Not One But Two (and Counting) Wildcats Were selected in this Years 2015 MLB Draft

Arizona’s Shortstop Kevin Newman was selected 19th by the Pittsburg Pirates in this years’ 2015 MLB Draft.  Along with Newman, Second Baseman Scott Kingery was selected 48th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies.  

With much anticipation the MLB draft commenced yesterday on MLB.com. Arizona’s Kevin Newman was selected in the first round at No. 19 overall by the Pittsburg Pirates. Newman with his .370 batting average hit his way to two consecutive Cape Cod League batting champion awards and is a three-time Pac-12 All-Conference honoree.

Without a home run at Arizona last season, Newman will have the chance to develop the power at the next level. He has shown tremendous potential not only with the bat but also with the glove has he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team twice.

Some may beg to differ about what position he might play, but According to MLB.com, “There is a split camp on whether Newman can stay at shortstop. Some feel his fringey to average range and arm strength will dictate a move from shortstop to second base once he signs. He does draw universal praise for his strong leadership skills and competitive nature.”

Although a big transition for  Newman, it seems like he’ll be ready for the challenge. His offense will eventually catch up to his defense at the next level. But he will not be alone in Pennsylvania as Second Basemen Scott Kingery is moving to the state as well.

More from Wildcats Baseball

• From Arizona Wildcat to New York Yankee, Austin Wells gets called up
• Arizona Baseball: Kiko Romero Earns All-America Recognition
• Arizona Baseball pitching coach Dave Lawn departs from team
• Arizona Baseball prepares for TCU to open Regional play
• Arizona Baseball falls to Grand Canyon in Extra Innings

Kingery was selected 48th by the Philadelphia Phillies. Kingery, the Pac-12 Player of the year, averaged .392 with 5 HRs and 36 RBI. But according to thegoodphight, “many people actually seemed to prefer him to first-round pick Kevin Newman, a teammate of Kingery at Arizona.” Both Kingery and Newman were the driving force to those ending inning double plays. They won’t be able to play on the same team as one another but who knows maybe they can hangout once they get to Philadelphia. 

According to MLb.com, “Kingery uses his plus speed to take extra bases and he should be a base-stealing threat in the future. A center fielder in the past, Kingery has the skills to play second base as well as the athleticism to return to the outfield if need be.” Kingery as a duel threat could be of use to an aging Philly infield, as all-time great second basemen Chase Utley is also finishing up his career so this might be a great opportunity for Scott to learn from Utley.

Scott’s 2015 Pac-12 Player of the year video highlights:

I was delighted to hear that two of our Wildcat’s were picked in this years draft. Unfortunately none were picked by the Dodgers or the Angels out here to Los Angeles. Hopefully when the Phillies or the Pirates are in town I could check in and see how Newman and Kingery have progressed. They have a long road of success ahead of them with a lot of hard work to do in their new post-college career and I wish them both the very best.

BEAR DOWN!

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