The Red Sox announced Friday that they’ve signed veteran lefty Sean Newcomb to a minor league deal and invited him to major league spring training. Newcomb is represented by Klutch Sports. Boston also confirmed previously reported minor league deals/non-roster invites for right-handers Austin Adams, Robert Stock and Noah Davis. (We’ve previously written on their deals for Adams, Davis and Stock.)
Newcomb, 31, is a former first-round pick (Angels, 2014) and top prospect. The Halos shipped him to the Braves as part of their trade to acquire Andrelton Simmons ahead of the 2016 season, and for a couple years, Newcomb looked as though he could be a fixture on Atlanta’s staff in spite of sub-par command. He started 49 games for the Braves in 2017-18, registering a solid 4.06 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate but an ugly 12% walk rate. Atlanta bumped him to the ’pen in 2019, and the results were even more intriguing: 68 1/3 innings, 3.16 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate.
Over the next three seasons, Newcomb’s results tanked. He pitched just 73 2/3 innings in the majors and logged a brutal 7.45 ERA. His strikeout rate held at 22.9%, but Newcomb’s walk rate jumped to 14.7%. After plunking only 10 hitters and tossing 11 wild pitches in 332 1/3 frames from 2017-19, Newcomb hit five batters and tossed eight wild pitches over those 73 2/3 frames from 2020-22. He not only saw his ability to throw strikes diminish — he saw his precision within the zone erode as well; after yielding an average of 0.97 homers per nine innings in ’17-’19, Newcomb averaged 1.59 long balls per nine frames in 2020-22.
Newcomb has spent the past two seasons with the A’s, pitching well in 2023 before undergoing season-ending knee surgery and struggling in 2024 on the heels of that procedure. He’s pitched 25 MLB innings over the past two seasons and allowed a dozen runs (4.32 ERA) on 17 hits, 17 walks, three hit batters and 24 strikeouts. He’s been far better in the minors, notching a 3.12 ERA in Triple-A between the Giants and A’s in 2023-24. He’s punched out 30.1% of opponents but again shown poor command (14.2%) in those two Triple-A seasons (totaling 40 1/3 innings).
Boston already has Aroldis Chapman, Brennan Bernardino and Justin Wilson as left-handed options locked into manager Alex Cora’s bullpen. Southpaw Zach Penrod is also on the 40-man roster. He worked more as a starter in the minors last year, but his path to the majors in 2025 would likely be in the bullpen, with Lucas Giolito returning and new acquisitions Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler in the rotation.
Solid depth piece who may even be a surprise contributor down the stretch!
High – Thank you, wouldn’t be a dumpster dive article without someone calling it a “solid acquisition”!! Hahaha!!
Dude has a 6.66 ERA over the past 5 seasons …. PERFECT for the Red Sox!
Fever you kinda cherry picked there, I think 4.32 ERA over his last 2 seasons is a more appropriate recent assessment, and if you’re going to say his last 5 seasons why not include career ERA? which is 4.51, not horrible. Earlier in his career he was also a strong #3-5 rotation piece before falling off, for all we know he just needs a new pitch. Many of the top relievers in baseball are older than him with similar comeback stories, and while I am not going to make any bets on Newcomb being that next guy I still think he’s an interesting depth piece for Bailey to work with!
Stock the farm with southpaws!
High – I went back longer than 2 years because Oakland is (was) the 3rd-most pitcher friendly park in MLB and he pitched only 25 innings total those two years.
I respect your time period preference, but for me 5 years is usually a good reference point. If a guy has pitched for 10 or more years would you really take into consideration what he did over 8 years ago when evaluating him today?
I hope he can bring back that magic from 2017-2019 though!
he fits the budget allowed by John Henry
The Sox are fresh out of MLB contracts, here sign this. Ahahahahaha!
Minor league deal. Enough said. Every team signs these guys
Tang – I totally agree, nothing to get excited about.
But I’m sure it will draw over 100 comments. Haha!
Someone should teach him how to throw a sinkerball. The guy is big enough and throws hard enough to probably get one around 94-95. It would be a great complement to his nasty curveball. His 4 seem is as bad as Evoldi’s was when he was with the Marlins and Yankees. He could still have a solid career if he figures out a 2nd plus pitch.
the – Anything is possible, but at 32 years old the odds are extremely long.
I think him being a local is what put him on the Sox radar, they are probably giving him a chance as a favor to someone familiar with him. Also Breslow and him with the Cubs in 2022.
Just as long as they don’t promote him and immediately put him in a high leverage situation, it’s all good.
This guy has more lives than 6 cats.
If many of these guys we have picked up see any innings in real major league games this season has gone off the rails. Just telling you. Nearly every single guy has terrible command, and unimpressive track records. Pretty much none of them can be counted on to repeat with any consistency hitting their targets let alone not issuing free passes and running deep counts in nearly every inning of every outing. Many have years of consistently failing to throw a baseball (their professional job) at what they are aiming at with any regularity.
I chalk up nearly every pitching signing as minor league depth to fill out minor league rosters. If anyone had higher expectations than that, they should themselves be evaluated after picking up so many consecutive guys with known command issues.
Roger Beshens needed to talk to this guy YESTERDAY!
Blah blah stiff wrist blah blah center grip blah blah football.
There. He’s all set now.
you are unsatisfied with your life; that is why you make mean comments on what you don’t understand
Sean takes time learning new things.
If the pitcher isn’t ready and prepared to learn the Roger Beshens Football Slider like everyone else is learning you let him take a break until he is ready.
If a pitcher can set aside his pride and reach out to Roger Beshens right away it would help him avoid a lot of problems.
Dude, I can’t believe Sean Newcomb is 31. Sheesh.
I can. Guy ages viewers quite a bit. Further proof that if you can teach your kid anything, teach ’em to throw LH and they’ll have a job forever.
Well at least he won’t sit out a year for having Tommy John Surgery
The Worcester AAA Red Sox has a ton of pitchers already, so I wonder if some of these signings will be around just for spring training just to see what they have…..
Poor guy hasn’t been the same since he missed the no hitter in Atlanta. He was one strike away playing in Atlanta. Chris Taylor put a seeing eye single in the SS/3B hole. Still have the pictures of the scoreboard. After that he just degraded. Thought he might have a nice career as a #3 or #4 starter.
In 2018 Roger Beshens became known for his Football Slider in Atlanta and beyond. On June 2 2018 Jesse Biddle struck out 7 in 3 innings. After that game Bmac contacted Roger Beshens to let him know that he threw the Football Slider and Struck out Rendon, Turner, Gonzalez with it.
34K’s in that game total.
I always blamed his decline on the 134 pitches he threw in that game.
Sean decided to play around with the Slurve and Cutter instead of simply throwing the Roger Beshens Football Slider. They try morphing the cutter or football slider and it has harmed many pitchers either by performance or injury.
Rotation
RH Cooper Criswell
RH Richard Fitts
RH Quinn Priester
RH Hunter Dobbins
RH Michael Fulmer
RH Grant Gambrell
LH Shane Drohan
Bullpen
LH Zach Penrod
RH Zack Kelly
RH Bryan Mata
RH Isaiah Campbell
RH Wyatt Mills
LH Jovani Moran
LH Brendan Cellucci
RH Jose Adames
RH Hobie Harris
RH Noah Davis
RH Robert Stock
Pitching is pretty loaded in Portland as well. Hard to see a spot for this guy even in the minors. Maybe bullpen in AA. As you pointed no room Worcester.
For a lot of fringe veteran players it’s just about getting into camp and getting some game action, they are auditioning just as much for the 29 other teams as the one they are playing for that they have no real shot at making
The easiest way for a pitcher to get attention is showing off the Roger Beshens Football Slider. Many teams don’t know about that Football Slider and should reach out to Roger Beshens like the Dbacks did last year. When you see Roger Beshens demonstrating his techniques to Brent Strom in the Dbacks Clubhouse May 23 2024 other teams should be very curious what techniques they are. In many cases the analysts don’t know.
The hell are you babbling about…
If you don’t understand, please step aside.
The Red Sox have quality rotation depth, and the bullpen has MLB experienced arms with some decent upside.
Another pitcher in the land of broken arms.
You gotta fill out the AAA roster, and have some organizational depth. However IMO, i’d rather take my flyers and sign arms under 30, .but here we are…….
It certainly seems as if Breslow and Bailey are stretching for retreads from their past organizations in hopes that they have the “fix” for guys they have some familiarity with.
All that said, unless things go terribly sideways, today is the first and last we’ll hear of Sean Newcomb
I’m tellin ya, all you have to do is pitch left handed. That’s all it takes.
For the infinite time another Red Sox pitching target with severely bad command issues. We collect these guys with an aggressiveness that makes it seem we want no other teams in baseball to ever be able to get their hands on pitchers that have no idea where the ball is going when they release it.
Before anyone mentions that this is a minor league depth signing that will never see the MLB roster………that is my point. All of these guys by definition should only be that. So why collect so many pitchers that you KNOW cannot be trusted in nearly any situation, let alone a leverage one, to not give the other team near guarantees of free base runners and hitters counts in almost every inning they will ever pitch?
If you are going to horde pitchers with no future, horde ones that throw strikes and save your minor league coaches the aggravation of 300 pitch count games every night.
The goal is to show them how to use the Roger Beshens Football Slider.
Glasnow always struggled with his control until May 2018 when Roger Beshens suggested to Glasnow to try his Roger Beshens Football Slider, Which is on center grip, throw like a football, stiff wrist, it turned Glasnow’s career around. The Rays who were not known then for pitching developing pitchers saw Glasnow using the Football Slider in June that Roger Beshens taught him in May.
Now you can see why the Rays are skilled at developing pitchers.
Teams are teaching the Roger Beshens Football Slider model because it’s a league where copying other’s is common. Some teams received the information much later than others.
Did you check out the pictures of Roger Beshens teaching his Football Slider to Brent Strom in the Dbacks Clubhouse May 23, 2024? That should be very important and shared all over the baseball world.
I am aware of the system. I am also aware that most pitching and mechanics systems work off a foundation. As you know, velocity is seen as a premium, but when pressed to respond all people involved with pitching will tell you that long term success and gaining elite status is nearly always dominated by control. There have been instances of terrible control pitchers having dominant seasons and short stretches, but even in those instances those successes were usually coupled by an increase in control that allowed it to happen for that pitcher. If the pitcher doesn’t have the faintest idea how to hit a target, let alone repeat it, they are already behind the eight ball. You show me teams more interested in pitchers that can dot with their pitches like John Tudor and Jaime Moyer types over emphasizing strictly velocity, and I will show you an organization that can draft, develop, and rehabilitate pitchers at a much higher rate, with more success. Velocity matters, but I will always take dotting a corner at will with 91mph over not having a clue where it’s going at 95mph.
If the player wasn’t flawed in some way, he would probably be signing a major league deal and not a minor league deal.
Duke Newcomb is back!!!
Anyone else have a false memory of a guy named Sean Newcomb pitching for the A’s in the mid 2000s?
In May 2018 Folty, Biddle, Bmac, Luke Jackson and several other Braves learned the Roger Beshens Football Slider.
It’s a popular subject many people prefer not to discuss.
If Sean focused on throwing the Roger Beshens Football Slider and didn’t try to call it or change it into a cutter he would feel less stressed and pitch more effectively.
Sean call Roger Beshens Football Slider.
Learn Roger Beshens exact techniques and important adjustments like when your ball misses in the same place twice or his adjustment when your pitch is too high. Knowledge is important and not everyone has the same understanding as Roger Beshens.
He’s a one-trick pony
One trick is all that horse can do
He does one trick only
It’s the principal source of his revenue
And when he steps into the spotlight
You can feel the heat of his heart come rising through
– Paul Simon, 1980