When we last checked in with top Pirates 2015 draft pick Kevin Newman, he had just signed and was excited to start his pro career. He's now played 17 games with the West Virginia Black Bears, and he's off to a rough start offensively. After Wednesday's game, I spoke to him about adapting to pro ball and about Morgantown's unusual synthetic infield. Here's the transcript, lightly edited for length.
This is the first game I've gotten to see you play in person, and this seems like a pretty professional infield. What's it like to play alongside [third baseman Mitchell] Tolman and [second baseman Kevin] Kramer?