Ljay Wyatt Newsome (born November 8, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the TSG Hawks of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round of the 2015 MLB draft. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Mariners.

Ljay Newsome
TSG Hawks – No. 30
Pitcher
Born: (1996-11-08) November 8, 1996 (age 28)
La Plata, Maryland, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Professional debut
MLB: August 20, 2020, for the Seattle Mariners
CPBL: August 10, 2024, for the TSG Hawks
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Win–loss record1–2
Earned run average6.53
Strikeouts25
CPBL statistics
(through August 10, 2024)
Win–loss record0–1
Earned run average16.88
Strikeouts4
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Amateur career

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Newsome attended Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland.[1] He led Chopticon High School to the 2015 Maryland 3A state championship, by pitching a complete game one-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts in the deciding game.[2] Newsome was named the 2015 Gatorade Maryland Baseball Player of the Year.[3] He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round, with the 785th overall selection, of the 2015 MLB draft and signed with them.[4]

Professional career

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Seattle Mariners

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Newsome spent his professional debut season of 2015 with the Arizona League Mariners, going 1–0 with a 0.84 ERA over 10+23 innings. He spent the 2016 season with the Everett AquaSox, going 6–3 with a 4.30 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 60+23 innings. He spent the 2017 season with the Clinton LumberKings, going 8–9 with a 4.10 ERA and 111 strikeouts over 129+23 innings.[5] Newsome was the 2017 recipient of the Mariners "60 feet 6 inch" award.[6]

Newsome split the 2018 season between the Modesto Nuts and the Tacoma Rainiers, going a combined 6–10 with a 4.89 ERA and 125 strikeouts and 172 hits over 143+23 innings.[7] He split the 2019 season between Modesto, the Arkansas Travelers, and Tacoma, going a combined 9–10 with a 3.54 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 155 innings.[8][9][10]

On August 15, 2020, Newsome’s contract was selected to the active roster. He made his major league debut on August 20 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching 3 innings of 1 run ball. Newsome finished his rookie season with the Mariners making 4 starts, earning a 5.17 ERA and 9 strikeouts and 20 hits in 15 innings in the process.[11]

On May 13, 2021, Newsome was placed on the 60-day injured list with a UCL injury.[12] On the season, he recorded a 7.98 ERA in 7 appearances with 16 strikeouts.[12]

St. Louis Cardinals

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On October 22, 2021, Newsome was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals.[13] On November 18, Newsome was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A Memphis Redbirds.[14] He spent the 2022 season split between the rookie–level Florida Complex League Cardinals, Single–A Palm Beach Cardinals, and Triple–A Memphis Redbirds. In 11 combined appearances, Newsome logged a 4.38 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12+13 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[15]

San Francisco Giants

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On December 15, 2022, Newsome signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants.[16] He split the season between the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Giants, Single–A San Jose Giants, and High–A Eugene Emeralds. In 11 appearances for the three affiliates, Newsome accumulated a 2.08 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 17+13 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[17]

Gastonia Baseball Club

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On April 30, 2024, Newsome signed with the Gastonia Baseball Club of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[18] In 11 starts for Gastonia, Newsome compiled a 5–1 record and 4.15 ERA with 54 strikeouts across 56+13 innings pitched.

TSG Hawks

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On July 16, 2024, Newsome's contract was purchased by the TSG Hawks of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Colin Stoecker (July 27, 2018). "Chopticon graduate Newsome lands pitching start with Triple-A Tacoma". Maryland Independent. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  2. ^ Andrew Conrad (May 24, 2015). "Chopticon ace Ljay Newsome shuts down Mt. Hebron in state baseball championship". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  3. ^ High School Sports (May 28, 2015). "Maryland Baseball POY: Ljay Newsome". USA Today. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  4. ^ Brady Henderson (June 10, 2015). "Mariners add more pitching on final day of draft". 710 ESPN Seattle. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Greg Johns (March 2, 2018). "Newsome fits right in after earning spring invite". MLB.com. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  6. ^ Erik Oas (September 12, 2017). "Ljay Newsome named Mariners award winner". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  7. ^ Corey Brock (October 15, 2019). "Beyond the big-name prospects, five fast-rising stars in Mariners system". The Athletic. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  8. ^ TJ Cotterill (May 23, 2019). "Everything Is Trending Up For Ljay Newsome". Baseball America. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Josh Kirshenbaum (June 23, 2019). "Late grand slam wastes call-up's good start in Rainiers' loss". The News Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  10. ^ Julian A. Lopez (May 7, 2019). "He led MiLB in two categories. Nuts' pitcher named Player of the Month". The Modesto Bee. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "LJAY NEWSOME STATS".
  12. ^ a b "Mariners Officially Promote Jarred Kelenic, Logan Gilbert".
  13. ^ "Cardinals Claim Ljay Newsome from Mariners".
  14. ^ "Cardinals' Ljay Newsome: Outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "Giants Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. December 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Transactions". Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
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