BRADENTON, Fla. — At this time last year, Kevin Newman could navigate the Pirate City clubhouse in relative anonymity.
Sure, Newman had a solid 2018 season with Class AAA Indianapolis, slashing .302/.350/.407 and stealing 28 bases, but the bulk of the buzz at shortstop revolved around offseason acquisition Erik Gonzalez and whether or not he’d be able to fill Jordy Mercer’s shoes.
Yeah, so about that.
All Newman did between then and now was transform himself from a prospect with potential to a future building block of the Pirates, one of the few players pretty much everyone can agree that general manager Ben Cherington should not trade, the result of his stellar rookie season.
But even though his Pirates teammates may think about him differently — how can you not? — Newman doesn’t want that line of thinking to creep into his brain. He’s focused on staying humble and grounded and working toward the same goals that produced his breakout 2019 campaign.
“Last year was good, but now it’s a new year,” Newman said Tuesday. “Plenty of time people have a good year and don’t follow it up. Sometimes that’s part of the game. I definitely don’t want to bring last year into this year and think that I have it figured out because I don’t. Baseball’s a tough game. It can switch on you at any time. It’ll humble you really quickly.
“It’s time to work hard and flush last year.”
It’s easy to respect such maturity from someone who’s still just 26. But at least externally, it’s hard — no, impossible — to act like Newman’s season never happened. He did hit .308, which pushed him to eighth in the National League batting race and had him third among NL rookies.
Newman also produced four of the Pirates’ eight walk-off wins, led all of baseball in road batting average (.350) and batting average from the leadoff spot (.328) and at one point strung together a 19-game hitting streak.
In one season, Newman thrust himself to the top of the list when it comes to the best shortstops in the National League, and he did it in a similar way to that of Bryan Reynolds, his good friend and next-door neighbor inside the Pirates clubhouse.
Neither wants to celebrate anything about themselves. They’re polite and quiet and would rather let their play do the talking. But it’s also impossible to deny that things have changed for them this spring compared to last.
“It’s definitely different coming in this year because we kind of have our roles a little bit more solidified,” Newman said. “The hunger and the thirst to get better in spring training, preparing yourself for the year and to continue how last year went, that’s kind of the focus. That’s what we want to do: come in, get ready, compete and help the team win.”
There’s a very good chance Newman will do that, though where he plays will be one interesting story line to watch down here. For now, the expectation is for Newman to man short, while Colin Moran plays third and Adam Frazier starts Opening Day at second base.
However, Frazier attracted plenty of attention at Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings, the result of a strong offensive season and the fact that Frazier finished third in the National League Gold Glove voting.
If the Pirates decide to move Frazier — unlikely at this point but still possible — it would likely push either Newman or Cole Tucker to second, while Pittsburgh will hope that Ke’Bryan Hayes can challenge Moran sooner rather than later.
None of that matters much to Newman, who has his own work to focus on.
This offseason, Newman said he spent some time trying to get his weight up — though it was hardly the same as his issues in late 2018, when he was run down and played like it during a cameo with the MLB club.
“Pretty much the same as all the other offseasons,” Newman said. “Kind of gained my weight back a little bit. I maintained my weight pretty well last year, so that wasn’t as huge. Really going into the offseason trying to get stronger, trying to get quicker and keep my swing.”
Newman definitely isn’t stressing down here.
He was joking with a few teammates on Tuesday morning and planned on playing golf in the afternoon, the typical spring routine. But Newman also has at least some assurance when it comes to playing time in 2020, which surely can’t be the worst thing.
“I’m just kind of focusing on everything,” Newman said. “That’s kind of what spring training is for, to get your body physically ready, get your swing in tune and your body ready for the day-to-day grind. You’re obviously not doing as much work during the offseason, so that’s the focus while you’re here.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: February 11, 2020, 7:29 p.m.
Updated: February 11, 2020, 7:29 p.m.
