BRADENTON, Fla. — After a sizzling spring led to a fizzling five months where he hovered just above the Mendoza Line, Kevin Newman knew he needed to change something about his swing.

He opted for a complete reconstruction.

The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop set a spring training record by hitting .606 (20 for 33) last year, but the Gold Glove finalist’s dynamic defense during the regular season was offset by a porous performance at the plate. Newman hit .210 in the first half, batting .186 between April 4 and May 10. He didn’t solve the slump until September, finishing with a .226 batting average and had the worst OPS (.574) among qualified hitters in the majors.

With a nudge from the Pirates to improve offensively the way he did defensively the previous year, Newman took it upon himself to work with renowned hitting consultant Doug Latta of Ball Yard training center in Northridge, Calif., and entirely revamp everything from his setup to his swing.

“It wasn’t hard because it was my decision,” Newman said. “It wasn’t a decision where anybody came to me and said, ‘You have to do this.’ It was a decision that I made and they supported.”

Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman worked with hitting instructor @LattaDoug in the offseason to reconstruct his swing, changing his stance and lowering his hands to hell his timing after hitting .226 with an MLB-worst .574 OPS in 2021. pic.twitter.com/8YsyBd0vWw

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 17, 2022

Now that the makeover is complete, Newman’s new stance is more upright and his legs more narrow than the crouch he used before. He dropped his hands lower to create a direct, linear hand path that is designed to be parallel to the pitch. Newman appears more relaxed and confident and, as a result, hopes to hit fewer balls into the ground.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said he gives Newman “a lot of credit” for seeking professional help, especially during the lockout, when Pirates coaches weren’t permitted to have contact with players. Newman turned to Latta, who has worked with 2018 AL MVP and batting champion Mookie Betts and is known as “The Swing Whisperer.”

“He took it to heart,” Shelton said. “The stance is significantly different, and there’s a purpose to it. When he articulated the purpose and how he worked on it to me, it was very clear. I’m excited to see how it transpires in games.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton discusses the difference in shortstop Kevin Newman’s stance and swing. pic.twitter.com/5VMj6J8E24

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 17, 2022

Latta emphasized the need to factor timing into swing changes, which requires reducing big swing moves. Newman is no longer losing time or space loading his bat back to get into a hitting position, Latta said, because his hands already are on that plane.

“The one thing we have to control is time because we don’t have much of it,” Latta said. “We’re making decisions in less than a second. Tenths of a second is important. A hundred milliseconds is a real thing. When you’re seeing great pitching every night, believe me, you shave a a hundred milliseconds off a bat move and it’s like night and day to a hitter.”

Based on his batting practices through the first two days of workouts, Newman’s swing has become more efficient. After ranking in the bottom 3% in exit velocity (85.3 mph), hard-hit rate (26%) and barrel percentage (1.6%), Newman hopes to return to being a gap-to-gap hitter.

“I’m not going to tell you I’m going to come out and be a 30-home run guy and start hitting home runs,” Newman said. “That’s not the mentality. I’m not out here trying to hit home runs. But with a different swing path and a different stance, it’s given me confidence. I’ve felt good with the (live batting practices) I’ve had so far and I’m just going to keep building on it.”

Newman wants to get back to putting up the numbers he did as a rookie in 2019, when he hit .308 with 20 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 64 RBIs. He followed that by batting .224 in the pandemic-shortened 2020, losing his starting job by the end of the season.

That’s why the Pirates gave their blessing for Newman to seek outside instruction. What Latta found is Newman was receptive to change and allowed his athleticism to take over.

“In Kevin’s case, he’s able to swing through the ball,” Latta said. “He’s always had pretty good bat-to-ball skills. That doesn’t necessarily translate to effective contact. What he’s able to do now is hit through the ball, which allows him to tap into potential power. I’m seeing him moving so much more efficiently than the guy I saw last year. I’m sure you’ll see that his power definitely plays a lot better than it did last year.”

With a camp competition at shortstop that features fellow former first-rounder Cole Tucker and top-five prospects Oneil Cruz and Liover Peguero, Newman knew he would be fighting for the starting job once again this spring. Shelton has yet to ordain him the starter, even suggesting Newman could see time at second base, third base and in the outfield. Newman hopes his new and improved swing gives pause to that plan.

“For how much I played there last year, I want to keep it,” Newman said. “I want to play there. I want to earn it. I want to be the shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s obviously in your mind with all the work you do in the offseason, the adjustments you’re making. That’s the goal.”

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