Kevin Bradley Newman...On X: @OfficialKBN...Newman and his wife, Shayne, have two children: Addison and Austin...Graduated from Poway (Calif.) High School in 2013, where as a senior he was the team's Most Valuable Player...Attended University of Arizona and was a three-time All-Pac 12 selection and two-time All-Pac 12 Defensive...Team selection; Made each of his 165 career apps as the Wildcats' starting shortstop and batted .337 (227/674) with a .817 OPS, 132 runs scored and 112 RBI across three collegiate seasons...Was a college roommate of Angels infielder Scott Kingery and Boston's Bobby Dalbec...His mother, Elizabeth, was a professional skier...His father, John, and sister, Regan, both played tennis at Northern Arizona University...Originally signed by Pirates scout Derrick Van Dusen.
2024
Began season with Triple-A Reno and batted .364 (8/22) with six runs scored, three extra-base hits and seven RBI in six games before being promoted...Contract selected by D-backs on April 7 and made debut with Arizona that night at Atlanta...Slashed .278/.311/.375 with 41 runs scored, 17 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 28 RBI, and eight stolen bases in 111 games in seventh Major League season.... 278 AVG (80/288) was highest since he batted .308 (152/493) across 130 games in 2019; 2.2 bWAR was also highest total since that season...Stole eight bases for the third consecutive year.
2023
In 74 games with the Reds, batted .253 (57-for-225) with 16 doubles, 3 homers, 28 RBI, 17 walks and eight stolen bases...From April 30-May 21, did not record a strikeout in 42 consecutive plate appearances…it was the longest active streak in the Major Leagues when snapped on May 21 vs. Yankees and the longest by a Reds batter since José Peraza went 49 straight plate appearances without a strikeout from May 6-27, 2019...Was put on the 10-day injured list (strained left oblique) on Aug. 16 and designated for assignment on Sept. 25… was released on Sept. 27...Signed as a Minor League free agent by the D-backs on Dec. 31.
2022
For the third straight season was the Pirates' Opening Day starting shortstop... Missed most of the first half of the season (4/17-7/7) because of a left groin injury but still finished with 22 extra-base hits in just 78 appearances... Reached base safely in all 13 rehab apps for Indianapolis and hit safely in each of his last 12 appearances there... On 8/18 vs Bos celebrated his 400th Major League appearance with three hits and three runs scored... From 9/11-9/28 hit .302 during a season-high 10-game hitting streak... In the 10-inning, 4-3 Pirates win on 9/28 vs Cin produced his fifth career walk-off hit (RBI-single off Alexis Díaz).
2021
Posted the second-best fielding percentage ever by a National League shortstop (.993); second only to Rey Ordonez of the Mets in 1999 (.994)... Posted the highest fielding pct. for a shortstop since Baltimore’s Mike Bordick recorded an MLB-record .998 pct. in 2002... Joined Brandon Crawford and Francisco Lindor as a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at shortstop (Crawford won)...Was the first Pirates shortstop to lead MLB in fielding pct. since Jay Bell in 1996 (.986)... Committed his first error on 7/16, snapping a 76-game errorless streak at shortstop to begin the season... Was the longest consecutive errorless streak for a Pirates shortstop at any point during a season and set the N.L. record for most consecutive errorless games at SS to begin a season (second-longest such streak behind MLB-record of 89 games by Omar Vizquel with Indians in 1989)...Was the hardest player to strike out in the Majors (once every 13.51 PA); is also the hardest player to strike out in the National League since 2019 (once every 10.14 PA)... Set career-highs in games played, at bats and doubles... Made 132 appearances (123 starts) at shortstop and 15 appearances (11 starts) at second base... Ranked fourth among N.L. shortstops in games played at the position, trailing Dansby Swanson (159), Trevor Story (138) and Brandon Crawford (135)... Did not make an error in his 15 games at second base (39 chances)...Went 74 consecutive plate appearances without striking out from 5/8 to 5/27...Tied career-high with four hits on 7/24 at San Francisco and 8/14 vs. Milwaukee... Tied MLB record with four doubles on 8/14 vs. Milwaukee (game 1) - joins Paul Waner (1932) and Adam Frazier (2019) as the only Pirates to accomplish the feat... Became the first Pirates shortstop with four extra-base hits in a game since Honus Wagner on August 22, 1910.
2020
Made 22 starts at shortstop and 19 at second base...Produced a .342 (13-for-38) average when leading off an inning...Was the Opening Day starter at shortstop and went 1-for-4 as the leadoff batter...Collected a hit in his second at-bat before going hitless in his next 20...Connected off Jon Lester for lone home run on 8/2 at Wrigley Field...Recorded his fifth career walk-off on 8/6 vs. Minnesota; a two-run, pinch-hit single in the ninth inning...Had his fifth career four-hit game on 8/8 vs. Detroit...Hit safely in nine straight games from 8/6-20, going 19-for-36 (.528) and raising his season average from .167 to .292...Batted third in the lineup for the first time in his career on 8/22 vs. Milwaukee; left the game with right lower abdomen discomfort after his at-bat in the third inning... Delivered a walk-off fielder’s choice/E2 in 5-4 win over the White Sox on 9/8...Was hit by a pitch on 9/19 and was placed on the 10-day injured with a contusion to the peroneal nerve of his left knee on 9/20 - missed remainder of the season.
2019
Entered season ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's seventh-best prospect...Finished eighth in the National League batting race and ranked third among N.L. rookies in batting behind Fernando Tatis (.317) and teammate Bryan Reynolds (.314)...His .350 road batting average was the highest among all qualifying Major League players and was the second-highest single-season mark among N.L. rookies since 1913 behind Boston's Jimmy Welsh (.354 in 1925)...His .348 average in day games was the third-highest mark in the N.L...Produced a 19-game hitting streak from 6/7-29; tied for the second-longest in the Majors behind New York's Wilson Ramos (26 games) and a club record for the longest by a rookie player (since 1900)...Hit .309 in his 104 games while playing shortstop; the highest average among all National League players at that position (min: 400 plate appearances)...Combined with teammate Bryan Reynolds to hit over .300; the first set of Major League teammates to do so since Fred Lynn (.331) and Jim Rice (.309) with Boston in 1975 and the first N.L. teammates to do so since Buzz Arlett (.313) and Les Mallon (.309) with Philadelphia in 1931...Led all Major League players (min: 75 games) with a .328 batting average from the leadoff spot...Ranked third among Major League rookies in hits and eighth in RBI...Had four walkoffs (three hits and a walk); just the second Pittsburgh rookie in the last 100 years to produce four in one season (also Al Oliver in 1969)...Made his first appearance on a Major League Opening Day roster...Made his first start at second base on 4/6; went 2-for-4 with a walk and recorded his first career walkoff hit with a double in the 10th inning...Had three errors in one inning on 4/8 at Chicago - the first Pittsburgh shortstop with three errors in the same inning since Abraham Nunez on 9/5/98...Was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right middle finger laceration on 4/11 (retro to 4/9)...Began rehab assignment with Indianapolis on 4/23 and went 1-for-4 with a walk while playing the entire game in center field - his first career game in the outfield...Made four starts at shortstop, two in center field and two in left field while on Triple-A rehab; hit .233 (7-for-30) with one RBI in eight games...Was recalled from rehab and reinstated from the injured list on 5/4...Made his first big league appearance in the outfield (left field) on 5/5 vs. Oakland; played the final two innings there and did not have a chance... Made his first career start/appearance at third base on 5/13 at Arizona...Hit first in the batting order and connected off Lucas Sims for his first Major League home run (a grand slam) on 5/28 at Cincinnati; became the eighth Pittsburgh player ever to hit a grand slam for first MLB homer...Had two hits in the same inning (second) on 5/31 vs. Milwaukee...His 19-game hitting streak from 6/7-29 was the longest streak by a Bucco rookie since 1900 (Jimmy Williams had a 27-game and 26-game hitting streak in 1899)...Had a walkoff walk in 11-10, 11-inning win on 6/23 vs. San Diego...Had a career-high four hits on 6/26 at Houston...Also had four hits on 7/6 vs. Milwaukee, 8/25 vs. Cincinnati and 8/29 at Colorado...Hit his first career leadoff home run on 6/27 at Houston...Homered in three straight games between 6/26-28...His error on 7/24 vs. St. Louis snapped his 54-game errorless streak at shortstop; the longest streak by a Pirates shortstop in the modern era (since 1900); previous long in one season was by Jordy Mercer (52) in 2016...Had two hits in the same inning for the second time on 8/29 at Colorado (a home run and a single in the first inning)...Homered twice while going 4-for-4 with four RBI on 8/29 at Colorado...Hit leadoff homers on 8/29 and 8/31 at Colorado...Connected off Cincinnati's Raisel Iglesias for a walkoff homer in the ninth inning on 9/27...Made 104 appearances (93 starts) at shortstop, 23 appearances (20 starts) at second base and six appearances (three starts) at third base...Also made two appearances in left field on 5/5 (2.0 innings) and 6/1 (7.0 innings).
2018
Spent majority of season with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was named MVP...Was named to the International League's mid- and post-season All-Star teams...Served as the leadoff hitter in 105 of his 106 starts with Indianapolis...Made 82 starts at shortstop and 21 at second base at the Triple-A level...Hit for the cycle and a had career-high five hits on 8/7 vs. Lehigh Valley...Hit .373 (25-for-67) in his last 17 Triple-A games between 7/28 and 8/15...Was leading the International League in stolen bases (28) and runs scored (74) at the time of his promotion to Pittsburgh on 8/16...Made his Major League debut on 8/16 vs. Chicago (NL) and played the final inning at shortstop (did not bat)...Pinch-ran and played final inning at shortstop on 8/17...Made his first Major League start at second base on 8/20 vs. Atlanta and went hitless in three at bats...Doubled off Wade Miley for first Major League hit and went 2-for-5 in his start at second base on 8/24 at Milwaukee...Went hitless in 20 at bats between 8/25 and 9/3...Collected first big league RBI on 9/8 vs. Miami...Hit safely in six straight games between 9/8-17 (9-for-23, .391), capped off with a career-high three hits on 9/17 vs. Kansas City...Went hitless in his next five games (14 at bats) before hitting safely in each of his last five big league games (6-for-19, .316)...Made 24 appearances (19 starts) at shortstop and eight appearances (five starts) at second base while playing with Pittsburgh; the Pirates went 15-4 in his 19 starts at shortstop...Hit .357 (5-for-14) against left-handed pitchers and .182 (14-for-77) against RHP while playing with the Pirates.
2017
Entered season ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's fifth-best prospect and as the "Best Hitter for Average" in the Pirates minor league system...Hit .267 (136-for509) with 29 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 41 RBI and 65 runs scored in 122 minor league games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis...Set minor league career highs in games, hits and doubles...Tied career high in runs...Ranked third in the Pirates minor league system in hits, fourth in games played, fifth in doubles and sixth in runs...Made all 119 defensive appearances at shortstop...Began season with Altoona and collected three hits in the season opener on 4/7 at Harrisburg... Hit his first home run as part of a three-hit game on 4/25 at Erie... Hit .370 (27-for-73) over a 17-game stretch from 6/17 to 7/7, raising average from .229 to .263...Produced a .319 (37-for-116) average in his final 27 Double-A games between 6/17 and 7/19 before being promoted to Indianapolis on 7/20...Went 3-for-4 with two RBI in his Triple-A debut on 7/20 at Gwinnett...Hit safely in 32 of his 38 starts with Indy, reaching base safely in 34 of the 38...Had a 14-game hitting streak from 8/2-19 (19-for-59, .322) and hit safely in each of his last five regular season games...Went 2-for-13 with two walks and two runs in the postseason against Durham.
2016
Led all Pittsburgh minor leaguers in batting average (minimum 300 at bats) while splitting season between Single-A Bradenton and Altoona...Hit .320 (127-for-397) with 21 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 52 RBI and 65 runs scored in 102 total games between the two clubs... Began season with Bradenton, where he was named to the Florida State League's mid-season All-Star team...Hit safely in 34 of his 41 games with Bradenton, including 13 of his 14 first games of the season (22-for-54, .407)...Hit his first home run with the Marauders on 4/30 at Jupiter...Hit .360 (27-for-75) in 19 games during the month of April, .333 in May (26-for-78) and .636 (7-for-11) in June with Bradenton... Recorded first career four-hit game on 5/13 at Palm Beach.... Was on the disabled list from 5/27 to 6/14 with a fractured left orbital after being hit by a pitch on 5/26...Recorded his second four-hit game on 6/15 at Clearwater...Collected a career-high five RBI on 6/16 vs. Fort Myers...Was named the Florida State League Player-of-the-Week for the week of 6/13-19 after hitting .636 (7-for-11) with a double, triple, home run and six RBI in three games...Hit safely in each of his last seven games with Bradenton before being promoted to Altoona on 6/18...Had a pair of hits and two RBI in his Double-A debut on 6/18 vs. Hartford...Scored at least one run in seven straight games from 6/27 to 7/4 and in 11 of his first 14 overall with the Curve...Produced a career-high 17-game hitting streak from 6/21 to 7/9, the seventh-longest in the Eastern League in 2016 and seventh-longest in Curve history; hit .371 during the streak with seven doubles...Went 3-for-4 and hit first career Double-A home run on 7/19 at Hartford...Matched his career-high four hits on 7/23 vs. Akron, going 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored while becoming just the third Curve player to log four hits in a game in 2016...Produced a .333 average during the month of July...Hit .310 (48-for-155) in 39 games batting leadoff for Altoona...Hit .538 (7-for-13) with three doubles, three RBI, a walk and three runs scored in three postseason games (the .538 average led the Eastern League)...Went 2-for-5 with an RBI-double and two runs scored in Game One of the Eastern League Division Series on 9/7 vs. Akron...Went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and run scored in Game Two of the Division Series and 3-for-5 with a triple and two-run double in Game Three of the Division Series on 9/9 at Akron...Was ranked as the third-best prospect in the Florida State League by Baseball America following the season.
2015
Hit .257 (66-for-257) with 14 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 17 RBI and 39 runs scored in 61 games during his first professional season...Made his pro debut with the West Virginia Black Bears on 6/19 vs. Mahoning Valley and recorded first career hit...Hit safely in eight straight games from 7/13-20...Hit first professional home run on 7/17 off State College's Dailyn Martinez...Swiped three bases on 7/22 vs. Brooklyn...Was promoted to West Virginia Power on 8/10 and recorded hits in his first two games...Hit safely in seven of his final eight games...Went 2-for-10 with a pair of walks in three games during the South Atlantic League playoffs.
