Date Scouted: 2.21.14 vs. Georgetown – 5 innings, 3 Hits, 3 Walks, 9 strikeouts
7-Word Scouting Report: Big Lefty, Massive Fastball, Inconsistent Off-Speed Pitches
Even though Mother Nature tried her best this week with the snow to cancel the series between Georgetown and Hartford, Friday afternoon I enjoyed a nice respite from my cabin fever and took in the game between the Hoyas and Hawks. I was especially intrigued for this contest, as Hartford’s Friday starter is left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb, considered one of the top pitching prospects in this June’s MLB Draft. With 20-25 scouts in the stands and the conditions difficult with high 40s temperatures with gusty winds, Newcomb showed why he has first round talent.
Newcomb possesses a very impressive present 4-pitch repertoire, as Friday he was featuring a monster 90-94mph fastball, with late life and arm side movement, along with an equally impressive 82-84mph slider with quick biting, downward movement that he buried into righties. In addition, Newcomb threw a 82-85mph changeup with some downward movement that induced whiffs from right-handed batters. At first I had trouble distinguishing his slider from his changeup, as both are thrown at similar speeds, feature late sinking action, and he confidently threw both on the inside part of the plate against right-handed batters.
Finally, Newcomb threw a 76-78mph curveball with some loopy action – from previous reports he has thrown a quality curveball in the past but it was not evident in this start. He only threw a handful of curveballs on Friday, as he did not seem to have a feel for the pitch, probably due to the difficult conditions.
Newcomb is an absolute mountain of a man, an intimidating presence on the mound as he stands about 6-5 230lbs., and is athletic for his size, which allows him to repeat his delivery and field his position reasonably well for a collegiate pitcher. His motion is fairly quiet and compact, and the ball seems to jump out of his hand and onto the batter. At times Friday Newcomb struggled with his delivery, as he would open his body a fraction early, which caused the ball to sail high and left. Again, for the most part his delivery was impressive and his few struggles can easily be attributed to the elements and it being his first start of 2014.
I am glad I made the effort Friday afternoon to watch Newcomb pitch, as I am confident in saying I just watched a future major leaguer in action. I have watched plenty of Georgetown games in recent years, and have seen them compete against noteworthy draft prospects such as A.J. Pollock and Jedd Gyorko, amongst others, and Newcomb is the most impressive prospect I have seen compete against the Hoyas.
Like any college junior, Newcomb has his flaws, as he needs to command the strike zone better and continue to develop his off-speed offerings. That said, it is rare to find a left-handed pitcher with a mid-90s fastball, a relatively simple, repeatable delivery, and prototypical physical size for a starting pitcher. Newcomb should dominate his likely overmatched competition this spring, and I would expect he will be selected in the 1st round this June, perhaps inside the first 20 picks. Although he pitches for a small school, the secret is out about Sean Newcomb, and as Eminem would say “The hype is real”!