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    Home»Sports»Brewers»Keston Hiura: The First Baseman the Brewers Have Waited For
    Brewers

    Keston Hiura: The First Baseman the Brewers Have Waited For

    Robin AdamsBy Robin AdamsFebruary 6, 2021Updated:February 6, 2021No Comments3 Mins Read
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    Earlier this offseason, I wrote about the Brewers’ revolving door at first base.  Every since the departure of Prince Fielder, the Brewers have had a different first baseman starting on Opening Day in each season.  Keston Hiura, of course, broke into the Majors as a second baseman.  However, with the signing of Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong, the Brewers will be moving Hiura to first base.  Entering his age 24 season and under club control for the next several years, Keston Hiura may very well be the answer the Brewers have been searching for at first base.

    The Brewers have had a new Opening Day 1B every year since Prince Fielder left after 2011:

    2012: Mat Gamel
    2013: Alex Gonzalez
    2014: Lyle Overbay
    2015: Adam Lind
    2016: Chris Carter
    2017: Eric Thames
    2018: Ryan Braun
    2019: Jesus Aguilar
    2020: Justin Smoak
    2021: Keston Hiura?

    — Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) February 5, 2021

    Keston Hiura’s Career Thus Far

    Image result for keston hiura

    Keston Hiura slugged his way into the hearts of Brewers’ fans when he made his Major League debut in 2019.  That year, be played 84 games, hitting .303/.368/.570 with 19 home runs and 49 RBI.  Of course, Hiura and many other players struggled in 2020, and his slashline took a dive.  Last season, he hit just .212/.297/.410 with 13 home runs and 32 RBI.

    The major weakness in Hiura’s offensive game is his penchant for strikeouts.  In 2019, he struck out 107 times in 84 games.  Last year, Hiura led the NL in strikeouts, striking out 85 times in 59 games.

    Offensively, Hiura Makes Sense at First Base

    Image result for keston hiura

     

    When all of these numbers are taken into consideration, Hiura’s offensive production is on par with that of a very productive first baseman.  Hiura has played a total of 143 games, a reasonable number of games played for any starting first baseman.  His two-season slashline is .266/.338/.505 with 32 home runs and 81 RBI.  This is good for a 162-game pace of 36 home runs and 92 RBI.

    [pickup_prop id=”4759″]

    First base is typically a position of power, and given Hiura’s production in what would be a typical amount of games played in a full season, he certainly fits the bill.  Unfortunately, his strikeout pace is troubling, with 192 punchouts already, on pace for 218 in 162 games.  That being said, Hiura’s bat is what got him to the Majors, and his ability to mash the ball outweighs his strikeout problem (for now).

    Can Hiura Even Play First Base?

    As many fans have indicated on social media, it is hard to imagine Hiura being a worse first baseman than he was a second baseman.  Hiura has not played first base before, though, so there will be a learning curve early on.

    Some fans jokingly ask if Hiura is even tall enough to play first base.  It’s a foolish question, really.  You see, Keston Hiura is an even six feet tall.  Prince Fielder is five foot-eleven, as is Eric Thames.  In any case, if he struggles at all at first base, it won’t be because of his height.

    Keston Hiura himself, though, seems to believe that he can play first and do well:

    Keston Hiura was kind enough to jump on Zoom to talk about his position switch. He said Craig Counsell raised the possibility a couple of weeks ago. "I realized I'm going to be just fine over there. They have really high hopes for me," Hiura said.

    — Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) February 5, 2021

    For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content

    Follow me on Twitter at @theotherAdams14 and follow us @WiscoHeroics1for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!

    Adam Lind Alex Gonzalez Chris Carter eric thames first base jesus aguilar Justin Smoak Keston Hiura Kolten Wong Lyle Overbay Mat Gamel Ryan Braun Second Base
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    Robin Adams

    Robin Adams is the co-owner of Wisconsin Sports Heroics. He has been with the site for over two years, working his way up as a Bucks beat writer to covering all of Wisconsin's teams.

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