February 3, 2018

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb threw 100 innings in his rookie 2017 season and, while he struck out 108 batters, his 57 walks show that he is still a work in progress. Newcomb also allowed a hit per inning and his 1.57 WHIP led to a 4-9 record and 4.32 ERA. Still, Newcomb's ERA was right at league average (99 ERA+) and a 24-year-old left hander that strikes out 9.7 per nine is very valuable. This came after he had a 2.97 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine in 57 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett, proving that his strikeout potential is real. While the strikeouts are good, he did also walk 5.15 batters per nine in the minors and only induced 39.4% ground balls for Gwinnett. Walks appear to be a part of Newcomb's profile (he has walked at three batters per nine at every level), but so too are strikeouts (he has struck out at least a batter per inning at each level). Another issue for Newcomb is that his ground ball rate had dropped as he moved up in the Angels and Braves' systems before jumping a bit to 43.8% in the majors. While he is not a finished product, if Newcomb can keep his ground ball rate around 45% and his K rate near 25% (both have been done in the minors), his ERA should be low enough for fantasy owners to accept his walk issues. Newcomb is not a player to draft right away in mixed leagues, but is a player to watch, particularly in NL-only or dynasty leagues.--Chris Zolli