TT – To the utter surprise of nobody, our selection for the #1 Angels prospect on the farm, the top crop, the most promising lad, the good-good in a bad-bad bunch is....
Sean Newcomb.
It'd be hard to imagine otherwise. He's the Angels' first first-round draft selection since 2011, was the consensus second-best college lefty on the board in the 2014 draft, and it was a complete surprise to the Angels scouting dept that he "fell" to them with pick 15 when he was expected by most analysts to go in the top ten. By most accounts, Jerry Dipoto and Ric Wilson expected Vanderbilt's Tyler Beede to be their likely selection (the Giants took him at pick #14).
We've written about Newcomb plenty, and there's plenty in his recent collegiate record that is cause for optimism, but pitching in the NCAA AmEast is no proxy for even Class A pro ball, where wooden or composite bats are the norm, and the average teams are stocked with the most advanced collegiate players available in the last two recent drafts. It's no wonder that Newcomb's first three appearances with the Burlington Bees were not as smooth as one would hope. In fact they were downright ugly: 11 hits, 5 BBs, and 9 ERs over 7.2 ignominious innings. Ouch.
But then there was last night.
Newcomb is pitch-limited. Jerry Dipoto said he would not likely pitch more then 20 or 30 innings this season, and as most minor league action wraps up on Monday night, he's right on schedule. Last night, he pitched exactly 60 pitches over 4 innings against a very good Milwaukee Brewers affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Given how rough Newcomb's entry has been thusfar, how did that turn out?
Well, he struck out 10 batters, eight of them swinging, while walking no one, and surrendering just two singles (one an infield hit that speedster Johnny Davis barely beat out). Again: in four innings.
It's only one component of a complex picture, but yeah, that's what a "high ceiling" looks like.
Take it away, RG.
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(1) Sean Newcomb (player page)
RG – Everyone loves Newcomb's fastball, which draws 60-65 grades from evaluators. It's a low-to-mid-90's beast, touching 97 mph regularly, and he maintains the velo deep into games. Consensus projects the slider as his best eventual secondary pitch, but there are other reports that like his change-up more, or are positive about his curveball. Initially, I loved the conflicting opinions, because they underscored just how unfinished – in a good way! – Newcomb is as a prospect. Then I watched his August 17th start, and saw the opposition pick up the offspeed -- especially that curveball -- and mash it. His FB command was a mess as well. He definitely has some work to do in bullpen sessions over the offseason.
The hard, left-side fastball and track record for throwing a sufficient number of strikes gives him at least a relievers' floor, while flashes of potential in his three secondary offerings hint at a potential emergence as a frontline arm. Of course you'd want to see a better pro debut – good numbers are always better than bad numbers – but give Halos' coaches a chance to put their imprint on him before jumping to conclusions. It's a special arm in an unfinished package.
***Update***
As Turk mentions above, Newcomb was a total badass last night. Just about untouchable. And he did it almost entirely with fastballs up in the zone that Midwest League hitters couldn't touch. It's like his coaches said, "F*** it, forget about everything that we've been talking about this past month, and just let it rip." And let it rip he did.
He threw a few sliders for strikes, which he hadn't been able to do back on the 17th. He threw maybe 3 change-ups, also mostly for strikes. He only went to the curveball twice, both in the 4th inning, and froze the opposition in two-strike counts. Those were his only two called strike threes; the other whiffs came on belt-high-and-up heat.
It was a very good outing, and sends Newcomb and the Bees into the playoffs on a high note.