2024 Stats
W-L
1-3
ERA
3.58
WHIP
1.08
K
64
SV
0
2025 Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Brown turned heads with his performance in spring training and pitched well for the Cubs during the regular season between the rotation and bullpen before a neck issue ended his campaign. It was found that he was dealing with a benign area of concern in his neck, but after a follow-up scan in November, he was cleared for a normal offseason. Brown is a 6-foot-6 righty who gets good extension and pulls the string on a knuckle curve to great effect. His knuckle curve had an absurd .134 xBA and 51 percent whiff rate last season. The lack of a third pitch could be an issue and the jury is still out as to whether he can make it as a starting pitcher. Brown was significantly better as a starter than as a reliever last season, which offers hope that he could snag one of the final rotation spots with a strong showing in camp. Read Past Outlooks

Won't be moved to bullpen yet
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.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.
Pitching Stats
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2024
Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
57
Last 10 Games
57
Last 5 Games
68
How many pitches does Ben Brown generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Ben Brown generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-22%
BAA vs RHP
2024
-22%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .233 | 33 | 13 | 24 | 3 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .181 | 31 | 6 | 17 | 2 | |||
2024vs Left | .233 | 33 | 13 | 24 | 3 | |||
2024vs Right | .181 | 31 | 6 | 17 | 2 | |||
2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2022vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2022vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-22%
ERA at Home
2024
-22%
ERA at Home
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 3.00 | 1.00 | 18.0 | 11.5 | 2.5 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 3.86 | 1.13 | 37.1 | 9.9 | 3.4 | ||||
2024Home | 3.00 | 1.00 | 18.0 | 11.5 | 2.5 | ||||
2024Away | 3.86 | 1.13 | 37.1 | 9.9 | 3.4 | ||||
2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2022Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2022Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Ben Brown compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
3.37K/9
10.4BB/9
3.1HR/9
0.8Fastball
96.5 mphERA
3.58WHIP
1.08BABIP
.281GB/FB
0.93Left On Base
71.7%Exit Velocity
83.7 mphBarrels/BBE
5.7%Spin Rate
2225 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
28.7%Swinging Strike
13.6%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Acquired from the Phillies for David Robertson in a 2022 deadline deal, Brown has dealt with a fair share of arm injuries in his career, but he was able to break through and make his MLB debut early in his age-24 season. He has a powerful arsenal and stands an intimidating 6-foot-6, but a 15.8 percent walk rate last year at Triple-A raised concerns about his control, even while accounting for the automated balls and strikes system that led to inflated walk rates for Triple-A pitchers last season. Brown leans heavily on his 97 mph four-seamer and upper-80s power curveball, with his changeup serving as a below-average, seldom-used third pitch. He's also capable of throwing an above-average slider, although he has shelved that pitch early in his big-league career. Brown has a high strikeout ceiling on a per-start basis, but he carries significant long-term durability risk and still needs to prove he has the command to start long term in the majors.
More Fantasy News

Allows three runs in spring start
Brown allowed three runs on four hits across 3.2 innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Royals. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
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Competing as starter
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.
ANALYSIS
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Could be bullpen option
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.
ANALYSIS
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Cleared for normal offseason
Brown (neck) has been cleared for a normal offseason throwing program, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic report.
ANALYSIS
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Will have neck examined
Brown will undergo a scan on his neck in mid-November, with the hope that he will be cleared to throw without restrictions this offseason, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Opening for MLB debut?
Justin Steele is headed for the injured list after suffering a strained hamstring Thursday, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, and Brown could be in the mix to fill the vacant rotation spot.
ANALYSIS
The 24-year-old righty was optioned to Triple-A Iowa in early March and never seemed to have much of a chance to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster, but he pitched well during spring training with just one run allowed and a 12:5 K:BB across 14 innings. Brown struggled upon being promoted to Triple-A Iowa last season with a 5.33 ERA in 22 outings, but his spring success and standing as a top prospect could put him on the radar for early-season starts with Chicago's rotation depth being tested.
The 24-year-old righty was optioned to Triple-A Iowa in early March and never seemed to have much of a chance to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster, but he pitched well during spring training with just one run allowed and a 12:5 K:BB across 14 innings. Brown struggled upon being promoted to Triple-A Iowa last season with a 5.33 ERA in 22 outings, but his spring success and standing as a top prospect could put him on the radar for early-season starts with Chicago's rotation depth being tested.