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In the past week, the Chicago Cubs had their 19-year-old, second round pick from 2022, making his pro debut and looking unreal in Jackson Ferris, while their first round pick from last year Cade Horton has been promoted after a month in his first pro assignment. Their 2021 first round pick Jordan Wicks keeps dominating hitters at Double-A and will most likely move up to Triple-A soon, oh and then there are 3-4 other pitchers who are turning heads in the farm system, but there is one pitching prospect that has separated himself from the rest and he may end up in the majors by the summer. His name is Ben Brown.
I know that ever since Jed Hoyer took over, he hasn’t quite expressed the team’s intentions clearly, which has led to justifiable anger toward the moves the front office has made following the 2020 season. However, Cubs fans cannot deny the fact that the front office has done a great job of acquiring good talent the past three years. Right-handed starting pitcher Ben Brown may just end up being their best trade.
Entering Wednesday’s start, Brown had already impressed everyone in his Triple-A debut with the Iowa Cubs, allowing just one earned run in 5.2 innings. The 23-year-old, struck out seven and walked two, while allowing three hits against the Columbus Clippers. Good debut, but Brown was even better on Wednesday and you could argue that he didn’t even have his best stuff on the mound.
Brown ended up walking a batter in each of his first two innings, but he wasn’t frazzled and he stayed confident and calm in the fourth inning, when the first two batters reached with consecutive singles. Those ended up being the only hits Brown surrendered Wednesday afternoon.
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This might seem like bullshit and sure, guys look dominant in the minors all the time, but Ben Brown has the look, the poise, the demeanor, he has that *it* factor on the mound. His final line against the Toledo Mud Hens was 5 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 10 strikeouts, 3 walks.
Overall this season, Brown has made six starts between Double-A and Triple-A.
Ben Brown 2023 Stats
6 Starts, 30.2 Innings Pitched, 0.59 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
47 Strikeouts, 11 Walks, .168 Batting Average Against
That is two earned runs in 30.2 innings. Brown has allowed a total of four hits or fewer in five of his six starts to begin the 2023 season.
So, a few things here. First, the Cubs are going to call up Brown some time in 2023. It doesn’t matter if it’s just to put him in the bullpen, Ben Brown is going to be in the majors this season. Second, with Brown and a few other pitching prospects on the cusp of reaching the big leagues this summer, I don’t think the Cubs need to go out and trade for relievers if they’re still in the playoff mix come July.
And that’s the big last point here. The Cubs need to stop messing around because we would all like for Brown to come up and pitch in some meaningful games in the second half. I know that expectations varied for the 2023 Cubs and we are pretty much seeing what an average team is. A good run, followed by a bad one. However, the team can still make a few more moves to fully maximize the roster and within the roster, some of the daily decisions can improve.
Hopefully, some of those issues get fixed because the Cubs do have a shot in the division and yes that’s mostly because the division isn’t good. Still, don’t throw this chance away.
I don’t think the Cubs need to go out and trade for relievers if they’re still in the playoff mix come July.