Notes: Brewers prospect Keston Hiura makes successful debut in first big-league camp
TEMPE, ARIZ. – One down, plenty more to go.
Keston Hiura, the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2017 first-round draft pick, notched his first major-league appearance Friday when he made a start at designated hitter against the San Francisco Giants in the team’s split-squad opener.
Hiura wasted no time getting in the hit column, going 2 for 3 with a run batted in and a walk, helping the Brewers to a 6-5 victory.
“It was a great day,” said Hiura, who was called out on strikes in his first at-bat and then singled twice before closing his outing with a walk. His second single pulled Milwaukee to within 4-3 of San Francisco in the fifth.
“I was looking forward to that day for a while when I found out I was going to big-league camp. Once it was finally here, I found out I was DHing in the five-hole. I’ve had some DH experience in my past, unfortunately, so it wasn’t anything new."
BOX SCORE:Angels 6, Brewers 5
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Hiura doesn’t have anything against DHs, per se. He was referring to the games he was forced to play the position over the previous two seasons while dealing with an injured right elbow that kept him from playing his natural position at second base.
Some believed the Brewers rolled the dice by selecting Hiura so high because of the injury, but he was able to avoid surgery. A platelet rich plasma injection before the draft helped speed the healing process.
After he signed in late June, Hiura DHed for the Arizona Rookie League Brewers and later at Class A Wisconsin to great success. He opened his professional career with a 10-game hitting streak while batting .405 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in, then went on to hit in 37 of his first 42 games split between the two affiliates.
Hiura hit .371 overall with four homers and 33 RBI with an OPS of 1.033. He was cleared to play three games at second base later in the season, then finished the year on the disabled list after straining his left hamstring.
“Getting the PRP shot was definitely helpful," he said. "Not trying to rush back into it and just giving time to let the arm heal was big for me. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t do that.”
Hiura, 21, is considered one of the Brewers’ top prospects in their reshuffled minor-league system. With his advanced hitting ability and no entrenched starter at second base at the major-league level, he could find himself on the fast track.
“I think ‘prodigy' is a weighty word that I wouldn't drop on him — you have to prove that — but he's certainly an advanced hitter,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It's easy to see, when you watch him hit. There's a reason why people have given him those labels.
“He's got a gift for hitting the baseball and that will take you a long way in this game.”
Over his health struggles for now, Hiura is looking to make the most of his first major-league camp and to carry that momentum into a successful first full professional season.
“I’m a big go-with-the-flow kind of guy; whatever happens, happens," he said. "Everything has seemed to work out and I’m just glad to be here today.
“I understand how tough it is to be able to play every game, so keeping the body healthy and right is kind of my main goal right now.”
Hiura replaced Jonathan Villar at second base Saturday against the Angels and struck out in both of his at-bats.
Ohtani debut: The Brewers became the first team to face Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani, the two-way player who started for the Angels. Ohtani went 1 1/3 innings, allowing a lead-off double by Villar in the first inning and a lead-off homer by Keon Broxton in the second.
One of the two runs allowed by Ohtani was unearned during his 31-pitch outing. He recorded two strikeouts in the first, getting Nate Orf swinging and Brett Phillips looking.
Afterward, the Brewers’ scouting report on Ohtani was that his fastball was straight — Villar’s double and Broxton’s homer came on that pitch — but he had a good splitter and decent curveball.
“I think he’s got great stuff,” Broxton said. “He has the ability to be a major-league baseball player, for sure. He’s got good stuff. I only saw fastballs (in his at-bat) but from the breaking balls I saw earlier, it looked pretty good.
“In spring training, it’s hard to get a good judge on how the guy is feeling or if all of his stuff is locked in. I think there’s definitely more there; he’s going to improve. All in all, he’s got a good arm, nice and easy release."
Phillips fouled off a fastball and said he heard Ohtani say, "Ooooh." After that, no more fastballs.
“Then he threw me what we like to call the ‘kitchen sink,’ ” Phillips said. “He threw me the curveball, which was really good, then two splitters. One I let go for strike three.
“Fastball, he might have to locate a little better, just because today it was a little flatter. Off-speed, looked really good. He definitely has a chance to be really good. His splitter is really good. You can tell that’s what he goes to, to strike guys out. That’s what he did to me.”
Working in slowly: The established relievers in the Brewers’ bullpen won’t be seeing action for another few days, according to Counsell. Relievers don’t need as many innings of work as starters to get ready for the season, so there is no rush to get them in game action.
“We’re taking our time with those guys,” Counsell said. “Their game action is backed up until the middle of next week.
“Most of them say nine or 10 appearances is what they need. If you go every third day for a couple times, then every other day ... you get there pretty fast. We choose to go slow with them at the start."
Corey Knebel, who began the 2017 season as a setup man and took over as closer when Neftali Féliz flamed out, pitched 76 innings over 76 outings, by far the most of his career, majors or minors. But Counsell said that has no bearing on how Knebel will be used in exhibition play.
“You work backward from opening day,” he said. “Then, you figure out what you need. For the pitchers on the team, you’re always kind of working backward.”