the batter’s box making sure that mentally I’m in the right state and I’m following through on what I should do because I believe I have the talent to have the right swing.”

Being able to keep his swing more compact could lead to big numbers for the 20-year-old Alcántara, who produced a .273/.360/.451 slash line in 112 games at Myrtle Beach last year.

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• 1B Matt Mervis (non-roster invitee)
• RHP Ben Leeper (non-roster invitee)
• RHP Ryan Jensen
• C Miguel Amaya