Kevin Newman

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #7 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Newman twice won the Cape Cod League batting title and hit .370 as a junior at Arizona. He has maintained that hit-first, zero-power reputation as a professional. He has slumped whenever he has tried to produce more power, but he stayed inside himself at Triple-A Indianapolis at 2018, hitting .302 with a career-high 30 doubles. That led to his first big league callup, though he hit .209 in 31 games in the majors.
  
  Scouting Report: The Pirates and Newman have accepted that he isn't going to be a power hitter, and it hasn't worked to try to turn him into one. He has excellent plate coverage and a level, compact swing, so he hits line-drive singles without a lot of lift. The hope is that he can do that well enough at the major league level to hit at the top of the order. Defensively, he's sure-handed with improving if not spectacular range, and he's becoming more fluid as an athlete. He projects as an above-average defender with an average arm.
  
  The Future: Newman's time to be the Pirates' everyday shortstop has come. How he performs in 2019 will decide whether he can maintain the spot when Cole Tucker is ready to make the leap.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #5 prospect in 2018
  Newman won the Cape Cod League batting title twice and hit .370 in his junior year at Arizona. He continued to build on his reputation as a pure hitter in his first two seasons as a professional, hitting a combined .320 in 2016. Newman has a strong frame and outstanding feel for the strike zone and the barrel, so the Pirates have to fight the temptation to mess with his swing to try to produce more power. However, he has struggled any time his swing has become too big and has found his most success hitting line drives to the opposite field. He shows the potential for a plus hit tool, albeit with well below-average power. Newman has good speed on the basepaths and good athleticism, but his body is a bit stiff. He has average range and an average arm at shortstop. He's steady defensively, though and tends to make all the routine plays without issue, committing just 17 errors in the past two seasons. Newman could still use some time at Triple-A Indianapolis. If he hits in 2018, he could earn a big league callup, particularly if Jordy Mercer is traded. He's a sure-fire big leaguer, but the question is how much impact he'll have.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #5 prospect in 2017
  Newman went from going undrafted following his senior year of high school in Poway, Calif., to being the 19th overall pick after three seasons at Arizona. He became the first player to win back-to-back batting titles in the Cape Cod League and followed by hitting .370 during his junior year before being drafted. He shook off a broken orbital bone in May 2016 to finish at Double-A. Newman has an advanced feel for hitting and all the earmarks of a prototype No. 2 hitter, with an ability to work counts, take walks and make consistent contact. He could add more power to his game, but it's unlikely Newman would ever hit more than 12-15 home runs a season. Regardless, he is a plus hitter who won't need substantial power to supply offensive value. He also has above-average speed and good instincts on the bases, which he could eventually turn into stolen bases. Newman's range and arm grade as merely average to slightly above-average at shortstop, but he is able to make plays in the hole and rarely misses the routine ones. Newman likely will split the 2017 season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, putting him in line to make his major league debut in 2018. He is the heir apparent to shortstop Jordy Mercer, who becomes a free agent after the 2018 season.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #8 prospect in 2016
  Newman made his mark when he became the first player ever to win back-toback batting titles in the Cape Cod League, following his freshman and sophomore seasons at Arizona. He then hit .370 for the Wildcats in 2015 to position himself as a first-round talent. He signed for $2.175 million as the 19th overall pick after going undrafted as a high school player in Poway, Calif. Newman's mother was a professional skier, while his father and two sisters played tennis at the NCAA Division I level. As the Cape batting titles attest, Newman is a high-average hitter, though he hit just .257 in 257 at-bats in his pro debut. He has good hand-eye coordination, is willing to hit the ball to all fields and is particularly adept at situational hitting. Newman has below-average power, but his ability to make contract and draw walks make him a potential table-setter. The Pirates believe Newman will be able to stay at shortstop, but his average range and arm could lead to a move to second base. He is an average runner with very good instincts on the bases. Newman figures to begin 2016 at high Class A Bradenton and end it at Double-A Altoona. He could arrive in Pittsburgh at some point in 2018, though it is too early to tell at which position.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #29 prospect in 2015 draft
  Undrafted after his high school career in Poway, Calif., Newman became the first two-time Cape Cod League batting champ last summer. A strong junior season catapulted Newman into a certain first-round selection, and his combination of hitting ability and middle-of-the-diamond profile could put him in the first 10 selections. Newman is a pure hitter who controls the strike zone, walking more than he strikes out, but doesn't yet hit for a lot of power. Scouts are convinced the bat will play in the pro game, primarily because his quick hands work so well that he's able to start the hands so far forward. He may add more gap power as he matures but his college track record is that of a singles hitter, with two career homers (one Cape, one with Arizona). He struggled in Pacific-12 Conference play when he was pitched hard inside, batting just .279/.328/.378 heading into the final two weeks of conference play. Scouts are mixed on his shortstop defense and even arm strength, with some grading it average and others above-average. He's not flashy but has good instincts that maximize his arm, range and footwork. He also maximizes his average to above-average speed, and Newman consistently runs and plays hard. He's earned comparisons from players from Adam Kennedy for those who see him moving to second to Chris Gomez and, on the high end, Alan Trammell.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #20 prospect in 2018
  Newman was rarely flashy but consistently effective for Indianapolis. He finished fourth in the IL in batting (.302), second in stolen bases (28), third in runs (74) and fifth in doubles (30) while playing a steady shortstop. He received his first major league callup Aug. 16. Newman gets often profiled as a second baseman long-term because he lacks explosiveness in the field, but he makes play and has enough arm for short. Offensively he grinds out at-bats, rarely strikes out, and lines the ball from gap-to-gap. He uses his above-average speed better than many burners, adding to his all-around game.
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  Ranked Florida State League #3 prospect in 2016
  Part of the record-setting college shortstop class in the 2015 draft--a record five were selected in the first round--Newman couldn't keep up with Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman, the Nos. 1 and 2 overall picks who sped to the big leagues. He was the third one drafted and shot to Double-A after impressing FSL scouts and managers. Newman lived up to the Alan Trammell comparisons his advocates have espoused, though he lacks Trammell's power. He stays with his all-fields, line-drive approach that was too advanced for FSL pitchers to combat consistently. He controls the strike zone, legs out hits and steals some bases with above-average speed and strong baserunning ability. Far from flashy defensively, Newman makes all the routine plays and showed the arm strength and range to make plays deep in the hole, giving scouts confidence he can stick at shortstop.
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  Ranked Eastern League #19 prospect in 2016
  Newman hit the ground running this season during his first test in full-season ball. After scorching the competition at high Class A Bradenton, he advanced to Altoona and continued to produce steadily. With the Curve, Newman showed a controlled approached with contact ability to all fields and a touch of power to his pull side. Scouts also wanted to see a little more aggression to his offensive game. He has a chance to stick at shortstop, but some managers weren't entirely convinced. Newman's detractors see a lack of lateral range and a bit of rigidity in his midsection that prevented him from getting down on balls hit in the hole toward third base. Even so, he's a steady defender with a good internal clock. He might not be a superstar, but Newman has the skills to put together a solid, lengthy big league career.
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  Ranked New York-Penn League #7 prospect in 2015
  Newman can hit--that much he made clear in his three years at Arizona. A career .337 hitter and two-time Cape Cod League batting champion, he batted .370/.426/.489 as a junior and was the 19th overall pick in June. Because of Newman's quick hands and advanced plate discipline, most scouts believe his hit tool will play in the majors, but those scouts also question his ability to hit for power and whether he has the arm and range to stick at shortstop. Newman didn't answer those questions in his NYP stint, though he recovered from a 9-for-57 start (.158) to earn a promotion to low Class A West Virginia. In regard to his defense, one opposing manager said, "He's not going to be a shortstop. He's going to be a utility guy or a second baseman." But that same manager said he thought Newman showed power potential, which could continue to blossom as he gets stronger.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #55 prospect in 2017

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Newman got outside of himself in 2017 trying to add power, and it led to drops in all three slash line categories. This year he’s gotten back to being a singles and doubles hitter, which is what got him this far to begin with. Newman is still a little bit stiff at shortstop and his arm isn’t much better than average, but he’s sure-handed and intelligent, and the Pirates have been training him to quarterback the infield. He will likely see major league time this season, and he could find himself starting at shortstop in August and September if the Pirates decide to trade veteran Jordy Mercer.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Newman went from going undrafted following his senior year of high school in Poway, Calif., to being the 19th overall pick after three seasons at Arizona. He became the first player to win back-to-back batting titles in the Cape Cod League and followed by hitting .370 during his junior year before being drafted. He shook off a broken orbital bone in May to finish his first pro season in Double-A. Scouting Report: Newman has an advanced feel for hitting and all the earmarks of a prototype No. 2 hitter, with an ability to work counts, take walks and make consistent contact. He could add more power to his game, but it's unlikely Newman would ever hit more than 12-15 home runs a season. Regardless, he is a plus hitter who won't need substantial power to supply offensive value. He also has above-average speed and good instincts on the bases, which he could eventually turn into stolen bases. Newman's range and arm grade as merely average to slightly above-average at shortstop, but he is able to make plays in the hole and rarely misses the routine ones.
  
  The Future: Newman likely will split the 2017 season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, putting him in line to make his major league debut in 2018. He is the heir apparent to shortstop Jordy Mercer, who becomes a free agent after the 2018 season.