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Cubs' Counsell Provides Outlook on Demoted Starting Pitcher

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 1:30 PM ET

It should not come as a big surprise that the Chicago Cubs optioned right-handed pitcher Ben Brown to Triple-A Iowa.

A second-year player, Brown has failed to capitalize on a successful rookie campaign, which saw him go 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 3.11 FIP, and 64 strikeouts to 19 walks over 15 appearances, eight starts, and 55 and 1/3 innings.

2025 has not been as kind to Brown, as he is 4-6 with a 6.13 ERA, a 4.08 FIP, and 91 strikeouts to 27 walks over 14 starts and 79 and 1/3 innings.

Manager Craig Counsell has not lost faith in his 25-year-old, nor is this even remotely close to the end of his MLB journey. Instead, the Cubs want Brown to make some changes.

Here is what Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune had to say on Counsell’s recent comments:

“The Cubs will ask him to keep honing his changeup while he’s in Iowa, ‘but it’s not the reason, I’ll be clear with that’ for Brown’s struggles and demotion,” Montemurro wrote.

“It’s just another piece of his development and something that he’s going to continue to work on because it is still relatively new and is something that he can improve on and, frankly, use more,” Counsell said.

One of Brown’s fatal flaws is a thin arsenal. He really only relies on his four-seamer (58% of pitches) and his curveball (38%). He needs not only to mix in that changeup (4%), but weaponize it so he feels comfortable throwing it more.

There are very few, if any, MLB starting pitchers that can survive, never mind dominate, on two pitches.

The problem is, Brown’s changeup is nowhere near where it needs to be to stay in this rotation. He has thrown 52 of his 57 changeups to left-handed batters and seen middling results. Opponents are batting .333 with an .833 slugging percentage, both of which are up significantly compared to his other pitches.

Brown has still proven he can thrive at this level, and it should only be a matter of time before he tweaks his changeup and returns to Chicago.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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