The Chicago Cubs are running out of excuses to not call up pitcher Ben Brown the next time they have an opening on their pitching staff.
Brown, who is considered the Cubs’ No. 6 prospect by MLB.com, made his most recent start for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs on Wednesday against Indianapolis. He worked the first six innings, giving up six hits and throwing shutout baseball.
But it was the strikeouts that stood out — all 11 of them.
Brown threw 86 pitches in the contest and 63 of them were strikes.
With the Iowa Cubs taking an easy 8-1 victory Brown improved his season record to 5-3. In 12 games he has a 2.47 ERA.
But he also has 88 strikeouts in 58.1 innings this season, while allowing 29 walks.
Brown hasn’t been with the Cubs long. He was acquired from Philadelphia last season in a trade that sent David Robertson to Philadelphia.
The right-hander is projected as a 2024 call-up for the Cubs. But that call could come earlier, especially if he continues to strike out hitters at this rate. It was the third time this season Brown has registered at least 10 strikeouts in a game and the second time he hit 11 strikeouts.
Brown is coming off a 2022 in which he struck out a career-high 149 hitters in 23 games (22 starts). Through 10 games he has nearly half of last year’s total.
Brown has been a pro since 2017, when the Phillies took him in the 33rd round of the draft out of Ward Melville in East Setauket, N.Y.
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