Kevin Newman entered 2016 with several question marks surrounding him. Would one of the best collegiate bats in the 2015 MLB Draft translate to professional pitching after an up-and-down debut? Would he be able to stick at shortstop? Just how high on the Pirates’ prospect — and overall prospect — lists was he?
This season answered many of those questions, as Newman skyrocketed to top-five status in the Pirates’ system, while sitting on the cusp of the top-50 overall.
So, who is Kevin Newman?
The Rome Braves’ huge second half surge led them to their first South Atlantic League title in 13 years. The achievements of their heralded young pitching staff and the tremendous second half Austin Riley had with the bat have been well documented over the past few months. While Ray-Patrick Didder and Patrick Weigel made some waves as two of the Atlanta Braves’ breakout prospects, closer Devan Watts quietly slid under the radar and played a huge role in Rome’s SAL Championship.
It sounds like a broken record, but another night has passed and yet another Rome Braves starter has hurled another impressive performance. Max Fried dealt a dandy last night, striking out 13 en route to Rome’s first South Atlantic League Championship in 13 years.
ROME, GA — Time and time again, the 2016 version of the Rome Braves seem to play well beyond their years. They entered Tuesday night’s Game 2 of the South Atlantic League Championship Series down one game to none after an uncharacteristically-sloppy Game 1 that saw Mike Soroka’s gem go to waste behind four unearned runs. Needing a win before heading north to New Jersey, Touki Toussaint got the call for arguably the biggest start in his life.
As the Rome Braves starters have done all series, Touki delivered.
(Note from The Wayniac: Although I try not to, there have been a few occasions that I have mixed politics and sports on this site. I try to keep it light hearted, but 9/11 is something very important to me. Understand that I am showing how sports helped heal, not implying that sports saved the day. That being said, let today be for what it is. There is no need to worry about what Colin Kaepernick is doing, the only thing you have to make sure you do is Never Forget.)
I was one of the lucky ones. I don’t have a first hand account of 9/11 because I was home, sick from work on the New Jersey side of the river. I was also lucky enough that I didn’t lose any of my friends who worked in the World Trade Centers, although some plummeted down stairs or jumped in the river to escape the fate that so many innocent Americans met that day.
ROME, GA — If the Atlanta Braves rebuild project begins this season with Dansby Swanson and ends a few years down the road with the abundance of top prospects on the Rome Braves, the organization is in great shape. The Rome Braves are not only winning, they are having fun and it is contagious to watch.
(From Wednesday 9/7/16 at Today’s Knuckleball)
This evening from State Mutual Stadium, the Rome Braves host the Charleston RiverDogs in the first round of the South Atlantic League playoffs. While it highlights one of the biggest turnarounds in the minors — the Rome Braves went from a 27-42 sixth-place record to the hottest team in the Sally — it also features two systems that are successfully undergoing the rebuild process in seemingly polar opposite styles.
The New York Yankees are experiencing a renaissance throughout their farm system. Highlighted by some big trades at the deadline that brought in an influx of talent from other organizations, a Yankees farm system that was once barren of elite prospects is booming. Look no further than the minor league playoffs for the proof, as five of their affiliates are representing them.
The Charleston RiverDogs are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They got there by locking up the South Atlantic League Southern Division in the first half behind a 42-27 record. They slipped below .500 in the second half, by no fault of their own, as some of the bigger named prospects quickly moved up the ladder.
They also got there behind a dominant pitching staff. Their young guns led the entire SAL with 3.03 ERA and a minuscule — and franchise best — 1.17 WHIP behind 15 shutouts. They finished second in strikeouts with 1,248. All of those Ks were also a Charleston record, besting the previous high by 67 set in 2011.
The Cleveland Indians’ Yandy Diaz appears to be ready for prime time. Since the newly-turned 25-year-old was signed out of Cuba in 2013, he has improved his hitting and plate discipline successfully at every level in which he has a made a stop. Now, it may be big leagues or bust for 2017, and maybe even the rest of this season.
Yesterday, we began our look at the Arizona Fall League rosters. The rosters, primarily made up of Double and Triple-A players, are a who’s who of baseball’s biggest and brightest prospects. The AFL begins its action on October 12 in a game that features the Scottsdale Scorpions — whose roster we looked at yesterday — versus the Glendale Desert Dogs.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Desert Dogs.
![Charleston RiverDogs skipper Luis Dorante talks Yankees prospects [Interview]](https://waynecavadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/k7544tjesexzgmihx8a78zgw9.gif?w=672&h=345&crop=1)
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