From McCalvy
Why haven’t the Brewers called up Keston Hiura?
Hiura wasn’t the same hitter in the big leagues from 2020-22 as he was during an eye-opening rookie showing in ‘19, but he’s been on a tear at Triple-A Nashville this year, hitting .308 with a .963 OPS. The Brewers have not yet given him a shot, however, for a couple of reasons. One, scouts say Hiura has actually regressed in the field, and would be limited to designated hitter duty for a Brewers team that’s been winning with pitching and defense. Two, Minor League surface numbers don’t always tell the whole story. The Brewers have much more advanced data about players’ performance and the quality of competition against whom they’re doing damage.
So far, the organization hasn’t viewed Hiura as an upgrade, or it would have made the move. But that may be changing. Hiura made an adjustment to his approach earlier this month that has intrigued club officials. At this point, it’s a smallish sample. But it’s growing.
Asked whether Hiura could be a possibility for a callup at some point, Brewers GM Matt Arnold said, “He’s continuing to evolve his approach and we’re seeing some really encouraging signs here lately. Certainly, we’re looking for more production out of the DH spot and Keston is absolutely in the conversation there.”