Keston Hiura

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #1 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Brewers considered Hiura the top college hitter in the 2017 draft and did not hesitate to take him with the ninth overall pick, despite a problematic elbow that relegated him to DH as a junior at UC Irvine. He signed for a below-slot $4 million and was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona League to undergo a throwing program. The Brewers' confidence in Hiura's offensive ability has already been rewarded. He soared from high Class A to Double-A in his first full season and earned a Futures Game selection in 2018. Hiura's elbow also held up and allowed him to play second base regularly starting in June, easing fears that he might need Tommy John surgery. To work further on his defense, he was assigned to the Arizona Fall League, where he continued to open eyes with his offensive prowess. Including an impressive stint at big league camp in 2018, Hiura has exuded confidence in his ability to hit, and it's easy to see why. The Brewers have not had a hitter with this kind of upside since Ryan Braun, the fifth overall pick in 2005.
  
  Scouting Report: Hiura has a compact, powerful stroke with tremendous bat speed and the hand-eye coordination to barrel pitches consistently. With so few moving parts in his swing, he should be able to avoid long droughts. Though not a power hitter per se, he has explosive hands and enough pop to project to be above-average in that department, with an approach of hitting to all fields. Hiura projects to hit for a high average with good power for the position. Though not a threat to steal bases, he is an average runner and shows good instincts and awareness on the basepaths and has shown the ability to take a bag when opponents aren't paying attention. Hiura merely will have to hold his own in the field, where he has shown improvement since turning pro, with decent footwork and range. His calling card is his bat, and it's a good one.
  
  The Future: It's up to the Brewers to decide whether to push Hiura to Triple-A to begin 2019, or with an in-season promotion. One thing is certain: Hiura will be the Brewers' starting second baseman and middle-of-the-order hitter sometime in the near future. Teams already have tried to pry Hiura away in trade proposals, but the Brewers have no intention of trading a young hitter with this kind of potential.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #4 prospect in 2018
  The Brewers selected Hiura ninth overall in 2017 despite the fact he didn't play an inning in the field as a college junior. A partial tear in his right elbow limited him to DH. One of the most productive college hitters of recent memory, he led Division I with a .442 average and signed for a below-slot $4 million. Hiura completed a throwing program while in the Rookie-level Arizona League, then hit .333 at low Class A Wisconsin following a promotion. Hiura has a short, powerful stroke with tremendous bat speed and a good feel for the zone. He has explosive, strong hands with raw power that projects to be above-average. He will hit for average and show power to all fields. He is an average runner albeit not a basestealer. He played the outfield and second base in college, and some evaluators think he is destined for left field. The Brewers plan to give Hiura every chance to play second base, and barring any future elbow issues, he has the arm strength to play the position. Hiura was throwing without problems by instructional league, and his advanced hitting ability should put him on the fast track to Milwaukee. He may begin 2018 at high Class A Carolina, but has a chance to go straight to Double-A.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #14 prospect in 2017 draft
  Hiura will be one of the toughest calls in the draft, as one of the top college bats available with projection needed for his defense and future position. Offensively, Hiura has few peers in college, as he hit 14 homers as a prep senior in Southern California's strong Foothill League, then hit his way onto USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team with two strong seasons to begin his career at UC Irvine. He was one of Team USA's top hitters while playing DH last summer, then ranked among national leaders in batting, walks, on-base and slugging percentage through early May this spring. At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Hiura has a compact swing path, present strength and plus bat speed. Combine that with a feel for the barrel and excellent strike-zone judgment, and Hiura was producing as much hard contact as any hitter in the country. Scouts who like him grade him as a plus hitter with plus power, while others see him above-average (55 on the 20-80 scouting scale) rather than a true plus (60). Hiura has an elbow injury that has kept him from playing in the field since April 2016, and while he had a platelet-rich plasma injection in January that had his arm feeling better, he has not thrown this spring, though he usually takes ground balls in pregame. An average runner who played center and left field in his first two years, Hiura could be an outfielder and could be a second baseman, but most teams believe he's having elbow surgery as soon as he signs.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #2 prospect in 2019
  Hiura played in the PCL’s most pitcher-friendly park in San Antonio and raked. He earned his first big league callup in May and returned to the majors for good in June. Hiura remains a premium hitter with his balanced swing, easy, all-fields power and quick adjustments. He ranked fifth in OPS (1.088) at the time of his second callup. Even with below-average defense and arm strength at second base, his bat makes him a potential All-Star. "The ball really comes off his bat,” Tacoma manager Daren Brown said. "He didn’t swing at a whole lot of bad pitches and if he swung at one, he didn’t swing at it again.”
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #4 prospect in 2018
  Hiura hit .320 while hitting the ball as consistently and as hard as almost anybody in the Carolina League, but the most encouraging aspect of his 2018 season was the fact that he returned to second base. An elbow injury to his throwing arm had forced him to spend almost all of 2017 as a designated hitter. He returned to DH to start the season with Carolina, but he returned to the field in early May, alternating between second and DH for the rest of his time in the league. For the few who saw him at second in his brief time there for Carolina, Hiura looked fine. He projects as an average defender, which will be fine if he hits like he’s expected to hit. Hiura catches up to most any fastball and drives the ball. His approach is geared to driving line drives to all fields, although his average power means some of those balls do clear the fence in left or right field.
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  Ranked Southern League #2 prospect in 2018
  The most accomplished college hitter in his draft class, Hiura lasted until the ninth pick because he had a partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow. The injury limited him to mostly DH duty in the first half of 2018 at high Class A Carolina, but following a promotion to the SL he made all but nine of his appearances at second base. At the two levels he hit .293/.357/.464 with 13 home runs in 123 games. Hiura carries himself like a big leaguer, and he will fulfill that prophecy with the way the ball carries off his bat. With a compact swing and solid hitting base, he drives the ball with power to all fields and hit more home runs (seven) to the opposite field than to his pull side this season. Hiura’s disciplined, middle-of-the-field approach ensures he will hit for a high average and rack up extra-base hits. While not flashy in the field, Hiura makes the routine play at second base with average range and enough arm to turn double plays.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #5 prospect in 2018
  One of the top bats in the 2017 draft, Hiura made it to the AFL at the end of his first full professional season, and his outstanding fall earned him the league’s MVP award. Hiura led all hitters with 33 RBIs, posting a .323/.371/.563 slash line with five home runs while showing improved defense at second base for the AFL champion Peoria Javelinas.

  Hiura stands out for his feel for the barrel and his potential plus power. There’s still a lot of swing-and-miss concerns, as he fanned 28 times in 96 at-bats, and it’s a pull-heavy approach, but the swing works and he usually stays short to the ball. After an elbow injury in college that limited him to a DH role early in his pro career, Hiura should be an average defender at second base in time. He makes up for a below-average arm with accuracy and a quick release.

• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #4 prospect in 2017
  A premier college hitter like Hiura wouldn't normally spend much time in the AZL, but he stayed at the Brewers minor league complex to take part in a throwing program to help his rehab from an elbow injury that limited him to a DH role during his junior season at UC Irvine. Hiura showed the explosive, strong hands, a compact bat path and plus-plus bat speed that made him arguably the top hitter in the 2017 draft class. He hit equally well after a mid-July promotion to low Class A Wisconsin. Hiura is a polished hitter with a good knowledge of the strike zone. His raw power grades as at least above-average, and he projects to get even stronger. He's an average runner but stealing bases is not expected to be part of his game. An outfielder and second baseman in college, Hiura's future position will be determined once his elbow is healthy.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #17 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #47 prospect in 2018

• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Hiura played in the PCL’s most pitcher-friendly park in San Antonio and raked. He earned his first big league callup in May and returned to the majors for good in June. Hiura remains a premium hitter with his balanced swing, easy, all-fields power and quick adjustments. He ranked fifth in OPS (1.088) at the time of his second callup. Even with below-average defense and arm strength at second base, his bat makes him a potential All-Star. "The ball really comes off his bat,” Tacoma manager Daren Brown said. "He didn’t swing at a whole lot of bad pitches and if he swung at one, he didn’t swing at it again.”
• August, 2018 Scouting Report
  One of the top bats in the 2017 draft, Hiura made it to the AFL at the end of his first full professional season, and his outstanding fall earned him the league’s MVP award. Hiura led all hitters with 33 RBIs, posting a .323/.371/.563 slash line with five home runs while showing improved defense at second base for the AFL champion Peoria Javelinas.

  Hiura stands out for his feel for the barrel and his potential plus power. There’s still a lot of swing-and-miss concerns, as he fanned 28 times in 96 at-bats, and it’s a pull-heavy approach, but the swing works and he usually stays short to the ball. After an elbow injury in college that limited him to a DH role early in his pro career, Hiura should be an average defender at second base in time. He makes up for a below-average arm with accuracy and a quick release.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  When the Brewers selected Hiura ninth overall in the 2017 draft out of UC-Irvine, they considered him an advanced hitter who might move through their system quickly. After getting off to a strong start at Class A Carolina (.911 OPS in 50 games), the compact right-handed hitter was promoted to Biloxi, where he continued to torment pitchers. The only question from the outset was whether Hiura’s throwing elbow would stay healthy enough to allow him to continue playing in the field. A partial UCL tear confined Hiura to DH duties as a college junior but the Brewers loved his bat so much they drafted him with the understanding he would have to come along slowly at second base. The current focus is getting him as much action in the field as possible while assuring his elbow can handle it. He’s been playing second base regularly since late May and has handled the heavier workload.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Brewers selected Hiura ninth overall in 2017 despite the fact he didn't play an inning in the field as a college junior. A partial tear in his right elbow limited him to DH. One of the most productive college hitters of recent memory, he led Division I with a .442 average and signed for a below-slot $4 million. Hiura completed a throwing program while in the Rookie-level Arizona League, then hit .333 at low Class A Wisconsin following a promotion. Scouting Report: Hiura has a short, powerful stroke with tremendous bat speed and a good feel for the strike zone. He has explosive, strong hands with raw power that projects to be above-average. He will hit for average and show power to all fields. He is an average runner albeit not a basestealer. He played the outfield and second base in college, and some evaluators think he is destined for left field. The Brewers plan to give Hiura every chance to play second base, and barring any future elbow issues, he certainly has the arm strength to play the position. The Future: Hiura was throwing without problems by instructional league, and his advanced hitting ability should put him on the fast track to Milwaukee.