Cincinnati Reds positional preview vs. NL Central: shortstop

3. Kevin Newman, Pittsburgh Pirates

Coming in at No. 3 on our list of shortstops in the NL Central is Kevin Newman of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Newman may be the most underrated player in the entire division, and another season like he had during his rookie year of 2019 will certainly start to shine more of the limelight in his direction.

After playing just 31 games in 2018, Newman was regular in the Pirates lineup last season, starting 93 of his 130 games played at shortstop. The 26-year-old did not impress with the glove, putting up 10 errors, a .973 fielding percentage, and -7 defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs.

However, Newman made up for his defensive shortcomings with some nice stats at the plate. A first-round pick of the Pirates in 2015, Newman hit .308/.353/.446 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs. That is fantastic production from the shortstop position and one that has to have Pittsburgh’s front office beaming.

2. Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals

Paul DeJong‘s 2019 season was not as good as one would think. While DeJong put up 5.3 WAR in 2019, the 26-year-old only hit .233 in 583 at-bats. That’s not very productive for a player that is considered one of the best in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. However, his power with a .444 slugging percentage and 30 home runs places him at No. 2 on our list of shortstops in the NL Central.

DeJong started out strong, hitting .280/.383/.488 through the first two months of the season, but a slump after the All-Star break that saw DeJong hit only .202 really watered down his 2019 performance. DeJong will be looking for more consistency in 2020 or he’ll be passed very quickly by Kevin Newman.