Brown squarely in mix for No. 5 rotation spot: ‘It’s exciting’
MESA, Ariz. — After Shota Imanaga’s four no-hit innings on Opening Day in Tokyo, Cubs manager Craig Counsell handed the ball to Ben Brown. While the young righty’s outing was not entirely smooth sailing, there were reasons to be intrigued.
Brown generated 14 whiffs — the most of any pitcher for the Cubs or Dodgers in Tuesday’s opener — including 13 from his knuckle-curve, per Statcast. He sat at 95.5 mph with his fastball, topping out at 97.1 mph. Most of all, Brown continued to look healthy and primed to handle a prominent role for the North Siders.
Counsell acknowledged on Saturday that Brown is very much in the mix for the fifth spot in the Cubs’ rotation.
“He’s feeling really good,” Counsell said. “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.”
Brown is currently slated to start Tuesday’s exhibition finale against the Braves, who are making a stop in Arizona en route to their season-opening series in San Diego. That will be his opportunity to give the Cubs’ decision-makers one final look to determine if he should be handed the lone rotation vacancy.
If the Cubs opt to hand the 25-year-old Brown the fifth spot — behind Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd — that would mean righty Colin Rea would shift to a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. Brown was thrilled to know he is still a contender to begin the season in Chicago’s starting staff.
“It’s a dream come true,” Brown said, “to be able to compete for a job you’ve been dreaming of your whole life. 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.”
