Looking for the Next Man Up
Every team hopes of having that one pitcher that defines themselves as the lead man in the starting rotation. The Atlanta Braves have been needing one of those for a good amount of years now. The guy that puts his team in position to win each time he takes the mound. The guy that opposing batters fear each time they come to the plate.
That guy puts his team in position to win each time he takes the mound…a for sure win…a for sure game you’ve got to check out with your boys. A pitcher that opposing batters fear each time they come to the plate.
Please, please, please baseball Gods, please give us one of those!
Is that pitcher Sean Newcomb?
Geez, I hope so.
The 24-year-old debuted with the Braves on June 10, 2017 and has been up in the bigs since then. He’s started 17 games this season.
After Friday night’s game against the New York Mets, rookie Sean Newcomb could just be that guy that opposing batters fear each time they come to the plate, as he pitched his way to a 3-2 victory over the Mets.
We knew he’s a strikeout pitcher, but at times he’s looked dominant. On Friday, he collected eight strikeouts and only one walk. The walks have been the issue with Newcomb in his short professional career.
In 2017 with the Atlanta Braves, Newcomb has 96 strikeouts and 51 walks.
Take a look at these numbers from Newcomb over his four-year professional career…
2014 – 14.1 innings pitched, 18 strikeouts, six walks
2015 – 136 innings pitched, 168 strikeouts, 76 walks
2016 – 140 innings pitched, 152 strikeouts, 71 walks
2017 – 147.1 innings pitched, 170 strikeouts, 84 walks
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Stats Do No Lie
In Friday’s game, Newcomb, who is a big boy to begin with at 6′-5″ and 255 pounds, was a Mets killer. He recorded eight strikeouts — with five strikeouts in a row at one point, and gave up six hits, in only 5 1/3 innings, bringing his record to 3-8 on the season.
All night he had a strong fastball and when his fastball was not working, he mixed it up with his changeup.
But, this record can be very deceiving. Left-handed Newcomb has put up reliable numbers all year, he just has been on the wrong end of the stick at some points. Plus, wins and losses don’t really mean anything anymore.
He has allowed only forty-three earned runs in 89.2 innings pitched, giving him a 4.32 ERA on the season. But, he has struck out ninety-six batters and only allowed ten home runs, which is the lowest on the team of pitchers who have started more than ten games.
Next: Braves could play spoilers down the stretch
He is a rookie, so he is going to have some ups and downs in his first big league season. However, if Friday’s game was an indication of his future, opposing batters are going to be fearing Newcomb each time they come to the plate, not knowing if they will get his curveball that was not even working on Friday, his fastball, or his new found changeup.