Craig Counsell Will ‘See What Happens’ on Ben Brown Rotation Decision
The Cubs have not yet named their fourth or fifth starters yet, but it’s a pretty safe bet that Matt Boyd will get the ball for the finale against the Diamondbacks next Sunday. Justin Steele gets the nod in the domestic opener, giving him the distinction of starting two games in a row and making him the first Cub since Bob Rush in 1955 to start two of the team’s first three games of the season. Jameson Taillon gets the second game and Shota Imanaga, who was a little under the weather in Tokyo, takes the third.
That leaves just one spot remaining unless the Cubs opt for a six-man rotation. Barring a follow-through on that Lance Lynn trial balloon from a few days ago, a report perhaps meant to spur action on the aging right, the most obvious candidate for the job is Ben Brown. The Cubs have been leaning that way for a while now and he showed during an extended relief appearance following Imanaga in the Tokyo opener that he’s got the stuff to succeed.
Some may argue against that because he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks over an inefficient 2.2 innings. Others might be concerned that his velocity was down a little less than a tick. Then there’s the narrow repertoire that saw Brown throw just one changeup to 35 curveballs and 29 fastballs.
On the flip side, Brown’s 14 whiffs generated were the most of any pitcher in the series. He got 13 on the curve alone, one more than Imanaga had in his four innings of work and as many as Steele and Porter Hodge combined for over five frames the following game. Between his ability to miss bats and the fact that even his reduced velocity is 3 mph higher than anyone else in the rotation — Boyd appeared to be up a little from his normal 92, but we’ll wait for Statcast there — putting Brown in the rotation should be an easy decision.
“He’s feeling really good,” Craig Counsell told the media. “And I think that shows us some signs of being a really good Major League starting pitcher. If that’s the direction we go, that’s a pretty good [arm]. There’s some ceiling there, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”
Rather than just being coy, the manager is speaking literally about Brown’s next scheduled start against the Braves in Tuesday’s spring finale. That would line him up perfectly to face the A’s on Monday in Sacramento. Is that as weird to read as it is to write? Almost as weird as actually having a dude who throws gas working as part of the Cubs’ rotation.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to compete for a job you’ve been dreaming of your whole life,” Brown said recently. “It just puts more emphasis on the day-to-day and going out and executing what I can control. It’s exciting, though. It’s an exciting position to be in.”
Using Brown as a starter not only allows the Cubs to get the most value out of his elite stuff, it also gives Counsell the ability to set up his bullpen. I’m going to be just as interested to see how this all pans out, but it’ll be more than mildly frustrating if Brown isn’t in the rotation a week from now.
