Ben Brown's Breakout: Cubs Pitcher's New Sinker, Curveball

0:00On April 1st, Cubs pitcher Ben Brown is turning heads early this season, even in back-to-back losses. In his first two outings, he's logged six and two-thirds innings in long relief, giving up just two runs on a solo homer, while fanning eight and, walking only two. That's solid command from the 26-year-old Reidi. He earned his bullpen spot in spring training, with a 3.72 ERA and 13 strikeouts, over nine and two-thirds innings, beating out. Guys like Javier Assad. Traded over from the Phillies back in 2022, Brown brings an upper 90s fastball, and that nasty knuckle curve that's always had scouts. Buzzing. Fans and analysts are buzzing too, seeing his potential shy and through despite the team's losses. At six foot six, he's got the size and heat to lock down late innings for a Cubs pen short on velocity, but his long relief work keeps him stretched. Out as rotation depth, if needed. Digging deeper, Brown's making big strides, with the new sinker he picked up from Mets reliever Clay Holmes in the offseason.

1:02Monday night, he threw 39 strikes out of 50 pitches, racking up nine whips, and that sinker's already got two punchouts. His spas balls hitting the zone, 66.7% of the time, way up from last year, with fewer heart contacts. These tweaks are letting his curve ball feast, boosting chase rates, and whiff percentages. If Brown keeps building like this, he could be a breakout star, angering Wrigley Field all year. That's the story for today, MLB News Today, driven by AI, I'm Cory with the story.