Atlanta Braves Pitching Prospects: Sims or Newcomb?

The Braves have LOADS of talented prospects in the minor leagues, and if even just half of them wind up being successful big league players, fans are in for a nice treat. With Atlanta’s rotation boasting two guys over 40 years old, I have no doubt in my mind that we see a pitcher called up before September.

Now, I discussed the potential arrivals of Atlanta Braves prospects Lucas Sims and Sean Newcomb in the Bartolo Colon post (which can be found here). What surprised me was the overwhelming number of fans bashing the idea of Newcomb coming up, while each one turned to Sims as the answer.

So what did I do? I did the only thing a 19-year-old in 2017 knows to do: I got on Twitter. I asked 10 of my followers, all of whom are avid Braves fans, if they see Sims or Newcomb in Atlanta first. Eight said Sims, and one said Newcomb, while one guy said, “Dude, it’s 1 in the morning. Why are you messaging me on Twitter?”

No, but seriously, Tomahawk Take’s own Dan Horton didn’t reply. You snooze, you lose, Dan!

Many people backing Lucas Sims cited Newcomb’s high walk rate, which sits at 4.7 per 9 innings for his minor league career. Sure, walks can be concerning, but walks alone should not keep Newk in triple-A. After all, even guys like Clayton Kershaw and Jon Lester struggled with walking guys in the minors, and even at times in the MLB.

He’s no golden boy…

What about Sims? I’ll be honest. I like Lucas Sims a great deal, but in my eyes, the Atlanta Braves’ #18 prospect is more unproven than Sean Newcomb. His 7.56 ERA in 10 starts with Gwinnett last year absolutely has me worried. Lucas has seen his ERA fluctuate quite a bit throughout his promotions from Rookie ball all the way up to triple-A.

Furthermore, Sims isn’t exactly the poster child for commanding his pitches either, posting a career 4.1 BB/9 in the minor leagues. It should be mentioned, however, that he’s managed to drop his walk numbers significantly in 2017.

As for the big fella,

As I’ve mentioned before, Sean Newcomb is special in a way that isn’t coachable. He’s a lefty, and that could be his biggest advantage when a veteran starter is dumped. He hasn’t been perfect in the minors, but his curveball and changeup are on par with, if not better than many MLB pitchers

Sean Newcomb and his 6’5, 255lb frame are exciting to watch. He’s been known to touch 100mph at times, and his 56 strikeouts this season are 2nd most in the International League (AAA). He allowed 6 walks in 4 innings in his last start vs. the Buffalo Bisons, and now it’s time for him to slow it down a bit and command his pitches.

So who’s up next?

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Personally, I like Sean Newcomb to be called up before Lucas Sims. His high strikeout total shows that he can command his pitches. He just pitches around guys looking for strikeouts, and that leads to the walks. Look for the 24-year-old to bounce back from his start against Buffalo, and mark my words: we’ll see him in Atlanta before September.

Again, and I can’t stress this enough, I really like Lucas Sims, but there’s a reason he’s our number 18 prospect, and Newcomb is the number 5 guy.

While Newk struggles with command, he possesses a few intangible qualities in his size, handedness, and slightly better ‘stuff’ in his repertoire. It all boils down to the consistency of both guys, and Sims’ fairly recent struggles just last season.

I haven’t a single doubt that both of these guys can and will be successful starting pitchers in the big leagues. We’ll probably get a glimpse of both of them as Atlanta Braves come September, but if you ever need a spot start, you better call my man Newk.

Next: Always a RosterMove

Disagree with my pick? No problem! Leave your comments and thoughts on who you see coming to Atlanta in the near future.

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