It's official: Cubs trade closer David Robertson for pitching prospect Ben Brown |
ST. LOUIS – The Chicago Cubs today acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Ben Brown from the Philadelphia Phillies for right-handed pitcher David Robertson.
Brown, 22, is 3-5 with a 3.08 ERA (25 ER/73.0 IP) in 16 games (15 starts) for High-A Jersey Shore this season. The righthander has struck out 105 batters, compared to 23 walks, good for 12.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. Brown was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 11-17 after he struck out 13 batters in 7.0 scoreless innings on July 17 at Aberdeen. In four games (three starts) in July, Brown went 1-0 with a 1.57 ERA (4 ER/23.0 IP) and 35 strikeouts, compared to two walks. The six-foot, six-inch Brown made his professional debut in 2017, posting a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP) in 10 games out of the bullpen for the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League Phillies. In 2018, he ranked third in the GCL in strikeouts (62) and ninth in innings pitched (49.0). On July 24 of that season, he recorded a career-high 16 strikeouts in 6.0 scoreless innings at GCL Tigers East. Selected by the Phillies in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft out of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, N.Y., Brown owns a career 8-9 record with a 3.27 ERA (63 ER/173.1 IP) and 217 strikeouts, good for an average of 11.3 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, in 49 minor league games (30 starts). Robertson, 37, is 3-0 with 14 saves in 19 opportunities and a 2.23 ERA (10 ER/40.1 IP) in 36 games for the Cubs this season after he signed a one-year major league deal in March of this year. He has posted a 1.04 WHIP and limited opponents to a .162 average and a .554 OPS. In 14 major league seasons with the Yankees (2008-14, 2017-18), White Sox (2015-17), Phillies (2019), Rays (2021) and Cubs, Robertson is 56-33 with 149 holds, 151 saves and a 2.89 ERA (230 ER/716.0 IP) in 709 games, all but one as a reliever. Good luck to @DRob30 in Philly!
It was a pleasure watching you pitch in a #Cubs uniform! pic.twitter.com/e3w3E2gltS
