St. Louis Cardinals’ MLB Draft Preview: Kevin Newman

Welcome to the third edition of my preview of the St. Louis Cardinals’ MLB Draft. I am going to be discussing a third option for the Cardinals in the first round. That third option is University of Arizona shortstop Kevin Newman.

Newman’s name has been linked to the Cardinals’ 23rd pick in numerous mock drafts this spring, continuing the thought that St. Louis is trying to beef up their middle infield depth. However, the caveat here is that it is unknown whether or not Newman can stay at shortstop, as his defensive range and arm aren’t really great.

“A contact-heavy player who can stick at shortstop is valuable given the positional scarcity, but a second baseman? That becomes something more easily replaceable indeed.”

The thought is that he projects fine as a second baseman. However, that would bring his stock down quite a bit and with the Cardinals already having a solid second baseman in Kolten Wong, there would be no point to draft him as he would be blocked for quite some time.

The thing that keeps Newman in the first round or even in the draft period, is his plus hit tool. In three years at Arizona, he has a slash of .336/.394/.409 with 28 doubles and 101 RBI. The clear concern here is the lack of home run power (he doesn’t have a college long-ball to his credit), so he will have to make up a lot with his gap power in order to be successful in big leagues.

Newman’s next-best skill has to be his above-average speed. Throughout his 142 career games, he has 36 stolen bases.

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However, despite his above average hitting and speed, Newman has another flaw at the plate. That flaw would be his ability to get a walk. In his three seasons he has amassed just 48 BB, which is and isn’t surprising with a player with his high average. You would think he would be a more patient hitter but I feel that he gets his share of pitches to hit in college ball. Once he starts in the professional circuit his plate discipline could really go either way.

My thought here is that Newman simply doesn’t fit in this organization and won’t be a “best player available.” One really good take on Newman and his ability/draft stock comes from Matthew Provenzano of “Draft To The Show.”

“A contact-heavy player who can stick at shortstop is valuable given the positional scarcity, but a second baseman? That becomes something more easily replaceable indeed.”

While his career .353 BABIP and his speed will probably play well at the big league level, his fielding and lack of legitimate power are likely to hold him back.

Given that three of the top 20 prospects in the Cardinals’ organization are shortstops in Aledmys Diaz, Juan Herrera, Edmundo Sosa, and honorable mention going to former first-round draft pick Oscar Mercado, Jon Mozeliak selecting a shortstop seems improbable, at-best.

This is not a pick that makes much sense at all for the Cardinals, but if the St. Louis scouts see something that other scouts have not, then go for it. Maybe he could develop that power needed with some swing changes. My thought is if he can’t do it in smaller parks with a metal bat, it’s not going to happen professionally either, therefore not worth a first-round draft pick.

What are your thoughts on Kevin Newman or the Cardinals drafting another shortstop? Let me know in the comments. If you liked this and haven’t read my first posts of this series on Chris Betts and Brady Aiken, please do so and sounds off.

Next: Royals done in by rain, Cards drop another