Ben Brown May Have Turned His Season Around
Ben Brown entered his May 31 outing against the Reds with a 6.39 ERA, having given up 14 runs in his last two starts combined. He began the season as the fifth starter in the rotation, moving up in order as Justin Steele and Shōta Imanaga went down with injuries, but his performance raised questions about his fitness for the role. The Cubs opted to use an opener for him in that Reds game to help him get over the mental hurdle of being too passive early in starts.
“It was almost like I was waiting for something good to happen in the first inning rather than me being on the attack and being the one that did execute those pitches,” Brown told reporters after his bulk outing. “That was a theme of all my starts last year — there was always something I [could] tell you every start [about] what was the thing that got me online.”
The running debate all season, and dating back to last year, is whether Brown needs a third pitch. He’s gradually increased his changeup usage this year, and it’s technically his best pitch based on run value, though he’s still only thrown it 40 total times. And while mixing his four-seam fastball and curveball at such high rates hasn’t yielded great results, Brown has looked like a different pitcher in his two most recent appearances.
One prominent issue for the tall right-hander has been his command. That’s not necessarily a matter of walking too many batters, which he’s avoided for the most part since late April, it’s leaving too many pitches in the heart of the zone. In this impressive stretch of his last two appearances (13 innings), he’s only allowed two free passes and has struck out 16 batters. Even better, he’s scattered hits to keep opposing offenses from capitalizing.
Ben Brown, Vicious 89mph Knuckle Curve. 😤 pic.twitter.com/ugSJEFuQph
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 6, 2025
Brown responded well to the change in rhythm when Craig Counsell installed Drew Pomeranz as an opener, something we just saw with Colin Rea‘s last outing as well. Brown went six shutout innings in “relief,” then had his longest appearance of the season with a seven-inning start against the best team in baseball right now. Carrying that confidence forward could be huge for the big righty.
Brown’s future is uncertain once Imanaga returns, although his recent strong outings help his case. If Jed Hoyer acquires a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, which seems likely, Brown may end up being a long-relief option out of the bullpen. Until then, his sudden resurgence has been a nice surprise as the summer months are upon us.
