It was nearly a formality that Cubs’ pitching prospect Ben Brown would begin the year in Double-A. That didn’t mean he wasn’t a little surprised by the decision.

“When we sent him out this year, [he] was sort of like almost surprised,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Which I love, like wait a second, I just threw great, I wanna stick around.”

Brown had a breakout 2022, posting a 35.4% strikeout rate with opponents hitting just .196 off him in High-A Jersey Shore in the Phillies’ organization. The Cubs had been interested in him for a while and in 2022, with the Phillies charging for a playoff spot, saw a perfect opportunity to try and acquire him.

“Obviously, [Philadelphia] had a really good year last year and they went to the World Series so in their mind they had to go out and shore up their bullpen and [Brown] was a pretty obvious target for us,” Hoyer said.

The Cubs sent reliever David Robertson to the Phillies for Brown and what’s impressed the Cubs beyond just the impressive numbers is that temperament. He has a certain moxie to him, an inner confidence that allows him to maximize his talents.

 “I think the biggest thing that’s stood out for us is the makeup,” Hoyer said. “I mean he believes in himself. He wants to be out there.”

If Brown was frustrated with his assignment to begin the year, he channeled that anger into his pitching — and to great results. In 4 starts with the Smokies, Brown pitched 20 innings with tantalizing results — 1 earned run, 13 hits, 6 walks and 30 strikeouts. It was quickly evident that Brown’s intuition about Double-A was right — so the Cubs promoted him to Triple-A.

But there was at least some slight pondering of what the results would like in Iowa. MLB is experimenting with a new baseball at Double-A, a stickier ball.

“Are these guys’ pitches being helped or hurt by it? Is this hitter striking out more cause of the ball or because of something else?” Hoyer said. “It’s just a variable that’s different this year.”

Brown quickly struck those concerns down.

In his first 2 starts, he’s gone at least 5 innings in each and allowed just 1 earned run. He has 17 strikeouts and permitted just 10 baserunners in 10.2 innings.

“I think when he’s pitching in Iowa, he believes he’s a big-league pitcher,” Hoyer said. “And I think that’s the makeup and the confidence that’s gonna serve him really well.”

He’s putting himself on the Cubs’ radar with his rapid ascension and performances this season. Hoyer and the Cubs frequently mention that you can never have enough starting pitching, so the development and success of Brown are not to go unnoted. The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and with the belief that he could help them in the big leagues in the not-so-distant future.

The Cubs currently have eight starters on their 40-man roster healthy and six of them are on the big-league roster and another, Ryan Jensen, who is still in Double-A and appeared in relief in his last appearance with the Smokies.

Suffice to say, Brown has put him on the radar for a call-up with the Cubs, should the need arise. The nature of the baseball season would suggest he would be needed. Brown has proven he’ll be ready — and he has a new mentor to help him prepare for it.

As Kyle Hendricks works his way back to the major-league squad, he’s been in Iowa on a rehab assignment and seen Brown firsthand. He knows what the Cubs have on their hands and how valuable that successful, young pitching is.

“Ben Brown was unbelievable his first start down there,” Hendricks said last week when he was in Chicago to throw a bullpen session. “It’s just fun watching these young guys compete, doing their thing … they’re beginning their process.

“It’s fun to see these beginning steps. In all of them, it’s gonna pay off and they’re gonna end up being here at one point.”