Halos' top pick throws scoreless inning in pro debut

Left-hander Sean Newcomb, the Angels' first-round pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, threw a scoreless inning in his professional debut Friday, helping the Rookie-level Angels defeat the D-backs, 3-1, in the Arizona League.

Newcomb, the team's No. 1 prospect and ranked No. 90 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, struck out the first batter he faced. His only blemish was a two-out double, but he induced a groundout to end the inning and his first outing as a professional unscathed.

The Angels selected Newcomb with the 15th overall pick in June and signed him to an above-slot bonus July 18, the deadline for Draft picks to sign. He went 8-2 with a 1.25 ERA and struck out 106 batters in 93 1/3 innings for Hartford this spring. He is the school's all-time strikeout leader and became its highest drafted player.

Because Newcomb threw so many innings this spring, the Angels plan to limit his workload the rest of the season.