Rockies Rookie McCade Brown Draws Pirates All-Star in MLB Debut

The Colorado Rockies are bringing up Double-A star McCade Brown and he’ll have to face Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Paul Skenes on Sunday.

A detail view of a Colorado Rockies batting helmet in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

On Sunday the Colorado Rockies will make it official and add Double-A pitcher McCade Brown to the 26-man roster and start him on Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon his name was added to the MLB.com pitching probables page, even though the Rockies hadn’t made the move official. MLB.com’s Rockies beat writer, Thomas Harding, reported the move was coming earlier in the week.

So, Brown is set to make his debut on Sunday in Pittsburgh, and he drew about as tall a task as one could ask for. The matchup? He’s just facing reigning National League rookie of the year and two-time All-Star Paul Skenes.

The Brown vs. Skenes Matchup

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Brown has never pitched a Major League inning. He missed a considerable portion of his professional career after Tommy John surgery in 2023. For his minor league career, he is 9-9 with a 4.41 ERA in 54 games (51 starts) with 267 strikeouts and 73 walks in 198 innings.

Skenes is far more accomplished in less than two Major Leagues seasons. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of LSU, where he helped the Tigers win a national championship with then-teammate Dylan Crews, who is now the starting right fielder for the Washington Nationals.

He made his MLB debut last May and he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts with 170 strikeouts and 32 walks in 133 innings. He was named the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game, won NL rookie of the year and finished third in NL Cy Young voting.

This season he is in the running for the NL Cy Young even with a 7-9 record. He has a 2.16 ERA, which leads the NL, with 174 strikeouts and 37 walks in 154 innings. He leads the NL in FIP at 2.45 and in home runs allowed per nine innings at 0.5.

McCade Brown in the Minor Leagues

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Brown is about as enigmatic as it comes when one talks about a minor league history. While he was a second-round pick in 2021, the Tommy John surgery has limited him to 198 minor league innings. It’s possible that because of the surgery and his age (25) Colorado wants to get a look at him in the Majors to decide on his long-term future now. He is also four years removed from being drafted so he’s a potential Rule 5 player. By adding him to the 40-man roster now he’s protected from that draft in December.

The numbers this year are intriguing. He is 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA. That ERA is by far his best in a single minor league season. He’s also set a career high for starts in a season with 20. It’s the strikeout rate that stands out. He has fanned 105 hitters in 76.2 innings. He’s also kept his walks down, as he’s given 30 free passes. He’s only allowed six home runs, batters are hitting .192 against him and he has a solid 1.07 WHIP.

In other words, he’s dominating High-A and Double-A pitching. By allowing him to skip the final rung of the minor leagues, the Rockies are gambling that his stuff can translate to the Majors now as opposed to waiting another year by sending him to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Recommended Articles

feed