Jason Ross

Dansby.

Hendricks with the absolutely disrespectful K dance there. Wow. /s

Currently listed on Tennessee's roster. So...probably there, I'd assume. Weather would be my guess. Iowa has a very cold start this year.

The Cubs aren't going to clear that up until they have to I suspect. No reason to tip your hand.

Wiggins threw today at EXST.

I think if the Cubs were bringing up Brown for the BP, they'd have brought up Palencia. It isn't like Palencia doesn't have big stuff, so I would suspect the reason they wanted Brown was the stamina and ability to start.

Despite losing the game, the Cubs' biggest loss on Opening Day was watching their de facto ace, Justin Steele, injure his hamstring. Speculation was rampant about who would take the opening spot, but reports are that that has been answered. Enter Ben Brown. Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports When Justin Steele awkwardly fielded a swinging bunt in the fifth inning of Thursday's Opening Game, Cubs' fans held their breath as the lefty lay on the ground holding his hamstring. Despite walking off under his power, once the Cubs acknowledged it was "a hamstring injury" mid-game, the obvious outcome was that Justin Steele would miss time, leaving a hole in the Cubs' already thin rotation. Questions about who would take the open roster spot took hold of discourse, both on NSBB and Cubs Twitter, as there were three apparent candidates: Drew Smyly, Hayden Wesneski, and Ben Brown. While Smyly offered the easiest plug-and-play, Wesneski, and more specifically Ben Brown, offered greater upside. Today, we got our answer, as reports from Tommy Birch, who covers the Iowa Cubs, as pointed out that Ben Brown is no longer with the Iowa Cubs. The only possibility is that he's on his way to Texas to join the parent club. It's always hard to tell what a young player will do when given an opportunity on the highest level, but it's probably even harder to pin down Ben Brown. I wrote about Brown over the offseason a few times and again when I ranked him as my personal 10th-. If we're looking at his most recent MiLB data, it is fair to worry a bit about the powerful righty; he's got a fantastic fastball-curveball combination, but his fastball command has yet to show consistency at the Triple-A level. Our own Mathew Trueblood also highlights how high his release point is on the pitch and the issues it may cause. There's been a real fear that Brown's best bet to MLB usefulness would come out of the bullpen, especially at the start of that career. With the doom-and-gloom out of the way, some real excitement brewing with Brown. First, Brown showed significant improvement in his fastball command this spring. The 6"4 righty did walk five in fourteen innings but gave up only a single run. His calling card, his curveball, is especially deadly and is a true "unicorn" pitch based on its spin and tightness. CHGO's Brendan Miller highlighted in his tweet that Brown's curveball moves more like a traditional slider, and yet, no one in baseball throws a slider like him. This type of pitch, coupled with the uniqueness of where he releases his fastball, will give him a good leg-up as he continues to refine his command; MLB hitters will never have seen someone like this before. Brown is not the safe option here. There's a chance his command doesn't play, that the Cubs have brought him up too quickly. However, the Cubs are in a situation where their rotation is already a bit depleted with Jameson Taillon on the shelf, and Ben Brown offers things the Cubs don't have: a RHP who throws hard. While someone like Drew Smyly or Hayden Wesneski are more known quantities, the Cubs took the upside play here. Regardless of if you think he's ready, the Cubs do, and this will be a fun experiment. Make sure you clear your schedule because when Ben Brown debuts, whether it's great, awful, or somewhere in the middle, the Ben Brown experience will be something unlike any other starting pitcher in the entire league. Do you think the Cubs should have called up Ben Brown? Would you rather have seen Hayden Wesneski or Drew Smyly? Let us know the comment section below! View full article

Per Sharms, the rotation schedule will remain the same. No shuffling.

That certainly makes more sense than even my half baked justification of warm weather. They've pushed Caissie aggressively each level so seeing him start in TN was strange. Good find.

Also true. I initially wondered a bit if Ben Brown struggled with the transition from the Southern League pre-tacked baseball back to a traditionally tacked baseball which could have caused some initial command issues. but I'll admit that's not backed up by a ton of data. Brown really didn't pitch a ton in Tennessee, and he struggled for around his first 32.1 IP in Triple-A before he settled in a bit more. He showed improvement after, dropping his BB% by around 1% prior to his injury over his next 26.2 innings, but that's not a huge gain. As well, checking out Southern League data, walks decreased by 1% once the baseball was changed, so the league as a whole didn't really struggle. Combined, I think my initial hypotheses as best would be "seems pretty unlikely". I just come back to in the end, the Cubs have a lot more information over the last five months and the situation could have changed. On paper, what Brown offers (right handed velocity) is something the rotation is severely lacking and his ST showcased in small samples that the fastball command would appear to have made a jump. But with that, it could be a case of a good showing and something the Cubs haven't been seeing in bullpen sessions and practice, or apart of a greater trend. It's probably also just hopeful wishing on my end, too.

Whoops! I inverted the colors on the website. They're in Chatanooga/Rocket City in April. Regardless, much likely warmer than the Iowa/Buffalo/St. Paul mix in Iowa.

Which is also fair. But I think we have to remember that Brown was hurt last year and his struggles really amplified after the injury (they're not new though, and I know that, too). As well, 2024 is a new year. The information you and I have to work with is incredibly limited compared to the Cubs. Wesneski and Brown were working on things behind doors for the offseason, and while they're not in full game situations, that data matters to the Cubs as well. It'll help them make that choice. If Ben Brown's fastball command isn't brand new as of two or three weeks ago, that would change the equation here. It's not in-game data, but it's something internally the Cubs would have than I wouldn't. If that fastball progress isn't new...and if Wesneski hasn't made that progress, I'd lean towards Brown. If Wesneski has made progress and Brown's fastball progress was just what it may appear to be...ST magic...go with Wesneski. If they've both made progress...well we all win. The Cubs will be in a far more unique situation to analyze that.

Entirely. Even worse in things like English soccer. My favorite club is sponsored by a betting website. Their star player got busted for gambling on games (prior to his time at this club). He has a gambling addiction. Now he's wearing a shirt, every game, advertising what he's been in therapy for. It doesn't excuse his prior betting, but damn, that's rough.

I wonder if the schedule for both teams plays into this. Iowa is opening up on the road at Omaha, but then is spending the next few weeks either in Iowa, or St. Paul Minnesota, then Buffalo. The temps on those games are likely not going to be great. Over the same time, Tennessee is playing in Tennessee (x2) and road trips to Montgomery, AL, and Rocket City, who also play in Alabama. It's interesting to see many of the Cubs best hitting prospects miss the cut (Murray, Caissie, Shaw) who had chances to make Iowa. I wonder if the Cubs are trying to give them a good, warm weather hitting environment for a few weeks (much like they did with Cade Horton on the mound in 2023) and then will move them to Iowa if someone like David Peralta opt out, and when the weather and schedule opens up.

I'd be fine with Wesneski as well, but feel like if we're going to point out Brown's inability to throw his fastball for a strike, it's probably just as fair to point out how bad Wesneski was against LHH last year as a counterpoint. Both had major flaws that got no better throughout the season in 2023. In the end, the Cubs should go with whomever they think has made the most progress in those situations. If they think Wesneski has shown signs of better controlling LHH; go with him. If they think Ben Brown has done a better job progressing with the fastball command, then go with him. Regardless, either are preferable to the Drew Smyly show.

I think there's just a lot of downtime and talking about win probability is just another thing to fill the air. It's a silly statistic and what not on the surface. I guess you can argue that win probability can be a gateway to win-probability-added, which is a somewhat interesting measure of "cluthiness", so perhaps there's a benefit, and it's a bastardized form, at times, of run matrixes and the like...so maybe that's kind of interesting on a surface level thing. In the end, I just remind myself that these guys are talking more towards the lowest common denominator. Or, in other words, I feel like at times I'm Ron Swanson at Lowes. "I know more than you" (at least, in terms of what they speak about on the broadcasts most of the time).

I'm not normally someone who puts much stock in Spring Training numbers, but Ben Browns control of his fastball just looked better. Have to agree: it's Ben Brown time. He fits a need in the rotation with or without the Steele opening; true power velocity from the right side. I'm still skeptical about how the improved command will continue, if it was a good run, etc...but he's on the 40-man...I'd rather they go this route than the tried and true Drew Smyly experience at this point. We know what that looks like and it doesn't look pretty. Even if Ben Brown isn't always pretty, there's enough upside that on the other days he does, he can look real pretty, and the team can still fall back to Smyly and pull the plug if they feel the necessity.

Tomorrow is an off day?! I missed this entire game dealing with Chase Bank and I can't even drink bourbon and watch a game on my first evening after Spring Break? horsefeathers me.

Well. Damnit.

A lack of pre-arb players, really.

I think repeating is a negative on it's own. With that said, I'm a strong believer in thinking of the context of a prospect, so I think Busch is in a bit of a unique situation. The Dodgers are quite stacked, and Busch is quite blocked. They've had a lot of ability to slow play prospects. In other orgs, Busch is up sometime around age 24, but with the likes of Muncy/Freeman/Betts in his way, they could really slow play development. I really like the changes he made. He improved greatly against fastballs and velocity, making it turn from an issue in his first run in Triple-A to a massive positive his second. I've got high hopes on Busch. Think he's a nice prospect.

Yeah, I really try to limit my excitement on ST numbers, but he does seem to be taking coaching well and moving the fastball up. Home runs will be an achilles, but I think the strikeout numbers could be shockingly fun for "only" 92mph.

Not sure if you caught it, and it should be noted it was a back fields game against MiLB hitters, but he comically struck out 13 in just 5 innings in his last start.

Here on Opening Day, we complete our preview of the rest of the National League by looking at the NL East. While the Braves are the presumptive favorites, teams just below them could create trouble for the Cubs in the Wild Card race, if they fail to grab the NL Central title. Image courtesy of © Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports In 2023, the powerful Atlanta Braves easily won the National League East. Winning a whopping 104 games, the Braves ran away with the division. Behind them, however, two teams finished over ,500 and a third was within shouting distance of a winning record. Despite the Braves walking away with the division, they fell early in the playoffs and the upstart Diamondbacks stole the NL pennant. As we enter 2024, the division, on paper, should result in a similar outcome. If the Dodgers had the flashiest offseason in baseball, the Braves had the most utilitarian, re-signing a few of their own role players, bringing in a former top prospect and a former Cy Young winner, and overall, bolstering their already impressive roster. The East didn't see a ton of big acquisitions in the offseason outside of Atlanta, so the standings aren't likely to change much. With that said, there is plenty of intrigue in the division, especially if the Cubs fail to take the NL Central crown. Atlanta Braves: Projected Record: 97-65 (FanGraphs), 101-61 (Baseball Prospectus) Offseason Moves: Notable Additions: Chris Sale, SP; Jarred Kelenic, OF; Aaron Bummer, LHP Notable Losses: Eddie Rosario, LF; Kirby Yates, RHP Scouting Report: This might be the deepest lineup in baseball. With superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. headlining the batting order, he's surrounded by All-Star-level talents such as catcher Sean Murphy, third baseman Austin Riley, second baseman Ozzie Albies, first baseman Matt Olson, and center fielder Michael Harris II. It's terrifying just thinking about it. Once you get past the upper crust, you're still left with players like 2023 breakout Orlando Arcia and former top prospect Jarred Kelenic. There's very little letup in the lineup, and it would take a massive rash of injuries to truly derail the offensive output. Will they be able to repeat 100 wins? I'm not sure it entirely matters, but the expectation is this team wins the division going away regardless. The Big Question: Can the rotation stay healthy? Behind their lineup, the Braves are a little thinner in the rotation, as they rely on a few oft-injured arms such as Max Fried and Chris Sale behind perennial Cy Young contender Spencer Strider. It was interesting to see a rotation that likely needed a bit more stability target Sale as their big anchor, but if he can stay healthy, the Braves could be a scary team on the mound, as well. Philadelphia Phillies Projected Record: 85-77 (FanGraphs), 84-78 (Baseball Prospectus) Offseason Moves: Notable Additions: Spencer Turnbull, SP; Kolby Allard, RP; Whit Merrifield, UTIL Notable Losses: Rhys Hoskins, 1B; Craig Kimbrel, RHP Scouting Report: Same old Phillies, really. They re-signed Aaron Nola to kickstart their offseason, but other than that, Dave Dombrowski played it very cool, for once. The team returns their entire core from the 2023 season--one that saw them win 90 games last year. Returning the vast majority of that team means this iteration will have similarly high expectations: to at least make the playoffs and give the Phillies a chance at a World Series run. The Fightin's may also get contributions from top prospects such as Mick Abel if they have troubles on the mound, and they have enough prospect depth to swing a midseason trade. This is a team who will be favorites for one of the coveted NL Wild Card spots this season. The Big Question: Do the Phillies have enough? The Braves, on paper, are a juggernaut. The Dodgers, on paper, are a juggernaut. Can the Phillies make it a three-headed-monster on the top of the National League, or are they just not good enough? They were a bottom-five defensive team according to Defensive Runs Saved last season, and with an extra year of age on their key players' tires, they don't project to get any better. Can they legitimately hit and pitch well enough to make up for it? Or are the Phillies going to be the team of "just not enough"? They made the World Series in 2022, fizzled in the playoffs in 2023... Where do they go from here? New York Mets Projected Record: 81-81 (FanGraphs), 84-78 (Baseball Prospectus) Offseason Moves: Notable Additions: J.D. Martinez, DH; Sean Manaea, SP; Luis Severino, SP; Harrison Bader, OF Notable Losses: None Scouting Report: The Mets truly were the example of "winning the offseason does not equate to winning the regular season" in 2023. Making headlines with their big spending, the Mets fell well short of expectations and had a massive sell-off at the trade deadline. The 2024 version of the team is constructed very differently, bringing in David Stearns to run the show and signing some under-the-radar bounce-backs instead of the bona fide studs. There's still star power here, with Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and upstarts like Francisco Alvarez, but the team is going to need some positive outcomes (especially on the mound) to reach the playoffs. If the team can stay afloat long enough, they could make a run midseason, but they feel like they're more built to tread water and then sell off their one-year contracts in July instead. The Big Question: Can Stearns's pixie dust transfer to the Big Apple? The biggest addition the Mets made this year is, arguably, Stearns. Coming over from Milwaukee, Stearns was the architect of a team who consistently outperformed projections and made do with less. The Mets are trying to do the same, relatively speaking, and how much Stearns is able to achieve with the Mets in 2024 will dictate how well they are positioned to either make a run at the playoffs or pivot toward the future come July. If he can pull an Andrew Friedman and turn the Mets into the Dodgers East, the National League will be in trouble. Miami Marlins Projected Record: 80-82 (FanGraphs), 80-82 (Baseball Prospectus) Offseason Moves: Notable Additions: Vidal Bruján, 2B; Christian Bethancourt, C Notable Losses: Jorge Soler, DH; David Robertson, RHP; Jacob Stallings, C Scouting Report: A big surprise in the 2023 season, the Marlins are coming off an over-.500 season. Buoyed by Luis Arráez and his insane bat-to-ball skills; what feels like an endless supply of young, interesting starting pitchers; and a few additions midseason (like slugging third baseman/first baseman Jake Burger), they made a run to the playoffs. However, after losing powerful designated hitter Jorge Soler, and with injuries to key arms such as Sandy Alcántara, this feel like a team poised to take a step back in the 2024 season. The Big Question: How do the Marlins overcome the loss of Sandy Alcántara? The 2022 Cy Young Winner, Alcantara is set to miss the entirety of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. The sinker-changeup specialist was the anchor of the Marlins' rotation, and even though the results were a little disappointing last year (likely due to injury), he leaves behind a massive hole. The Marlins have arms such as Jesús Luzardo remaining, as well as intriguing arms like Eury Pérez (who is also dealing with elbow discomfort, but so far dodging the surgeon's scalpel), and Edward Cabrera, but how the team weathers the loss of their ace will determine their trajectory. Washington Nationals Projected Record: 66-96 (FanGraphs), 58-104 (Baseball Prospectus) Offseason Moves: Notable Additions: Joey Gallo, OF/1B; Nick Senzel, 3b/OF; Eddie Rosario, OF Notable Losses: Dominic Smith, 1B Scouting Report: The Nationals are the only team in the East who won't even tease the .500 mark in 2024. If not for the Rockies, they would be considered the worst team in the entire National League as we enter the 2024 season. That isn't to say there isn't some hope or some interesting players--just that the overall roster has plenty of holes in it. The Nats still have a few young players who are set to play most (if not all) of their 2024 on the parent club, such as shortstop CJ Abrams, catcher Keibert Ruiz and first baseman Joey Meneses, but overall, the roster has all of the hallmarks of a 65-win team (or worse). This will not be Washington's year. The Big Question: How will the young players continue to develop? The Nationals may not have a great roster, but they do have some interesting players. The aforementioned Abrams and Ruiz will start the year in Washington, but the Nats also boast some of the best prospects in baseball--namely, outfielders James Wood and 2023 first-round selection Dylan Crews. Both are likely to make their debuts this summer, and could be followed by Robert Hassell, Brady House, and Cade Cavalli if they develop correctly. If the Nationals begin to get contributions from their top prospects, while they won't challenge for NL Wild Card glory in 2024, they could become a dark horse team to make life difficult for others at the tail end of the season. The East seems certain to claim one of the NL Wild Card berths, leaving just two for the other two divisions. After the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Giants all got significantly better late in the offseason, the lane is narrow for any NL Central team trying to squeeze into a Wild Card spot. The Cubs had better win the division, then. View full article