A week after Pittsburgh drafted him with their first-round pick at No. 19-overall, shortstop Kevin Newman donned a Pirates jersey for the first time after the team announced he agreed to a deal Monday.
With the 19th pick, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said he hoped the team would be able to draft Newman but didn’t know that it would happen.
“We like him as a shortstop because he has the defensive skills to stay at the position. We love the bat and we think there’s going to be leadership abilities in this young man as he comes through this system.”
Newman will report to short-season with the West Virginia Black Bears of the New York-Penn League. He hit .370 at Arizona this year and was a first team All-Pac-12 selection.
Both Newman and the Pirates were eager to get him on the field and playing baseball to begin his development process as soon as possible.
“It’s a dream come true and it’s hard to believe,” Newman said. “This whole week is almost like ‘are we dreaming?’ Getting here and signing papers, I still can’t believe it’s happening.”