Milwaukee Brewers: Welcome to ‘The Show,’ Keston Hiura

After the Milwaukee Brewers’ best prospect’s electric debut, here’s why fans should be excited about what to expect from Keston Hiura.

Keston Hiura was a big hit in his first MLB game for the Milwaukee Brewers going 2/3 and drawing a walk at the dish .  Hiura collected his first two big league hits and provided welcome support after Travis Shaw struggled early in the season with an injury.

With Travis Shaw struggling and now on the injured list, the Brewers have called up their top prospect, second basemen Keston Hiura.  Hiura was drafted by the Brewers in the first round of the 2017 Amateur draft out of UC Irvine.

He was thought to be an advanced college bat who could move quickly to perform in the big leagues.  At 22 years old, Hiura has held up his end of the bargain making the big leagues nearly two years after being drafted.  I am not a scout, nor would I claim to have that expertise so I have included the scouting report from Fangraph’s Eric Logenhagen below.

"Hiura reached Double-A in his first full pro season, and then was clearly one of the top five or six talents in the Arizona Fall League, where he won League MVP. Most importanly, his arm strength is once again viable at second base. An elbow injury relegated Hiura to DH-only duty as a junior at UC Irvine, and he may have gone even earlier in the 2017 draft if not for concerns about the injury and how it might limit his defense. That’s no longer a concern, as Hiura has an average arm and plays an unspectacular second base. This is an incredible hitter. He has lightning-quick hands that square up premium velocity and possesses a rare blend of power and bat control. Hiura’s footowork in the box is a little noiser than it has to be, and if any of his swing’s elements are ill-timed, it can throw off the rest of his cut. This, combined with an aggressive style of hitting, could cause him to be streaky. But ultimately he’s an exceptional hitting talent and he’s going to play a premium defensive position. We think he’s an All-Star second baseman."

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“All-Star second baseman” is high praise indeed for a prospect.  The Milwaukee Brewers are expecting Hiura to be an impact bat that can acceptably play an up the middle position.

Keston Hiura will likely get the lion share of playing time and Mike Moustakas will shift back to his natural position at 3B.  Hiura just lit triple-A on fire, slashing an otherworldly .333/.408/.698 good for a 164 wRC+.  Part of that is the fact that the ball is juiced again, but you also can’t fake Hiura’s line without having legitimate talent.

Even without those video game numbers, Hiura has always posted an above average batting line in the minor leagues.  He has been a pull hitter, pulling the ball at least 40% at each level in the minor leagues.

In terms of batted ball profile, his LD/GB/FB% rate has been 20%/44%/36%.  If there is a risk in the profile its that his pull and GB heavy approach may lend itself to defensive shifting in addition to Hiura’s strikeout rates.  Most of that will likely be alleviated by Hiura getting more repetitions and maturing as a hitter but its something to watch in the short-term.

Keston Hiura though has excellent bat control and a ton of pop, especially for a second baseman.  This is a victory for the Milwaukee Brewers scouting and player development machine for turning the first rounder into a big leaguer in just under 2 years.  Milwaukee has to be excited as their top prospect is now in the big leagues and will battle with the team as they seek to reclaim the NL Central title.