Hiura huge in Brewers’ victory
Even Atlanta’s manager is impressed after rookie gets eight hits in series.
After seeing Keston Hiura all over the bases in all three games between his Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers, Braves manager Brian Snitker can be counted as a true believer in the young hitting phenom.
“Geez, he’s one of those young kids I’ve seen in this league that they’re making busts for the Hall of Fame,” Snitker said Wednesday afternoon after seeing Hiura double twice, drive in a run and score another from the cleanup spot in the Brewers’ 5-4 victory at Miller Park.
“My gosh, that kid can really hit. I know our people liked him when he came out. His timing and how he get gets ready – he’s a good-looking player. You can tell he’s a hitter.
“He’s a hitter and he’s a goodlooking player.”
Indeed he is.
In the major leagues to stay after a 17-game initial visit in May and early June whetted fans’ appetites, the 22year-old Hiura was the offensive catalyst in a series against the National League East-leading Braves that the Brewers just had to have.
Hiura finished just a home run shy of the cycle in Monday’s game, homered in his first at-bat Tuesday en route to three hits and five times on base and then added the pair of two-baggers in the finale.
The sum total of his damage? Eight hits in 11 at-bats, three doubles, a triple, a homer, four RBI, four runs scored and three walks (one intentional).
“What a series,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Wow, just driving the ball, hard contact. The ability to hit the ball past the outfielders consistently.
“It was a special three games, man. it was fun to watch.”
That performance bumped up his season totals to a .323 average and .992 OPS – numbers that rank second among Brewers regulars to only reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich – with nine homers and 19 RBI over 33 games.
His defense at second base has been slightly below average according to the metrics, but with what he
provides offensively it’s a tradeoff well worth making.
“He’s got a really short swing, but I think it’s more of him just being a really good hitter, and really good hitters get locked in and they can rattle off a bunch in a row,” Yelich said
“That was big for us. He had a huge series. He’s really talented and I think he’s starting to get acclimated to the big leagues and how they’re going to attack him, and he’s done a great job so far.”
Originally promoted to the major leagues on May 14 in Philadelphia after Travis Shaw was sent to the injured list with a wrist injury, Hiura lined a single off the backside of Jerad Eickhoff in his first at-bat.
By the time he was sent back to Class AAA San Antonio – amid the objections of most Brewers fans – Hiura had logged a .281 average with five homers and nine RBI. He kept up his onslaught for almost a month before being called back up June 28 in the wake of Shaw’s demotion and was installed as the regular second baseman.
Things didn’t go quite so great initially, as he hit .212 with a solo homer in his first nine games. Then Hiura collided with shortstop Orlando Arcia late in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at
Keston Hiura smiles at Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson after hitting a double in the sixth inning Wednesday.
PNC Park.
But he was back in the lineup the next day and hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning. Hiura has logged five multiple-hit games in Milwaukee’s six games since, becoming arguably the team’s most reliable offensive performer over that span.
“Not necessarily pressing. I just knew what I was capable of doing,” Hiura said in referring to that initial stretch. “It was kind of more I was going out of my game plan and trying to do a little too much. I think just being able to realize that kind of clicked in my head.
“When you play at the highest level, facing aces every single day, guys who have been around in the big leagues forever, they know how to pitch to everyone, know how to execute. Being able to understand that and not conform to their plan, that’s the biggest adjustment.”
And Hiura’s ability to adjust on the fly to how he’s being pitched, despite his relative inexperience, is what’s struck Counsell the most to this point.
“I don’t think think there was any question – you guys talked about it – the guy can hit,” he said.
“The big leagues are a difficult league and there generally are adjustments to breaking into the league. He’s made them very quickly and that’s the sign of a really good player – in the future and right now.”
Hiura’s first homer came against the Braves in May at SunTrust Park, and his first double Wednesday came off Keuchel to stretch the Brewers’ lead to 3-0. In six total games, he lit up Atlanta pitching with a .522 average that included six extra-base hits.
“He’s been taking advantage of a lot of mistake pitches and that’s what good big-league hitters do,” said Keuchel, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 2015.
“He torched us this season but hopefully when we play against him next time, we’ll have a better idea of how to attack him. He’s a good hitter and he’s good for that lineup, too.”
The Brewers are going to need Hiura to keep it up, too, as they enter the most critical two weeks of their season to date with president of baseball operations David Stearns mulling whether to buy or sell with the trade deadline looming.
“I think the guy was just born to hit,” Lorenzo Cain said. “He flat-out has a great swing. He just rakes.”