Rolling with Hiura

[Jopal78]

While he likely will play most days until Wong returns; how much longer will the team roll with Hiura? He’s striking out 41% of the time, extrapolate that across 500 ABs and were looking at 230+ strikeouts.

 

In Chicago, watching the game on Marquee, Jim Deshaies mentioned Hiura has two toe taps as he gets ready to swing, and pitchers will continue exploit these timing issues to get strikeouts until he can adjust.

[Sixtofan]

I suspect he will be here until there are actual minor league games for him to play in.

[Lathund]

I suspect he will be here until there are actual minor league games for him to play in.

 

Yes, I think there's very little chance he gets sent down before then. And who knows, maybe he'll cut down a bit on the swings and misses by the time that happens. We'll have to see.

 

Also I looked at some stats today. And the feeling that Hiura swings through everything is reflected in there; His 21% swinging strike rate is 11th worst (min. 20 PA) in MLB and contact % of 60% is 15th worst. But leading both of those categories, with 28% and 48% respectively is Javier Baez. Oof.

[umphrey]

He will 100% get sent down at this rate eventually. Only option right now though is to play him at least 50% of the time and hope he can work something out. Have to give him at least a month.

[Hopper]

Or, when he gets hot, even if for a single game, don't bench the man.

If he has a great game, and looks to have found something, the last thing that should happen is a benching.

Makes no sense.

[pacopete4]

Odd timing of this thread as his strikeouts are and probably always will be an issue but...

 

First 5 games = 10 SO / 20 PA (50%)

Last 4 games = 4 SO / 16 PA (25%)

 

 

Without looking up the other data, I'm sure his hard contact % would reflect about the same turnaround as those numbers.

[Jopal78]

Odd timing of this thread as his strikeouts are and probably always will be an issue but...

 

First 5 games = 10 SO / 20 PA (50%)

Last 4 games = 4 SO / 16 PA (25%)

 

 

Without looking up the other data, I'm sure his hard contact % would reflect about the same turnaround as those numbers.

 

A four game stretch where he struck out once per game as opposed to twice per game is a "turnaround"? He already K'd in the first inning against Arrieta. Look I hope he succeeds and becomes a key hitter for a half decade. However, since coming back from the minors in 2019 he's struck out at 35% clip. It's like playing with only 26 outs.

[pacopete4]

Odd timing of this thread as his strikeouts are and probably always will be an issue but...

 

First 5 games = 10 SO / 20 PA (50%)

Last 4 games = 4 SO / 16 PA (25%)

 

 

Without looking up the other data, I'm sure his hard contact % would reflect about the same turnaround as those numbers.

 

A four game stretch where he struck out once per game as opposed to twice per game is a "turnaround"? He already K'd in the first inning against Arrieta. Look I hope he succeeds and becomes a key hitter for a half decade. However, since coming back from the minors in 2019 he's struck out at 35% clip. It's like playing with only 26 outs.

 

Dropping from 50% to 25% is yes, a turnaround. I mean he literally cut his strikeouts in half since a horrid start. It is early...

[MillerParkSouth]

He still hasn't walked this year has he? I am extremely concerned about him.

[djoctagone]

hiura drew his first walk last night.

[folly412]

I've been worried since the first series, when he whiffed at 90 and 88 mph fastballs right down the middle, which was the curious problem last year with completely missing balls in the strike zone. Then he chased an 0-2 breaking ball two feet outside on the next pitch.

[xisxisxis]

Monday was a good example of his problem. Early in the count, when he got a hit, he swings through a fastball down the middle of the plate. His hit came swinging at a pitch 1 foot outside. He ain't no Vlad Guerrero and as long as his contact % on strikes is so abysmal he will continue to strikeout at a pace that makes Jose K look like a contact hitter...

[adambr2]

Vogelbach isn't hitting either. I'd at least want a good alternative. If there isn't one, then I'd rather stick with the option that at least has upside.

[Warning Track Power]

Vogelbach isn't hitting either. I'd at least want a good alternative. If there isn't one, then I'd rather stick with the option that at least has upside.

I agree about the upside play being the preferred option. However, at least Vogelbach has some plate discipline. Even with his .118 AVG, he has 3 walks in 20 PA, good for a .250 OBP. By no means good but compared to Hiura, who has 3 walks in 40 PA and a .225 OBP, it seems decent especially considering Vogelbach isn’t missing middle-middle pitches.

 

Hiura needs some serious refinement in the minors. I’d be looking for another 1B option as I think Hiura needs time to get his swing together.

[FVBrewerFan]

Nottingham may be an option worth trying at 1B when they send Hiura down. He may not be ready for full time action though, no idea.

 

As for Hiura, chasing high FBs is a problem that usually doesn't change easily. And the bigger problem is swinging through middle middle FBs at an alarming rate. How do you fix that? Sometimes I seriously wonder if they've done a comprensive eye exam. I seriously doubt his vision is the issue, but wouldn't be the first, even in recent times.

[sveumrules]

My totally amateur opinion is Keston needs to ditch the leg kick. His timing has to be completely out of whack to miss so many mistake pitches in the zone.

 

Saw an MLB Network breakdown on Ohtani & when he first came over he had the big leg kick, but was either missing or late on middle middle pitches he should have been crushing.

 

So he made an adjustment where he just does a little toe turn for his timing mechanism & has been raking ever since.

[SandyTolan]

If Keston has to go down, why not bring up Zach Green? He can play 1B so Travis can stay at 3B

[wntrtxn21]

Nottingham may be an option worth trying at 1B when they send Hiura down. He may not be ready for full time action though, no idea.

 

As for Hiura, chasing high FBs is a problem that usually doesn't change easily. And the bigger problem is swinging through middle middle FBs at an alarming rate. How do you fix that? Sometimes I seriously wonder if they've done a comprensive eye exam. I seriously doubt his vision is the issue, but wouldn't be the first, even in recent times.

 

I hope Nottingham isn't an option at 1B. The guy is a .203/.306 hitter with a whiff rate of 36%. I would much rather have Hiura flailing away up there. I think you are not alone on wondering about Hiura's eye sight or depth perception.

[MrTPlush]

Keston Hiura has got to change something. I don't think this is something he just randomly has click one day and all is good. His inability to hit fastballs and his massive whiff rate are much to pitcher-like at the plate. Someone needs to pull him aside and figure out how to get him to actually make contact with the ball more consistently.

[JohnBriggs12]

Nottingham may be an option worth trying at 1B when they send Hiura down. He may not be ready for full time action though, no idea.

 

As for Hiura, chasing high FBs is a problem that usually doesn't change easily. And the bigger problem is swinging through middle middle FBs at an alarming rate. How do you fix that? Sometimes I seriously wonder if they've done a comprensive eye exam. I seriously doubt his vision is the issue, but wouldn't be the first, even in recent times.

 

Nottingham doesn't solve the problem. Hiura's making progress. The first 5 games he fanned twice in each. In his last 5 he hasn't had any multiple K games and he's walked 3 times in the last two games.

[MrTPlush]

Nottingham may be an option worth trying at 1B when they send Hiura down. He may not be ready for full time action though, no idea.

 

As for Hiura, chasing high FBs is a problem that usually doesn't change easily. And the bigger problem is swinging through middle middle FBs at an alarming rate. How do you fix that? Sometimes I seriously wonder if they've done a comprensive eye exam. I seriously doubt his vision is the issue, but wouldn't be the first, even in recent times.

 

Nottingham doesn't solve the problem. Hiura's making progress. The first 5 games he fanned twice in each. In his last 5 he hasn't had any multiple K games and he's walked 3 times in the last two games.

 

One of those walks was on four pitches by a pitcher who couldn't throw a strike and the other two came after a 3-0 count on five pitches. Hard to say he really was responsible for any of those walks...all he had to do was stand there.

 

He has struck out less, but those three walks thanks to the pitcher and a HBP on a 0-2 count certainly helps the cause.

[Sixtofan]

Tough crowd - now we do not like the quality of his walks. I do understand your point but we certainly have seen players that are incapable of taking a walk no matter the situation. Uriah has hit in the past, I really hope that he figures it out at the major league level as well.

[MrTPlush]

Tough crowd - now we do not like the quality of his walks. I do understand your point but we certainly have seen players that are incapable of taking a walk no matter the situation. Uriah has hit in the past, I really hope that he figures it out at the major league level as well.

 

Didn't say I didn't like them...but it is really misleading to use it as an example of how Hiura might be rounding a corner. None of them were him battling back from an 0-2 count or a long AB. They were all pitcher incompetency.

 

I guess you could credit him for not swinging at a bunch of pitches out of the zone...but that doesn't seem like a problem for Hiura. His problem is more swinging at stuff in the zone and whiffing on it. He would probably be elite at drawing walks if he had a good enough contact rate to get into more 3 ball pitch counts.

[FVBrewerFan]

Nottingham may be an option worth trying at 1B when they send Hiura down. He may not be ready for full time action though, no idea.

 

As for Hiura, chasing high FBs is a problem that usually doesn't change easily. And the bigger problem is swinging through middle middle FBs at an alarming rate. How do you fix that? Sometimes I seriously wonder if they've done a comprensive eye exam. I seriously doubt his vision is the issue, but wouldn't be the first, even in recent times.

 

Nottingham doesn't solve the problem. Hiura's making progress. The first 5 games he fanned twice in each. In his last 5 he hasn't had any multiple K games and he's walked 3 times in the last two games.

 

Didn't say Nottingham solves the problem, just that he could play 1B while Hiura's at AAA, since he's already on the 40 man. Then again, he was part of the Davis trade, so I know that's not an option for you , personally.

[Baldkin]

Hiura

Season Team Level O-Swing% Z-Swing% Swing% O-Contact% Z-Contact% Contact% Zone% F-Strike% SwStr% CStr% CSW%

2019 MIL MLB 35.1% 73.5% 51.3% 48.7% 76.9% 65.8% 42.3% 62.6% 17.5% 13.3% 30.8%

2020 MIL MLB 35.0% 72.1% 50.1% 47.1% 67.9% 59.3% 40.6% 54.1% 20.3% 13.8% 34.1%

2021 MIL MLB 35.1% 70.6% 49.7% 58.8% 62.5% 61.0% 41.2% 60.0% 19.4% 14.5% 33.9%

Total - - - MLB 35.0% 72.8% 50.7% 48.7% 72.6% 63.0% 41.6% 59.1% 18.7% 13.6% 32.3%

 

The big jump from 2019 to the past two years is his Z Contact percentage has absolutely tanked (bolded). It was already on the low side even in 2019. If you can't make contact with strikes you're not gonna be able to play.