Milwaukee Brewers: Cultivating the League’s Next Great Infield Duo
With one prospect emerging in a big way in May for the Milwaukee Brewers and another potentially on the way, how could the Crew’s future infield shape up?
Going into the 2019 season, the Milwaukee Brewers had a good amount of questions regarding their pitching, from the losses of Wade Miley (Houston) and Gio Gonzalez (minor league deal with Yankees) to the off-season injuries to bullpen aces Jeremy Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the latter of which will miss the entire season due to Tommy John Surgery.
While some of those questions have been remedied in the form of the ascension of Zach Davies and Brandon Woodruff to Jeffress’ return and a return to dominance by closer Josh Hader, the pitching remains the Crew’s definitive weak point coming into the dog days of summer.
However, one name that was not expected to be in the question mark category was infielder Travis Shaw, who started off the season hitting under the Mendoza line in March and April at .194, but things would only get worse from there for the former Red Sox man. In his 11 games played in May, Shaw would hit at a clip of just .081, bringing Brewers fans to clamor for a change to be made.
Milwaukee would eventually do just that, sending Shaw to the 10-day IL with a wrist issue and bringing up the team’s top prospect in Keston Hiura, moving Mike Moustakas, who had been playing second base with Shaw in the fold, back to his natural position at the hot corner.
First, though, a little about Keston Hiura.
A Thought on Keston Hiura
Hiura dominated the high school ranks before moving on to the University of California-Irvine, where he continued his stellar play in each of his three college seasons, culminating in a junior season which saw him hit .442 with 24 doubles, 8 home runs and driving in 42 runs.
Formerly undrafted out of high school, the Milwaukee Brewers took Hiura, seen by some as the best pure hitter in the draft, with the 9th pick in the 2017 draft. He then proceeded to impress throughout his ascent through the team’s minor league ranks, highlighted by stints in A-Advanced Carolina (.320/7 HR/23 RBI in 50 games in 2018) and AAA San Antonio (.345/12 HR/29 RBI in 40 games in 2019) prior to his aforementioned call-up on May 14 of this year.
He made a name for himself in his new home quickly, recording two hits in his first appearance playing at Philadelphia. While he would follow that performance up with two 0/4 games as well as an 0/5 over his next four outings, there was still plenty to be excited about for Brewers fans, seeing his raw talent with the bat.
He would hit his first home run in the final game of his first Major League road trip, against fellow National League contender Atlanta. A rocket off the bat that managed to find its way over the fence, it landed right in the friendly confines of the Brewers’ bullpen, making it an easy souvenir for Hiura to get back.
Gathering two hits in his home debut in Milwaukee and his first home run there the next day, it was on the following road trip that Hiura began to truly show what he was made of. Over the course of five of his final six games in Milwaukee (for now), Hiura would hit three home runs while driving in seven runs and hitting at a .381 rate along with a stellar .435 on-base percentage. While he would end up being sent down for Travis Shaw upon his return, Hiura showed that he has what it takes to stay around Milwaukee for many years to come.
Brice Turang
Elsewhere on the farm, just a couple hours north of the parent club’s home, another young infielder is making his name in the Brewers’ ranks. Up in Appleton, Wisconsin, the home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, another recent first rounder is already garnering All-Star honors at the young age of 19.
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A fellow Californian just like Hiura, Brice Turang was drafted 21st overall by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Santiago High School in Corona. Assigned to the Timber Rattlers to begin the 2019 season as the club’s third-ranked prospect, Turang has been one of the Midwest League’s best players this season, becoming one of three position player All-Stars on the team’s roster and currently sitting second in the league in hits (67) and on-base percentage (.404), fifth in batting average (.307) and tied for 6th in steals (14) as of June 8th.
He has struggled in the field at times, however, with 6 errors at shortstop in 29 games in that spot, so time will tell how things develop in that department. A potential candidate to be promoted to Carolina during the 2019 season if he continues to do well, there is also a good chance that they could wait until next season to do so considering his age, as they did with Hiura going into 2018.
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Regardless of what decisions may or may not be made by those actually in charge in Milwaukee, baseball fans could expect to see both of these exciting young bats finding their way into the Milwaukee Brewers’ lineup in the near future.