Former Red Sox Pitcher Finding Success On West Coast

Sometimes, a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to succeed.

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Sean Newcomb is finding a home on the West Coast with the Athletics. Newcomb was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on May 24. He was traded to the Athletics in exchange for cash a few days later.

Newcomb served as a swing man for the Red Sox at the beginning of the season. Over 12 appearances, he pitched 41 innings and registered a 3.95 ERA. While his time with Boston wasn’t lights out, he ate innings and saved the bullpen. He also had a few short, scoreless outings as a starter.

When the lefty joined the Red Sox, he worked on adding a cutter to throw to right-handed hitters for strikes. It didn’t work as well as they hoped, righties hit .619 against the pitch. The A’s have largely eliminated the cutter, cutting its usage from 21.4% against righties down to 10.1%.

It’s worked well for Newcomb. Over 17 2/3 innings, he has a 2.55 ERA. He still hasn’t totally figured out opposite-handed hitters, but there has been some improvement. Righties hit .341 against Newcomb with the Red Sox. That number is down to .277 so far with the A’s.

Newcomb is a local kid; he grew up in Middleboro, Massachusetts. While it’s always fun to see someone from the area succeed in Boston, it’s nice to see him find a home on the West Coast.