NEWSLETTER
The pitching staff has undergone a lot of changes over the past few weeks, and at the center of it all is Ben Brown, the Cubs No. 2 pitching prospect, who’s been used out of the ‘pen and rotation so far this year. But what’s his role going forward, and did his traditional one-inning relief appearance last night give us a hint? Let’s figure that out together. But first, a little recap of where the bullpen and rotation stand at the moment.
Cubs Pitching Staff
The Cubs rotation is a little messy at the moment, with two guys on the IL and two guys in-between the rotation and the bullpen.
The Cubs bullpen is facing similar mudiness, with roles up in the air (Alzolay is not technically the closer right now) and a few key players out injured.
But this question really boils down to this: Who is the fifth starter and who’s the “eighth” man in the bullpen – Hayden Wesneski or Ben Brown?
Given his superior ceiling, prospect pedigree, and the fact that he’s made a couple starts already, Ben Brown sure seems like the guy the Cubs would want in the rotation (and long-term, I have no doubt that’s where he’s headed). But I’m not so sure that’s actually the case for the next few weeks until Justin Steele returns, especially after he was used in one – traditional – inning of relief last night.
It’s entirely possible that last night’s usage was just a way to get Brown work in-between starts (he’d be next scheduled to go on April 27, so that tracks with regular side sessions between outings for a starter), but I don’t actually think that’s what’s about to happen and here are my reasons.
With all that in mind, my guess is that the Cubs might want to just roll with Wesneski as the fifth man in the rotation and Brown as a late-inning relief option until Justin Steele returns. And when he does, if Wesneski (and Assad) are still pitching well, Wesneski can return to the minors to stay stretched out and ready for his next opportunity or move to the bullpen as a long-man.
Honestly, though, I could be convinced that Brown will still make his next start as planned with Wesneski coming out of the ‘pen as a long man.
Either way, I think it’s safe to say that there will be starting opportunities for all of Hayden Wesneski, Ben Brown, and Javier Assad the rest of this season and into the future. But for the next few weeks? This is an open question. How would you set them up?
