The Pirates Prospects 2016 Prospect Guide is now on sale. The book features prospect reports on everyone in the system, the 2016 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find. Subscribers to the site get free and discounted books, with Top Prospect subscribers getting the 2016 book for free, and Annual subscribers getting $10 off. Both levels of subscribers can also get the book for just $5. Details on all three promotions can be found on the products page, and you can subscribe to the site or upgrade your current plan on the subscriptions page.
While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks. The reports will only be available to site subscribers, including those with a monthly plan. You can subscribe here, and if you like these reports, be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site to get much more analysis on every player in the system.
To recap the countdown so far:
20. Willy Garcia, RF
19. Clay Holmes, RHP
18. Mitch Keller, RHP
17. Max Moroff, 2B
16. Chad Kuhl, RHP
15. Cole Tucker, SS
14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP
13. Steven Brault, LHP
12. Yeudy Garcia, RHP
We continue the countdown with the number 11 prospect, Kevin Newman.
11. Kevin Newman, SS
Newman represents a bit of a shift in the draft philosophy for the Pirates in recent years. In their early days, they could take elite prospects in the top half of the draft, who left very little question about their future as an MLB starting pitcher or starter on the field. Now that they’re picking lower in the first round, they have been sacrificing power, while focusing on speed, defense, and the ability to hit for average.
Newman fits that profile. He was drafted as a shortstop who has a line drive stroke, great plate patience, speed, and good contact skills. However, he is never going to be a power guy, instead relying on hitting for average, getting on base, and providing speed.
There are questions about this profile. The lack of power has some scouts wondering if Newman can do all of the other things well enough to eventually be a starter in the majors. There are some who question his range, although that didn’t look bad in his time in Morgantown or West Virginia. The safe bet would be to call him a future utility player, but it’s probably too early to count him out as a starter.
Like a lot of other Pirates hitting prospects, Newman has been focused early in his pro career on sitting back in his stance and seeing the ball deeper in the zone. This makes it easier for him to hit off-speed pitches and go to the middle or opposite field with his short swing.
Newman knows the limitations of his game, and is fine with the lack of power. He’s a hard-nosed player who goes all out on every play, realizing that this is his game, and helps to make up for lacking power.
It might take some time to evaluate the drafting approach by the Pirates the last two years, especially for their tendency to go with hitters who have similar profiles to Newman. He will be a big test for this approach. Because of his advanced hitting, the Pirates will most likely send him to Bradenton at the start of the 2016 season. He won’t have anyone blocking him in Altoona, which means he could make that jump by the end of the year if his results in Bradenton are good enough.
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