3 Chicago Cubs prospects who deserve a September call-up

#2: Ben Brown

Another pitcher with a big arm that's been on the radar for a while now is Ben Brown. Acquired from the Phillies last year for David Robertson, he has proven himself as one of the Cubs' best pitching prospects complete with an upper-90s fastball of his own and a curveball/slider that ranks among the hardest to hit in the minors. As of MLB Pipeline's most recent re-ranking, he sits as the team's fifth-best prospect and lands at #91 overall across the sport.

Brown has been a favorite for a call-up this year and for good reason. Even if it's been an up-and-down season for the 23-year-old righty at Triple-A, he's looked solid in the month of July, limiting hitters to a .167 batting average and a .591 OPS. Over his past three starts, he's thrown 15 innings with a 1.80 ERA. Thanks to his pitch mix, it's easy to see him getting a look out of the bullpen in order to limit his innings, but with Marcus Stroman suffering an injury setback with rib discomfort, there's at least a possibility he could slot in for a spot start.

The one rub with Brown right now is that he's currently on the injured list, though that isn't expected to be a particularly long stay. As soon as he's back in play, he'll be back on the radar and a likely candidate to bolster a Cubs pitching staff that could absolutely use the reinforcement.