Kevin Newman met for the first time with the Pittsburgh media this afternoon at PNC Park.
"Our guys fell in love with him last year," Neal Huntington said, as he introduced the Pirates first round pick. "We hoped he'd get to us, but never dreamed that he would."
Newman will begin his professional career with the West Virginia Black Bears, the Pirates short-season New York-Penn League affiliate.
"We like him as a shortstop because he has the defensive skills to stay at the position," Huntington said. "We love the bat and we think there is going to be leadership ability in this young man as he comes through the system.