Ben Brown DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Ben Brown is expected to serve as the bulk reliever during their contest on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. Drew Pomeranz is slated to open the game, but he is only expected to pitch one inning of work. Throughout the opening months of the season, Brown has been deployed primarily out of the rotation and has had mixed results. This afternoon, he will remain the primary option but will pitch out of the bullpen. Through 50 2/3 innings of work this season, Brown has held a 6.39 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP. Across this stint, Brown has struck out 64 batters and posted a solid 7.7% walk rate. However, he has generated a high 9.3% barrel rate with a hefty 45.7% hard-hit rate. This afternoon, Brown is best to fade in DFS given his inconsistent start to the season.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown will open the 2025 season as the team's fifth starter, according to The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma. Brown will be afforded a rotation spot to open the season after Javier Assad (oblique) was injured in spring training. The 25-year-old appeared in relief in the season opener in Tokyo, Japan, last week against the Los Angeles Dodgers and was hit with a loss after giving up three runs (two earned) over 2 2/3 innings. Brown didn't fare too well in spring training, either, posting a 6.75 ERA with 13 hits allowed (one homer), one walk and nine strikeouts in eight innings over three Cactus League outings (two starts). He held his own in his rookie season in 2024 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB in 15 outings (eight starts) before a neck injury cut his season short. There's some intriguing swing and miss to Brown's arsenal, particularly his knuckle-curve, making him worth a dart throw in deep-mixed leagues for depth.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown was the first arm out of the bullpen for manager Craig Counsell in the team's 4-1 loss against the Dodgers in Tokyo on Tuesday morning. While the young righty took the loss by giving up three runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings, he also showed why the Cubs are high on him by striking out five, including getting Shohei Ohtani swinging to end the sixth inning with a runner in scoring position. The fact that Brown threw 65 pitches even with plenty of options available behind him in the bullpen seems to indicate that the Cubs plan on using him as their fifth starter to begin the season after placing Javier Assad (oblique) on the injured list.