The Boston Red Sox bolstered their bullpen with some local talent on Friday, signing 31-year-old left-hander Sean Newcomb to a minor league deal. A native of Brockton, Mass., a city of about 105,000 located 24 miles south of Boston, Newcomb is an eight-year MLB veteran who missed most of the 2024 season due to knee injuries. He will join the team as a non-roster invitee for spring training.
Brockton, more renowned for producing boxing legends than baseball stars, is the hometown of undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano and 1980s middleweight king Marvin Hagler. Newcomb joins a short list of just 11 MLB players from Brockton and is the first since pitcher Jim Mann appeared briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003.
According to baseball analyst Thomas Nestico, Newcomb’s breaking pitches feature significant movement thanks to his high spin rates. This gives the Red Sox pitching development staff a promising foundation to build upon as they look to tap into the potential that once made him a highly regarded prospect.
Drafted 15th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in 2014, Newcomb was later traded to the Atlanta Braves in a deal that sent Andrelton Simmons to Los Angeles. He enjoyed some success with Atlanta, including a standout 2019 season with a 3.16 ERA over 55 appearances, mostly in relief. He was also part of the Braves’ 2021 World Series-winning team, contributing 32 1/3 innings during the regular season, though he didn’t pitch in the postseason.
After 2019, Newcomb struggled with control issues. The Braves traded him to the Chicago Cubs early in 2022, and he later signed with the San Francisco Giants. A subsequent trade sent him to the Oakland Athletics, where injuries limited him to just 14 games over two seasons. He underwent knee surgery in 2023, and further knee issues sidelined him for much of 2024.
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