The Jesse Chavez situation came full circle yesterday when the Braves picked him up after the Angels released him. He will join the team by Thursday at the latest, but it got me thinking — what’s been going on with Sean Newcomb this season?
If you remember, Chavez began the year on the Cubs, and after just a couple of weeks, the Braves traded Sean Newcomb to Chicago to get Chavez back. Then Atlanta traded Chavez and Tucker Davidson to the Angels for Raisel Iglesias — only for Los Angeles to release Chavez after a couple of weeks. So, the Braves essentially traded Sean Newcomb and Tucker Davidson for Raisel Iglesias and Jesse Chavez. Pretty good business if you ask me.
Things didn’t get better for Newcomb once he joined the Cubs. They gave him some opportunities; he appeared in 14 games for Chicago but was eventually outrighted to AAA after recording an unsightly 9.72 ERA.
Unsurprisingly, though, Newcomb has continued to battle in the minors. He’s appeared in 12 games since the demotion, including one start, and has recorded a very respectable 3.38 ERA and 11.9 K/9. With rosters expanding and the Cubs well out of playoff contention, there’s a chance Newk’s back in Chicago before the end of the season.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Sean Newcomb’s and thought for sure he was going to be the second coming of Jon Lester. Some trades just don’t work out quite like you expect, but I’m still cheering for the hard-throwing lefty to eventually figure it out and make his mark on the majors. Despite his incredible arm talent, the former first-round pick hasn’t been able to find consistency, and you begin to wonder how many more opportunities he’s going to have.
—
Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.