Keston Hiura

[liveforoctober]

Early returns are probably as good as we could have hoped. Through his first 7 games he is 14-29 (.483) with a .529 OBP. 1 HR, 3 3b, 2 2b, 11 RBI, 1.391 OPS. Struck out 7 times, only 2 walks.

 

If his bat is as advanced as reported … could he skip Helena and head straight to Appleton before the season is over? How much do we challenge him in his first half season with us?

 

Matt Erickson was a middle infielder obviously and would be a great mentor for him defensively up in Appleton.

[MrTPlush]

He is only in Arizona to work on his arm. He will definitely skip Helena and will likely skip Wisconsin if he stays in Arizona all 2017. I am not sure how long he is supposed to work on his arm in Arizona.

[liveforoctober]

When you say ‘work on his arm’ are you referring to rehabbing his injury or do you mean actually work on his defensive throwing ability?

 

If the latter is the case, wouldn’t you want him with Erickson up in Appleton immediately? Also, forgive me for being naïve, do we know who our instructors/coaches are in rookie ball? Curious to know their backgrounds.

[MrTPlush]

He is rehabbing the injury. He just started actually throwing when he went to Arizona. I'm not sure the process of an offensive player coming back from the injury he had or how long it takes. Also not sure who exactly he works with down there. At this point he is probably just throwing the ball and not practicing in the field. The only reason I know he is throwing is because Hiura mentioned it on his Twitter so might be able to check there for later updates.

[liveforoctober]

Nice. Thanks for that tip.

 

Can anyone else answer the instructor question? I’m curious. My cousin was drafted by the Padres this year and he is in their rookie league now (he actually faced Hiura last week) and he is working with Mark Prior down at the Padres’ facilities. That raised my eyebrows a bit because that isn’t a bad guy to be working with and I’m curious who the Brewers have down there working with their kids? Anyone?

[Boomer5]

This is how a high draft pick is supposed to perform.

 

I'm so tired of seeing our big guys struggle and the excuses come in post after post.

 

This is very exciting to see. Now where does he play?

[MrTPlush]

This is how a high draft pick is supposed to perform.

 

Well when a college bat goes and hits at low-rookie ball mostly filled with recent high school graduates I am not sure it means all that much. Corey Ray immediately went to High-A ball.

 

Hiura is a beast though. Best bat speed by a Brewers' prospect since Rickie Weeks. Don't think it will take him too long to be ready. Which is good because Villar is still completely lost.

[Greenleaf1]

Basically Hiura would be a disappointment if he wasn't destroying Arizona rookie ball, but I think I would've been happy if he was hitting like .350 so obviously he's shown his skills down there so far at the plate.

 

Hoping the throwing program is going well, obviously they're just keeping him sharp by letting him DH down there because he isn't even playing every day. More or less just want him to not have an extended absence before heading up to Appleton in mid August. He'll only get a few weeks in Appleton I'm guessing but if it's a productive few weeks and he's feeling good it wouldn't surprise me to see him in Carolina to start 2018 (although that would be unlikely if Diaz has to repeat there).

 

I'm liking the 2B depth we have in the system right now with Dubon/Diaz/Hiura giving us 3 top 10 prospects at that position spread out throughout the minors.

[82brewcrew82]

This is how a high draft pick is supposed to perform.

 

I'm so tired of seeing our big guys struggle and the excuses come in post after post.

 

This is very exciting to see. Now where does he play?

 

Hirua was one of, if not the, best bat(s) in college last year. I'd be very, very worried if he were not destroying low level rookie ball.

 

I'm so tired of blanket evaluations of player development based on nothing more than a stat line while giving zero consideration to context. Post after post assuming a linear development path for every prospect, it's just amazing.

 

He plays second, there has never been any question about where is going to play.

[Humans Need Water]

This is how a high draft pick is supposed to perform.

 

I'm so tired of seeing our big guys struggle and the excuses come in post after post.

 

This is very exciting to see. Now where does he play?

"excuses"? Yikes. Hiura turns 21 in less than a month and is currently at the lowest level of professional baseball in the US. Put Ray, Erceg, Diaz, Clark, etc in Maryvale at the age of 21 and they'd be killing it as well. Instead they're playing 3 levels higher (Clark being one month younger than Hiura and Diaz 9 months older).

 

Hiura's playing 2b. That's the only position he's going to play. He's on a throwing program right now to get his arm up to speed and strengthened - one of my buddies said it was a 6 week program but I personally haven't seen or read the time frame because I don't really care. There's no doubt he's also participating in fielding drills. One doesn't need to throw to do that and it makes zero sense that he's not fielding at all given he'll actually be playing the field over his career. As long as his arm is fine I could see Stearns sending him to AZFL to mix in time between 2b and DH. Starting next year, barring any arm setbacks, he's going to fly through the system because his bat is currently the best in the system

[3and2Fastball]

I actually think Hiura will be a better overall hitter than Ryan Braun in terms of higher BA/OBP but less SLG. I think his trek through the minors will be similar to Braun:

 

Braun was drafted in '05, spent '05 in Rookie Ball & A Ball. '06 was A+ and AA, '07 was AAA and a callup to MLB

 

That'd put Hiura in A+ and AA in 2018, and getting called up to MLB in May or so of 2019. I think he is that good. Similar to Braun, he may not be an IF and could end up in LF. Who cares? The kid can rake

[Austin Tatious]

I'd expect Hiura to perform at a level comparable to his peers, i.e., top ten picks who were advanced college bats from the last couple of years. Ian Happ, Bregman, Swanson, Benintendi from 2015 got to the majors by 2017. Ray is in A+ ball one year after being drafted and will need to improve dramatically to be a major leaguer by 2018 and be on that pace. Senzel from 2016 is doing quite well and got bumped to AA where he does not look overmatched.

 

Unlike Ray, I will be surprised if Hiura does not come through and be a MLB player two years after being drafted, i.e., by 2019. The one glitch would be if he has a major arm surgery that sets him back.

[Eye Black]

Of the first round draft picks the Brewers have made over the past several years, Keston Hiura is my favorite by a comfortable margin. Like with any high selection the potential to disappoint relative to draft expectations is fairly high. Still, Hiura appears to possess the ingredients to become a very good professional hitter. Some of those abilities include overall approach, bat speed, hit/contact tool, gap power and ability to elevate, etc. It isn't all that difficult to picture Hiura's bat being special as a professional. I won't put any timeline on how fast or slow his progression through the system may be, but I hope he ultimately develops into a cornerstone bat for a Brewers team that becomes a perennial playoff contender.

[jerichoholicninja]

Who would you compare his offensive ceiling to? Ian Kinsler? Really good at everything but not great at anything.

[madbad2000]

I really like the Hiura pick as it kind of surprised me, but when looking further than the surface I see a really solid ballplayer that just looks like a Major Leaguer. The last time I had that feeling was with Kolton Wong. I had the pleasure of seeing him play at the University of Hawaii and he just stood out as far and away the best player on the field. Different look to his approach, different sound to his hits, just an MLB player. From watching Hiura, it seems like he has an even better bat and hopefully he sticks at 2B. That is a huge asset to have with an offensively capable middle infielder.

[Greenleaf1]

If Hiura turned out to be as good as Ian Kinsler that would be pretty dang fantastic.

 

Still can't believe the Rangers traded him for Fielder.

[3and2Fastball]

Who would you compare his offensive ceiling to?

 

A right hand hitting Wade Boggs. High BA, high OBP, doubles power. That is the ceiling.

[nate82]

Who would you compare his offensive ceiling to?

 

A right hand hitting Wade Boggs. High BA, high OBP, doubles power. That is the ceiling.

 

I think Jose Altuve is a better comp than Boggs.

[Eye Black]

Who would you compare his offensive ceiling to?

 

A right hand hitting Wade Boggs. High BA, high OBP, doubles power. That is the ceiling.

 

I think Jose Altuve is a better comp than Boggs.

Well if you combine the credentials of a HOFer and an Astros All-Star second baseman, then just throw in a pre-swing leg kick and you could have a slower version of Craig Biggio. Seems like that would be a pretty good ceiling for Hiura. It is fun to dream on what could be even if reality is likely to get in the way at some point.

[clancyphile]

I wonder if Hiura could play shortstop or third... I'd like to see if he could fit across the field.

[paul253]

It sounds like he can barely play second. I think SS is definitely out and I doubt he has the arm for third.

[MrTPlush]

I wonder if Hiura could play shortstop or third... I'd like to see if he could fit across the field.

 

No...just no.

[nate82]

I wonder if Hiura could play shortstop or third... I'd like to see if he could fit across the field.

 

No, he doesn't have the arm strength to play at shortstop or third.

[CheezWizHed]

[sarcasm]If Braun could play third, I'm sure Hiura could handle it.[/sarcasm]

[And That]

It is overstating it to say that Hiura is just adequate for second. He is at least an average defender there. He's not a bottom tier athlete attempting to hack it in the field.