• Full name Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura
  • Born 08/02/1996 in Valencia, CA
  • Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 208 / Bats: R / Throws: R
  • School UC Irvine
  • Debut 05/14/2019
  • Drafted in the 1st round (9th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017 (signed for $4,000,000).
    View Draft Report
    Hiura will be one of the toughest calls in the draft, as one of the top college bats available with projection needed for his defense and future position. Offensively, Hiura has few peers in college, as he hit 14 homers as a prep senior in Southern California's strong Foothill League, then hit his way onto USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team with two strong seasons to begin his career at UC Irvine. He was one of Team USA's top hitters while playing DH last summer, then ranked among national leaders in batting, walks, on-base and slugging percentage through early May this spring. At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Hiura has a compact swing path, present strength and plus bat speed. Combine that with a feel for the barrel and excellent strike-zone judgment, and Hiura was producing as much hard contact as any hitter in the country. Scouts who like him grade him as a plus hitter with plus power, while others see him above-average (55 on the 20-80 scouting scale) rather than a true plus (60). Hiura has an elbow injury that has kept him from playing in the field since April 2016, and while he had a platelet-rich plasma injection in January that had his arm feeling better, he has not thrown this spring, though he usually takes ground balls in pregame. An average runner who played center and left field in his first two years, Hiura could be an outfielder and could be a second baseman, but most teams believe he's having elbow surgery as soon as he signs.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Draft Prospects

Minor League Top Prospects

Top 100 Rankings

Best Tools List

  • Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019
  • Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018

Scouting Reports

Career Transactions

  • Salt Lake Bees placed 2B Keston Hiura on the 7-day injured list.
  • Los Angeles Angels sent 2B Keston Hiura outright to Salt Lake Bees.
  • Los Angeles Angels designated 2B Keston Hiura for assignment.
  • Los Angeles Angels selected the contract of 2B Keston Hiura from Salt Lake Bees.
  • 2B Keston Hiura assigned to Salt Lake Bees.
  • Los Angeles Angels signed 2B Keston Hiura.
  • Toledo Mud Hens released 2B Keston Hiura.
  • 2B Keston Hiura assigned to Toledo Mud Hens.
  • Detroit Tigers signed free agent 2B Keston Hiura to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
  • Nashville Sounds activated 2B Keston Hiura from the 7-day injured list.
  • Nashville Sounds activated 2B Keston Hiura from the 7-day injured list.
  • Nashville Sounds sent 2B Keston Hiura on a rehab assignment to ACL Brewers.
  • sent 2B Keston Hiura on a rehab assignment to ACL Brewers.
  • Nashville Sounds sent 2B Keston Hiura on a rehab assignment to ACL Brewers.
  • Nashville Sounds placed 2B Keston Hiura on the 7-day injured list retroactive to May 13, 2023.
  • Nashville Sounds placed 2B Keston Hiura on the 7-day injured list.
  • Milwaukee Brewers sent 2B Keston Hiura outright to Nashville Sounds.

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