Kevin Newman: Ready for the Next Step

NOTE: This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of the Indianapolis Indians Game Day Magazine. All stats were updated as of June 12, 2018.
Entering the 2018 season, roughly 19,000 players have played in Major League Baseball. Kevin Newman could very well join them.

But the career he knows now didn't begin as promising as he envisioned. Five years ago, after Newman's senior year of high school, the MLB June Amateur Draft came and went without his name ever called. 
Instead, his career continued at the University of Arizona, but he couldn't shake the dejection he felt on draft night.
"And that [feeling] is still there," Newman said. "Definitely."
As a Wildcat, the Poway, Calif. native channeled that feeling to become the playmaker seen darting around Victory Field's infield today. He started all 55 of Arizona's games at shortstop his freshman season. By the conclusion of his junior year, he'd earned a laundry list of accolades. Freshman All-American, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team, two-time Pac-12 All-Conference, to name a few.
And let's not forget: Newman became the only player in the history of the Cape Cod League to win consecutive batting titles.
"I played for a great team with great coaches and great teammates," he said, describing his 2013 and 2014 Falmouth Commodores. "I just went out there and performed well. To this day, I cherish those accolades the most."
One summer later, Newman added another title: first-round draft pick. The Pittsburgh Pirates used the draft's 19th overall pick to select Newman. 
Over the next three seasons, Newman stayed put at shortstop, where he feels most natural.
"That's definitely where I'm most comfortable. It's where I've played my whole life, where I can be as loose and as free as anywhere," Newman said.
He also became accustomed to hitting leadoff, where he spent 213 of his 285 games entering this season.
"I try and get on any way I can for the guys behind me," Newman said. "Any way that I can put together good at-bats and get on first, that's what I try and do for them. And I like stealing bases. That's the most exciting part of my game."
Newman's first exposure to 'The Show' came in 2017, his first trip to Bradenton, Fla. for Pirates spring training. After a 2017 season split between Altoona and Indy, he was again invited in 2018. His comfort level grew in his second spring stint, and he began to really absorb it all.
"My first time there, it was pretty much just watching and listening, speaking when spoken to, seeing what it takes to perform at the highest level. Going into the second spring, I had known those guys. I had been in there before. It was really easy to approach them," Newman said.
Following spring training, Newman began the year with Indianapolis, terrorizing International League pitching to the tune of a .297 average (65-for-219) and a league-leading 37 runs in 55 games. In that same time frame, he committed a single error in 141 chances at shortstop. 
In May alone, the 24-year-old batted .361 (39-for-108), blasting his only homer of the season, stealing eight bases and drawing nine walks. Newman drove in nine runs and added five doubles as well. 
He was named IL Player of the Week on May 14 after 14 hits, seven runs and a slugging percentage of .778 in seven games. He upped his season average over 50 points in one week's time. 
Perhaps most unnoticed is Newman's ability to avoid strikeouts. The Pirates No. 5 prospect, according to Baseball America, currently holds the second-best ratio in the IL for total plate appearances to strikeouts with a clip of 8.54.
"I work a ton on two-strike approach," Newman said. "You have to battle with two strikes, keep fighting off pitches and scratch out hits. Obviously, it doesn't work every time, but grinding with two strikes can create on-base opportunities."
Along with the on-base opportunities, he's created a buzz that's been hard to ignore. Newman has produced a strong case for inclusion in the Triple-A All-Star Game. He is tied for 12th in all of Triple-A with 65 hits, third-most among shortstops. His total of 13 stolen bases is tied for the fifth-best mark in all of Triple-A and second in the IL. 
Baseball America tabbed Newman as the "Best Hitter for Average" among all Pittsburgh farmhands. A pure hitter, he's lived up to the billing so far. His instincts and quickness, both defensively and on the basepaths, is nearly unmatched at the Triple-A level.
Those assets could land him with the big-league club sooner rather than later, but Newman prefers to "focus on the task at hand."
"I'm just trying to be the best ball player I can be," he said. "But the best part is working toward your dream of playing in the major leagues. When you're up there and playing against that level of competition, I would assume it's pretty exciting."
Maybe, before long, the young gun won't have to wonder.