Pitcher SF Giants recently traded is off to an excellent start with the A’s
Barely anyone noticed when the SF Giants made a minor trade with the Oakland Athletics in late August. While the trade deadline had passed, teams could still swap players who had not been on a 40-man roster. So, the Giants sent left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb to the A's for outfielder Trenton Brooks. Both Newcomb and Brooks had been productive at Triple-A after inking minor league deals last offseason. However, neither had received a big-league call. Oakland, though, thought Newcomb could improve their big-league team, and he's arguably been the best pitcher on the A's since the deal.
Oakland Athletics starter Sean Newcomb pitches against the Mariners. (2023)
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Newcomb has allowed just one run on three hits and six walks across 12 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts in six appearances. While Newcomb had solely pitched in relief for the entire season, the A's gave him an opportunity to start on Saturday against the Texas Rangers. Newcomb completed four shutout innings on 61 pitches and put himself in a position to receive another opportunity in the rotation.
“Since we’ve had him, he’s been able to really throw strikes and attack hitters,” A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters after the game. “I like his pitch mix. He was on a limited pitch count tonight. The expectation was more or less three or four innings. He got through four, so we’ll continue to build him.”
Newcomb signed a minor league deal with the Giants last offseason and was a consistently solid reliever at Triple-A. In 20 appearances (34.1 innings pitched), Newcomb posted a 3.15 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 20 walks. While his walk numbers were on the high side, that has not been uncommon in the Pacific Coast League this season with the ABS strike zone. The average ERA in the league is 5.76.
Newcomb was drafted in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Angels but would emerge as a consensus top-100 prospect in the minor leagues with Atlanta after he was part of a deal that sent Andrelton Simmons to Los Angeles. Newcomb made his big-league debut with Atlanta in 2017 and immediately solidified himself in their starting rotation.
Newcomb would be relegated to the bullpen by Atlanta in 2019, where he would remain for the following four seasons until he was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Cubs in 2022. Chicago non-tendered Newcomb following the season, making him a free agent. Newcomb has made 167 career MLB appearances over his career, recording a 4.41 ERA with 429 strikeouts in 418 innings pitched.
While the A's have been easily the worst team in the major leagues this season, Newcomb's performance could have helped plenty of other teams, including the Giants. In fact, Newcomb has been far more productive than all four southpaws in San Francisco's bullpen (Sean Manaea, Alex Wood, Taylor Rogers, and Scott Alexander) since the trade.
Making the deal look even better for Oakland, Newcomb is under team control through 2024 via arbitration. Considering that both Wood and Alexander are slated to be free agents at the end of the season, the Giants may have missed an opportunity to upgrade the roster by moving on from Newcomb when they did.
With that said the Giants have had several left-handed relief pitching prospects hold their own at Triple-A Sacramento this season. Erik Miller (Giants Top 40 Prospect), who was acquired in a trade with the Phillies last offseason, has posted a 2.53 ERA in 42 appearances with 65 strikeouts and 35 walks in 46.1 innings pitched. Lefties Chris Wright and Juan Sanchez have also shown some flashes this year at the highest level of the minors. All three pitchers are 25 or younger and will be eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft if they are not added to the 40-man roster.
Unlike Newcomb, Brooks remained at Triple-A after the transaction. But he has been fantastic too. Since the trade, Brooks has hit .271/.410/.625 with five home runs and twice as many walks (12) as strikeouts (6) in 61 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats. The 28-year-old corner bat has continued showcasing the most power of his career.
Brooks could be under team control for years to come. However, he will presumably return to minor league free agency following the season if he is not added to San Francisco's 40-man roster. Despite his excellent performance, he does not seem like a top candidate in the organization to receive a spot. Granted, the Giants have consistently been able to retain top minor-league free agents under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
Brooks has historically had notable platoon splits, and those have been even more significant this year. Brooks has hit .318/.433/.621 with 26 doubles, a triple, and 19 home runs against righties this season with more walks (54) than strikeouts (48) in 342 plate appearances. With Joc Pederson slated to be a free agent, Brooks could be a candidate to compete for a spot as a left-handed hitting corner bat next season.
The SF Giants may hope that Trenton Brooks will prove to be Zaidi's latest impressive find in a minor move. Brooks has continued to crush Triple-A pitching, but Sean Newcomb, the pitcher the Giants parted with to acquire Brooks, has been an excellent contributor for the Oakland Athletics.
