Not for some, but he's gaining on it in my book.
I know it's tough to ignore how young he is for most folks, but other than the AFL last season he really hasn't shown many signs of coming close to harnessing his stuff. It's just really tough for me to ignore the fact that he's been working with professional pitching coaches and development people for FIVE years now, and he hasn't been able to crack the AAA rotation for an extended period.
I understand wanting to give him every chance to become a starter, but he's beginning to get close to getting in the way if he doesn't progress soon. Yes, he's still really young, but his stuff could probably play at the back end of the pen now. When you compare the two, Newcomb has started to gain doubters - and he's only had three professional seasons. Just a guess, but the only thing that's kept Newcomb from sliding further at this point is that he's a lefty - Sims hasn't even been mentioned around top prospects in a while now, and I worry that the same may well happen to Newcomb if he doesn't take a step forward this year.
