Sean Newcomb is coming home. The Red Sox signed the Massachusetts native to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, giving the lefty pitcher a shot at fulfilling his childhood dream.
Newcomb’s path to Boston’s been a winding one. The former 15th overall pick in the 2014 draft started with the Angels, made his name with the Braves, and bounced between the Cubs, Giants and Athletics. Now at 31, he’s got a chance to pitch for the team he grew up watching in Middleboro.
“Kind of off the bat, I was feeling like it was time to give it a shot to try to sign with them,” Newcomb told NESN. “It’s the dream and you don’t really ever lose that little piece where you want to play for your hometown team, especially coming and playing here as the visiting team it’s cool, but playing for the home team would always be fulfilling that dream.”
The southpaw actually pushed his agent to make it happen. “I was just leaning Red Sox the whole time,” he said.
What’s interesting is Newcomb’s take on where the Sox stand right now. “Anytime you can join a team that’s looking to obviously win and be a competitor and be one of those big-market teams. Those are the teams that you want to play for,” he explained. “The teams that have the history and the fan base, all that kind of stuff makes it a lot more exciting.”
The reality is Newcomb’s got his work cut out for him. He’ll need an impressive showing in Fort Myers to crack the Opening Day roster. That said, having a veteran lefty stashed at Triple-A Worcester isn’t a bad insurance policy for a team thats been hit hard by pitching injuries the last few seasons.
