Hiura could form star duo with Yelich
Christian Yelich has been otherworldly offensively since the Brewers acquired him from Miami in January 2018, particularly since the all-star break last season. And there's no indication that is going to change anytime soon.
But, do the Brewers have another offensive star in the making with Keston Hiura? The early signs have the arrows headed in that direction.
Yes, there is real danger in anointing any young player as a future superstar so early in his major-league career. Entering the Brewers' series finale Sunday against the Chicago Cubs at Miller Park, Hiura had played in only 42 games, with 173 plate appearances.
But what a start it has been. Hiura was riding a 15-game hitting streak, tied for second-longest ever for a Brewers rookie, and was batting .458 with five home runs and 17 runs batted in during that stretch.
Since July 12, Hiura was batting .473 (26 for 55), the highest average in the major leagues. Overall, he was batting .333 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, .399 onbase percentage and 1.034 OPS.
“The kid can really hit,” Brewers centerfielder Lorenzo Cain said Sunday. “He just has it. He's very consistent with his timing. Overall, just a damn good hitter. He's fun to watch. I'm glad he's swinging the bat as he has been because we really needed it. Hopefully, we can keep it going."
Yelich and Hiura formed a devastating 1-2 punch in the 10th inning Saturday night as the Brewers pulled out an electric 5-3 victory over the Cubs. Yelich tied the game with an opposite-field, leadoff home run off new closer Craig Kimbrel, and two batters later, Hiura lined an opposite-field shot out to right for a two-run homer that decided the game.
“We just expect that from ‘Yeli,'” Cain said with a smile of the reigning NL MVP, who already has matched his 2018 total with 36 home runs. “It doesn't even faze us anymore. We just expect him to hit home runs and get a hit every time we need it.
“(Hiura) has a lot of power to the opposite side. That's one thing I notice in his BP. He hits the ball out to center, right, all over the park. That's really good to see in a young hitter, power to all fields. All he has to do is keep being consistent, like he has been, and he'll be just fine.
“When I'm long gone, those two guys will still be doing it.”
The idea of having Yelich and Hiura in the same lineup for years to come certainly is enticing. The Brewers have control of Yelich's contract for three more seasons.
Asked what the future might hold for Hiura, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2017 out of UC-Irvine, manager Craig Counsell said, “Look, his bigleague career is off to a special start. I think there's talent that's undeniable. I think the amazing thing for us is just been how fast the adjustments are getting made. It's interesting, that was somewhat of the narrative from the player-development folks – that adjustments will be made really quickly.
“That's what you'll see from Keston. So the dry spells don't last because he just knows himself. Then he's got a really good swing, period, but he figures things out really fast, makes adjustments very quickly. And that's what we've seen. Great talent and the ability to make adjustments.”
Brewers hitting coach Andy Haines managed Yelich at the outset of his professional career in Miami's farm system and knows him as well as any coach could know a hitter. But he's learning as he goes with Hiura after seeing him in action for the first time this year.
“The one thing that's been impressive about him is there hasn't been one method to his success,” Haines said of Hiura. “To watch him use the whole field, you feel so good about his at-bats when he's up there. There's not one inkling of ‘this is a young guy settling into the big leagues.' When he steps in the box, you feel this is going to be a good at-bat and he's going to make it really tough on (the pitcher).
“It was impressive (Saturday night). That's Craig Kimbrel out there and to see the ball struck that way was impressive. We're thrilled for him. He just keeps on impressing us. People talk about the pure hitter he is and the confidence we had in him, selecting him in the first round of the draft.
“You can see during an at-bat he has a good motor. The game doesn't speed up on him. He stays in the at-bat. And it's just a little taste of what we've seen all year. He is fun to watch.”