The Chicago Cubs lost the Season opener Thursday to the Texas Rangers 4-3 in 10 innings. They also saw Justin Steele leave the game before the end of the bottom of the fifth inning with an apparent hamstring issue after making a play on a bunt. Today news broke that a Top Pitching prospect was not with the Triple-A Iowa team in Omaha for their game against the Storm Chasers.
RHP – Ben Brown
Ben Brown possibly was one of the most impressive if not the most impressive Cubs pitcher this spring. Brown appeared in five games starting two this spring in 14 innings of work he went 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA. He struck out 12 batters while walking five and had a 1.07 WHIP this spring. Brown has made a lot of improvements over the winter and this move could be something that gets paired with an announcement of an IL stint for Justin Steele, I hope not but more than likely there will be another moving piece to this rumored Call. Last year Brown pitched between Double-A and Triple-A for the team making 26 appearances and 19 starts with a record of 8-8. He pitched in 92.2 innings and struck out 130 batters, walked 57, had a 4.27 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in the minors combined.
Wrap up
As of right now, this move is being speculated due to his absence with his Iowa Cubs teammates, mix that with the uncertainty around Justin Steele it makes sense that Ben Brown the hard-throwing right-handed gets the call-up if Steele misses time.
