Red Sox Newcomer Looks To ‘Take’ Roster Spot After Up-And-Down Journey

It is hard for it to not cross Sean Newcomb’s mind.

He dreamed about it as a kid growing up in Middleboro, Mass., about 40 miles south of Fenway Park. And it moved to the forefront of his mind this offseason as Newcomb searched for his next MLB home.

And in nearly three weeks, Newcomb will live out what he merely could only visualize for many years. He’s put on three other big-league uniforms in his career, but seeing himself in a Boston Red Sox jersey and cap will feel different.

“I’ve thought about it a few times. Just putting on the ‘B’ hat is going to be pretty special,” Newcomb told NESN.com. “I feel like being from New England and for us growing up, everyone had a Sox hat, usually with some sweat stains and all that stuff. It’s just kind of cool to have things like that come full circle.”

Newcomb made a “push” to sign with the Red Sox this offseason and things came to fruition for the 31-year-old left-handed pitcher last week. He agreed to a minor-league contract with Boston and received a non-roster invite to spring training.

He is a longshot to make the Red Sox Opening Day roster out of spring training and most likely will begin the season with Triple-A Worcester. But the odds being against Newcomb won’t stop him from battling it out with Boston’s other less-cemented lefty relievers –Brennan Bernardino, Chris Murphy, Zach Penrod — and fellow non-roster invitees for a spot with the Red Sox.

“You got to kind of have all possibilities in your mind. But I’m coming in ready to make a team,” Newcomb said. “But just feeling as good as ever, (which) people always say. Just ready to go in fresh and start competing. Then there’s the other part, where you have to go in and do your day-to-day because there’s a lot of uncontrollables in the game. So, you got to just remember that and just know you got to do what you can do every day to stay ready and get better. Definitely a little mixture of both. But I’d say way more on the side of coming in to take a spot.”

There was a time in Newcomb’s career where he didn’t have to worry about earning a roster spot on a big-league team.

He was drafted 15th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in 2014 and rose to be the top pitching prospect in the Braves organization after being traded to Atlanta. The University of Hartford product made his mark with the Braves, especially in 2018 when he made 30 starts and won 12 games. One of those starts saw Newcomb come within one strike of throwing a no-hitter.

Atlanta’s talented pitching staff necessitated a move to the bullpen for Newcomb the following season. He performed well in his new role by posting a 3.16 ERA to go along with 65 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. But control issues, which played a part in him going from a starter to a reliever, hampered Newcomb once again.

Newcomb struggled to regain his form in his final two-plus seasons with the Braves and spent time shuttling back-and-forth between Triple-A and Atlanta. The Braves decided to move on from Newcomb during the middle of the 2022 season when they traded him to the Chicago Cubs.

Newcomb’s time with the Cubs didn’t go well. He walked 15 batters and allowed 23 runs in 22 2/3 innings before departing in free agency. No major league offers came that offseason and Newcomb ended up signing a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants. He spent five months in the Giants organization and never made an appearance in the majors for San Francisco before being traded to the Oakland Athletics.

It was in Oakland that Newcomb rediscovered a little bit of what made him successful. He tossed just 15 innings for the Athletics at the tail end of the 2023 season, but flourished by striking out 17 batters and posting a 3.00 ERA. He got another shot with the Athletics last season, but undergoing offseason meniscus surgery on both his knees derailed his campaign and his ineffectiveness on the mound led to him being designated for assignment in July.

The Red Sox will be the sixth organization Newcomb has been a member of in his career, and he still feels like has plenty left in the tank to contribute to a winning ballclub.

“Now at this point, I’ve seen it from every angle,” Newcomb said. “Prospect to being a starter and coming up and having a few successful years to bouncing up and down and to now sign a minor league deal to try to make a team. I’ve seen every angle of it. It’s been cool. I’ve learned a ton. At 31 going on 32, still feet super young and able.”

After the Athletics released Newcomb, no calls came for him to join another team and he remained unsigned for the rest of the season. It represented arguably the lowest moment in Newcomb’s professional career.

He came back home to Massachusetts and focused on his recovery. He worked with Mike Reinold, a former head athletic trainer and physical therapist with the Red Sox, at Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in Waltham, Mass. He got to spend time with his family in the summer, too, a luxury not usually afforded to pro baseball players.

The time away from the grind of a baseball season had a positive impact on Newcomb. He said there’s a “crazy difference” in how his body feels now from where it was in July.

“Obviously, on paper and everything, it looked terrible,” Newcomb said of being released by the A’s. “But I felt fine coming out. I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll gear up for next year, let the knees have a full year of recovery.'”

A lefty pitcher like Newcomb doesn’t just grow on trees. He stands in at an imposing 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds while possessing a fastball in the mid-90s. That offers Newcomb another opportunity to orchestrate a career revival with his hometown team.

He’s not focused on what role he can have with the Red Sox — Newcomb has 60 starts and 115 relief appearances under his belt in his career — but he is just looking to go out onto the mound and perform well.

He’ll look to learn from the most accomplished relievers on Boston’s roster and also get a helping hand from Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, a relationship Newcomb is looking forward to starting.

“I’m definitely excited to work with him,” Newcomb said. “He’s had some success. I’ve heard a lot of guys rave about the stuff he does. Just having somebody you can fully trust and be on your side with whatever it is — pitch shape, pitch selection, even just confidence going in and out of each day as a pro. And he’s one of those guys that has been through it on both sides as a player and coach. It’s just huge. It helps give you confidence and then once we start to work together, hearing the things he says, that will build my confidence.”

Perhaps working with Bailey and a homecoming with the Red Sox will bring out the best in Newcomb.

Newcomb’s time with the Red Sox organization, no matter how long, will fulfil a lifelong dream. He can remember his first game at Fenway Park as a kid in the late 1990s and watching Mo Vaughn play.

He’ll have to work for the opportunity to play on that same diamond and wear the same Red Sox uniform Vaughn did. And as he looks to accomplish that, Newcomb wants to pass along the dream he’s living out to his young son, and just maybe thoughts of playing for the Red Sox will enter his head just like they did for Newcomb all those years ago.

“It just always kind of hits home for athletes in general, never mind being a pro and having a chance to quote-unquote go home,” Newcomb said. “For me having my son have a chance to watch me play for the Sox would be pretty sweet.”