Fastball

Former Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospect Elects Free Agency, Seeks Another Chance

Keston Hiura was supposed to be a pillar for the Milwaukee Brewers just a few years ago, now, he's looking for another opportunity.

Brady Farkas

Josh Rojas #4 of the Seattle Mariners is caught stealing on tag by Keston Hiura #13 of the Los Angeles Angels in the second inning at Angel Stadium on July 13.
Josh Rojas #4 of the Seattle Mariners is caught stealing on tag by Keston Hiura #13 of the Los Angeles Angels in the second inning at Angel Stadium on July 13. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Former top prospect Keston Hiura is back on the market after electing free agency this week.

He is one of 11 new free agents from the minor league ranks. He'll look for another new opportunity as he seeks to get his career back on track.

Hiura split this season mostly between the Triple-A affiliates of the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels. After signing with the Tigers late in the offseason, he almost made the Opening Day roster but was sent down and hit .232 in 49 games. After being let go, he caught fire with the Angels system. In Salt Lake, he hit .354 over 37 games. He also had 20 homers in those 37 games. Though he was called up to the Angels for a cup of coffee, he hit just .148 in 27 at-bats.

Hiura was let go by the Brewers at the outset of last offseason, which was a disappointing end to his tenure in the organization. He was at one point ranked the No. 20 overall prospect in baseball (2019) by MLB.com.

He appeared in games each year for the Brewers from 2019-2022 before being outrighted off the 40-man roster for 2023.

Unfortunately, he regressed nearly every year of his big league tenure. He came up in 2019, playing in 84 games and popping 19 home runs. In the COVID 2020 season, he hit 13 home runs in 59 games. Then in 2021, his offense cratered: He hit four home runs in 61 games and struggled to a .168 batting average. In 2022, he played in 80 games and hit 14 homers, but still batted just .226.

The strikeout has always been a major problem for Hiura. He led baseball in strikeouts during the COVID year, fanning 85 times in just the 60-game season.

He had a very productive year in the minors in 2023 as well, playing in 88 total minor league games. He batted .311 with 23 homers and 79 RBI. He still struck out 91 times in 88 games but he did post a .397 on-base percentage.

Still just the age of 28, there's a chance that Hiura can continue to unlock things as he moves forward.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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