Sean Newcomb Bio
Sean William Newcomb (born June 12, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently signed with the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed pitcher, Newcomb has spent his major league career bouncing between starting and relieving duties, building a reputation as a strikeout pitcher with notable bounce-back years after difficult stretches. Over the course of his career, he has played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization, the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Cubs, the Oakland Athletics, the Boston Red Sox, and now the White Sox.
Newcomb first reached the major leagues in 2017 with the Atlanta Braves after a college career at the University of Hartford, and he has since been a part of MLB bullpens and rotations across both the National League and the American League. He became a World Series champion as a member of the 2021 Atlanta Braves.
Early Life and Background
Sean William Newcomb was born on June 12, 1993, in Middleborough, Massachusetts, and grew up in the same small town south of Boston. He attended Middleborough High School, where he starred on the baseball team. As a senior, he posted a 0.46 earned run average (ERA) with 110 strikeouts across 58 innings pitched, numbers that quickly marked him as a top pitching prospect in New England.
Growing up, Newcomb was a fan of the Boston Red Sox, the closest major league team to his hometown. That hometown connection to baseball and his strong high school performance set the stage for his path into college baseball and, eventually, the professional ranks.
Path to Professional Baseball
After high school, Newcomb enrolled at the University of Hartford to play for the Hartford Hawks baseball team. As a freshman in 2012, he started nine games before a season-ending injury, but he still produced a no-hitter against Yale for his first college win and finished the year with a 2–4 record, a 4.17 ERA, and 45 strikeouts in 45+1⁄3 innings. He played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2012 and 2013, gaining exposure against elite amateur competition.
By his junior year, Newcomb had developed into one of the top arms in college baseball. He opened 2014 without allowing a run through his first 39+2⁄3 innings and finished the season 8–2 with a 1.25 ERA and 106 strikeouts across 93+1⁄3 innings. He was named the 2014 America East Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first Hartford Hawk to win a major conference award. That performance pushed him up draft boards as a projected first-round pick.
Sean Newcomb Career
Early Career (2014–2016)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Newcomb in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft, 15th overall, and signed him to a $2,518,000 bonus. He was assigned to the Single-A Burlington Bees and later promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in 2015, where he finished his first full professional season with a combined 2.38 ERA across three levels and finished second in all of minor league baseball with 168 strikeouts.
On November 12, 2015, the Angels traded Newcomb, Erick Aybar, Chris Ellis, and cash considerations to the Atlanta Braves for shortstop Andrelton Simmons and catcher José Briceño. The Braves invited him to spring training in 2016, and he spent the year with the Double-A Mississippi Braves of the Southern League, posting a 3.86 ERA while walking 4.6 batters per nine innings.
Atlanta Braves Breakthrough (2017–2021)
Newcomb reached the majors in 2017, making his MLB debut on June 10 for the Braves at SunTrust Park against the New York Mets. He pitched 6+1⁄3 innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run while striking out seven. He finished his rookie season 4–9 with a 4.32 ERA. In 2018, he became a focal point of the Braves’ rotation and on July 29, 2018, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers before Chris Taylor singled with two outs in the ninth; the Braves won 4–1.
Newcomb started the Braves’ first home game at SunTrust Park in 2019 and worked as both a starter and a reliever. He was hit in the head by a batted ball off the bat of J. T. Realmuto on June 15, 2019, and landed on the seven-day injured list before being reactivated. After a disastrous 2020 campaign in which he posted an 11.20 ERA in limited work, he returned in 2021 as a reliever, going 2–0 with one save and a 4.73 ERA across 32 relief appearances, walking 27 and striking out 43 in 32.1 innings. The Braves won the 2021 World Series, giving Newcomb a championship ring.
Journeyman Years (2022–2025)
On April 19, 2022, the Braves designated Newcomb for assignment, and a day later he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Jesse Chavez and cash. He bounced between the majors and Triple-A Iowa, working as both a starter and a reliever before electing free agency in October 2022. In February 2023, he signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants, then was traded to the Oakland Athletics on August 22, 2023, in exchange for Trenton Brooks.
With Oakland in 2023, Newcomb posted a 3.00 ERA across seven appearances before a sprained left knee led to surgery on his lateral meniscus, ending his season. He returned in 2024 but struggled to a 6.30 ERA in seven games and was designated for assignment in early July 2024. He signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox in January 2025, made Boston’s Opening Day roster as the fifth starter, and pitched 40 innings across 11 appearances with a 3.83 ERA and 41 strikeouts before being designated for assignment on May 24. On May 27, 2025, he was traded to the Athletics, where he posted a 2–1 record and a 1.75 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 36 appearances before left elbow inflammation ended his year in September.
Chicago White Sox Era (2025–Present)
On December 23, 2025, Newcomb signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, returning to the American League on a guaranteed deal after a turbulent 2025 in which he appeared for both the Boston Red Sox and the Athletics. The contract runs through the 2026 season, giving him a clear opportunity to carve out a high-leverage bullpen role in Chicago.
Driving Style and Strengths
Newcomb is a tall left-hander whose game has always been built around a power fastball and a sharp breaking ball, with the strikeout as his primary calling card. He has shown a willingness to work in long relief and short stints, and his late-2025 run in Oakland, where he punched out 50 batters in 51+1⁄3 innings, suggested he was locating his fastball and slider far more consistently than in prior seasons.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Newcomb’s career came on July 29, 2018, when he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Dodgers before surrendering a single to Chris Taylor. He is also a 2021 World Series champion with the Braves and made history with Oakland in 2024 by becoming the first pitcher in Athletics history to earn a win without officially facing a batter, after picking off a runner to end an inning in a 6–5 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Sean Newcomb Career Wins
Sean William Newcomb has collected MLB wins with the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Cubs, the Oakland Athletics, and the Boston Red Sox since debuting in 2017. While he has not logged a high single-season win total, his late-2025 surge in Oakland, where he went 2–1 with a 1.75 ERA across 36 appearances, served as one of the most productive stretches of his career.
Atlanta Braves Highlights
Newcomb’s first MLB win came with the Atlanta Braves in 2017, the same season he debuted in the big leagues. He continued to pile up wins as a starter and reliever with Atlanta through 2021, capping his Braves run with a World Series ring as the club captured the 2021 Fall Classic.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond Atlanta, Newcomb has earned victories with the Chicago Cubs in 2022 and with the Oakland Athletics during his 2023 and 2025 stints. He also produced a memorable quirk win with Oakland in 2024, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history to record a win without officially facing a batter, and signed a $4.5 million deal with the Chicago White Sox in December 2025 after that late-2025 bullpen surge.
Sean Newcomb Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Sean William Newcomb’s immediate family and upbringing is limited, with no widely confirmed details about his parents or siblings available in verified sources.
Personal Life
Newcomb was raised in Middleborough, Massachusetts, and grew up cheering for the Boston Red Sox. He has not publicly announced a spouse or children, and no verified personal-life details beyond his hometown and Red Sox fandom have been confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
Sean William Newcomb opened 2025 with the Boston Red Sox after making their Opening Day roster as the fifth starter. He logged 40 innings across 11 appearances, including five starts, posting an 0–4 record and a 3.83 ERA with 41 strikeouts before being designated for assignment on May 24. On May 27, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in a cash deal, and his role stabilized in the Oakland bullpen.
In 36 appearances for the Athletics, Newcomb went 2–1 with a 1.75 ERA, two saves, and 50 strikeouts across 51+1⁄3 innings, the most consistent run of his career. A left elbow inflammation landed him on the injured list on September 20, ending his 2025 season, but his strong second half was enough to earn him a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Chicago White Sox on December 23, 2025.