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• Cubs' Ben Brown: Nabs rotation spot

  6D ago • By RotoWire

  The Cubs informed Brown on Tuesday that he will begin the season as the club's No. 5 starter, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports. The 25-year-old took the loss out of the bullpen in the season opener in Japan last week as he surrendered three runs (two earned) across 2.2 innings, but he apparently showed enough during camp to win the rotation spot. Brown started in eight of his 15 appearances as a rookie last year and had a 3.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB across 55.1 innings, and he may need to perform similarly this year to retain the rotation spot since Javier Assad (oblique) will potentially return early in the season.

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• Cubs' Ben Brown: Takes loss in opener

  13D ago • By RotoWire

  Brown (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Dodgers in Tokyo, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out five over 2.2 innings. Brown had an eventful 2025 debut, as he summoned from the bullpen to replace Shota Imanaga, who exited after tossing four scoreless, no-hit innings. Brown was able to miss some bats, but the right-hander also struggled with his control, which was a bit of an issue last season, when he walked 8.6 percent of the batters he faced. Brown could be a starting option for the Cubs at some point this season, though his usage in the opener suggests he'll serve as a long man out of the bullpen for the time being.

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• Cubs' Ben Brown: Won't be moved to bullpen yet

  24D ago • By RotoWire

  The Cubs are expected to keep Brown stretched out as a starting pitcher rather than move him to the bullpen at the start of the season, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports. Brown might be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day rotation, but it sounds as though the club will send Brown to Triple-A Iowa to stay stretched out rather than keep him in the big-league bullpen if he doesn't claim a starting role. Even if the 25-year-old begins the year in the minors, he still has a good chance to see significant action in the Cubs' rotation.

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• Cubs' Ben Brown: Competing as starter

  02/25/2025 • By RotoWire

  Manager Craig Counsell said Brown has hit the ground running in camp and he's being evaluated as a starting pitcher, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports. "Ultimately, you're trying to develop starters," Counsell said. "That's really valuable. The elite back-end guy, they're super-valuable, too. It's knowing that we got a good pitcher there and figuring out what to do. That's what we'll have to, at some point, make decisions on. But right now, it's a starter for Ben." It's looking more and more likely that Javier Assad (oblique) will have to start the year on the injured list, in which case it would be one of Brown, Colin Rea or Jordan Wicks opening the year as the Cubs' fifth starter. Brown obviously has the highest fantasy ceiling of that bunch, but he's still mostly a two-pitch guy, although his top two pitches (fastball, curveball) are easily plus and his curveball, which is also called a "death ball," is one of the best curveballs in all of baseball. He's been working on his changeup this spring, and if he's clearly the best option, it would be hard for the Cubs to exclude Brown and his strikeout stuff from a starting rotation that had the 25th-best strikeout rate (21.1 percent) in baseball last season.

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• Cubs' Ben Brown: Could be bullpen option

  02/09/2025 • By RotoWire

  While Brown saw some time in the rotation last season, he could be a full-time bullpen option for the Cubs in 2025, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report. Brown made 15 appearances for the Cubs last year, including eight starts, and posted a 3.58 ERA and 64 strikeouts across 55.1 innings. It's a small sample, but the 25-year-old flashed some potential, and he displayed a fastball that clocked in at an average of 96.5 mph. There's some belief that Brown's velocity could tick up if he shifts to a full-time bullpen role, which could make him an interesting weapon for Chicago. The righty will have to compete for a job in spring training, though he does have some intriguing upside heading into the season.

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