Braves Sean Newcomb continues to shine: Fantasy Add?
By Brad Kelly
Sean Newcomb is throwing the ball great right now for the Braves. But, is the youngster now ready to be a waiver wire add?
The Braves have stayed competitive all season even though they have had to do it without their best player, Freddie Freeman. While there are multiple reasons why they have stayed afloat, one huge cause as of late has been the pitching from rookie pitcher, Sean Newcomb. Now that Newcomb has twirled four straight quality starts since being promoted, is it time for him to be a waiver wire add?
Sean Newcomb came over to the Braves in 2015 as the major return for Andrelton Simmons. Newcomb’s time in the minors has been quite the roller coaster. Outside of the trade, he has bounced up and down top-prospect lists because of his inconsistency. That is not to say that he was either really good or bad, he has a career 3.23 ERA in the minors, but scouts began to question his true ceiling.
But, after making mechanical changes during the offseason, Newcomb’s stock has skyrocketed once again. At the AAA Gwinnett this season, the lefty posted a 2.97 ERA and 74 K over 11 starts. With his performance, combined with injuries to the Braves’ staff, he was promoted and made his debut in early June.
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Newcomb’s refined delivery has allowed him to slow things down and command the zone more. This is not to say that he is overly wild, but he does have a ton of movement on his pitches and that can get sometimes troublesome. Yet, the arsenal is outstanding. `His breaking ball is already a plus pitch due to its break and near 15 mph difference in velocity compared to his fastball.
His fastball now sits in the mid-90s, but he can run it up near 100 mph when he needs it. The changeup is coming along, but when he has control of it, it serves as an out pitch.
With that arsenal and improved delivery, Newcomb has excelled once again. He has a 1.48 ERA/21 K/8 BB over his first four big league starts. He has done so well that even with the return of Bartolo Colon, the team will look to roll out a six-man rotation.
In terms of fantasy value, Newcomb is doing enough to warrant a waiver wire add. His last start was the best of his young career as he shut out the Padres over six innings while striking out eight. While the Padres are by no means an offensive juggernaut, his stuff was great and it further echoed how well he is throwing the ball against MLB competition so far.
His next start will be the toughest to this point though, as it looks like he will take on the Houston Astros in Atlanta. Those owners who add him may want to see how does against a stacked lineup, but it will also serve as a great first test.
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Sean Newcomb looks the part, made tangible changes to his mechanics and the stuff is still great. Even if regression hits, a 2.93 FIP is hard to ignore along with the potential K rates makes it seem as though his production will not just fall off a cliff. Make the move to add him as he could be a great add moving forward.