Ben Brown, armed with a new sinker and fresh mentality, ready for any role with the Chicago Cubs

Ben Brown, armed with a new sinker and fresh mentality, ready for any role with the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown knows he needs more than his dominant fastball-curveball combination to be a consistent starter. The addition of a sinker could be a game-changer.

Ben Brown's new sinker came from training with 2x All-Star

Ben Brown has showcased a new pitch to his arsenal this Spring Training. So far, he’s used a sinker exclusively against right-handed hitters, giving him another option alongside his four-seam fastball and knuckle curve. Against lefties, Brown has leaned on his changeup, a common strategy for right-handed pitchers looking to neutralize opposite-handed batters. Now halfway through Spring Training, the metrics on Brown’s sinker look exceptional. H…

How Brown's offseason sinker evolution came from an unlikely source

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Ben Brown did not know Clay Holmes at all, and yet the veteran Mets pitcher’s name kept coming up in conversation. Specifically, the Cubs righty kept hearing over and over -- from multiple people – that he needed to track Holmes down when he headed home to