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. He’s averaging 13.5 inches of run on the pitch, consistently throwing it for strikes and generating swings and misses. Given those early results, the Chicago Cubs may want to consider making it his primary fastball. Last season, opposing hitters teed off on his four-seamer, batting .315 with a .566 slugging percentage while producing just a 14% whiff rate.
No matter how it’s ultimately deployed, Brown figures to use the sinker in some capacity in 2026. Recently, he revealed how the pitch came to be, and the strenuous training he went through with a former two-time All-Star to develop it.
Ben Brown’s new sinker came from training with 2x All-Star Clay Holmes
After the 2025 season, Brown was encouraged by multiple people to train with Clay Holmes during the offseason. The two had never met before, but Cubs vice president of pitching strategy Tyler Zombro helped connect them. Brown ultimately spent the entire offseason working alongside Holmes, something few pitchers can say, given Holmes’ reputation for intense workouts.
Together, the two worked to develop Brown’s sinker. Holmes, who pitches for the New York Mets, is a sinkerballer himself. Brown doesn’t use the exact same grip as Holmes, but it’s easy to see why Holmes was able to guide him through the nuances of the pitch and why Brown has seen positive results so quickly.
According to Holmes, Brown’s sinker was generating as much as 18 inches of run during bullpen sessions over the winter. Brown has reached that mark a few times this spring, but the pitch has still produced strong results overall. If he’s looking to take a step forward, continuing to incorporate the sinker, perhaps even making it one of his most frequently used pitches, could be a strategy worth serious consideration.
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