Keston Hiura

Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.
• School University of California, Irvine
• High School Valencia (CA) High School
• Debut May 14, 2019

• Born August 2, 1996 in Valencia, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Second baseman Keston Hiura was selected 9th overall in the 2017 amateur draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, out of the University of California, Irvine. He had been a member of the United States collegiate national team following his sophomore season in 2016. However, he had been restricted to playing DH his last two college seasons because of an elbow problem, but the Brewers were convinced that it would not be an issue going forward after he had treated the injury with platelet-rich plasma injections, the procedure that had worked wonders for ageless pitcher Bartolo Colon.

He began his pro career in 2017 with the AZL Brewers but was promoted to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League after just 15 games. Between the two stops, he hit .371/.422/.611 in 42 games. He did play 3 games in the field. That earned him an invitation to spring training with the big league club in 2018 where he got to see some Cactus League action even if there was no plan to have him play in the majors in the immediate. He was ranked the #47 prospect by Baseball America and the top one on the Brewers, a sign that his career was off to a good start.

He was named to the United States team for the 2018 Futures Game. He split the season between the Carolina Mudcats of the Carolina League and the Biloxi Shuckers of the Southern League. He hit a combined .293/.357/.464 with 34 doubles, 13 homers, 74 runs and 43 RBIs in 123 games. He followed that by being named MVP of the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .323 with 33 RBIs in 23 games.

After starting the 2019 season in the minors, he was called up to Milwaukee on May 14th and made his debut that day, going 2 for 3 in a 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the National League Rookie of the Month in July when he hit .355 with 6 homers, 17 runs and 18 RBIs in 25 games. After a brief slump in the first week of August, he was back at it on August 7th as he hit a pair of homers and a double to lead the Brew Crew to an 8-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates; his 10 total bases were the most ever by a Brewers rookie. It was the first multiple-homer game if his career.

He is of mixed Japanese and Chinese descent.

Notable Achievements

• 2019 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Further Reading

• William Boor: "Brewers' hitting machine Hiura named AFL MVP", mlb.com, November 17, 2018. [1]

Related Sites

• Keston Hiura on mlb.com
• BR Minors page