DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have signed a former elite prospect in free agency just days into the start of spring training workouts, per reports.
Jon Heyman, of MLB Network, was the first to report the agreement. It’s likely a minor-league deal with an invite to spring camp.
Keston Hiura, 27, spent the entire 2023 season in the minor leagues, hitting .308 with 23 home runs and 12 doubles in 85 games for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He posted a .395 on-base percentage with 31 walks and 90 strikeouts in 367 plate appearances.
Hiura is a right-handed infielder who was a consensus top-20 prospect before his MLB debut in 2019. At 22 years old, he was considered a polished second base prospect with an elite hit tool and plus power.
But when he got to Milwaukee, strikeouts became a major issue. Hiura struck out 107 times in 85 games as a rookie and owns a 36% strikeout rate over more than 1,000 career plate appearances.
After leading the National League in strikeouts during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Hiura spent half of 2021 dominating Triple-A and the other half struggling in the majors.
There were some bright spots in 2022, when Hiura posted elite batted ball data, including a 91.7 average exit velocity and 45.2% hard-hit rate. But 40.1% of his swings came up empty and he struck out in 41.7% of his plate appearances.
Hiura’s alarming strikeout metrics are the primary reason he was banished to the minors for all of last season. A 24.5% strikeout rate in Triple-A wasn’t enough to earn him a promotion.
While gambling on a former top prospect after an excellent season in the minors sounds like a no-brainer on the surface, this is a bit of an odd fit for the Tigers.
Hiura has spent almost all of his pro career on the right side of the infield, and the Tigers seemingly have two long-term answers over there in Spencer Torkelson (first base) and Colt Keith (second base).
It’s possible the Tigers want to further explore Hiura’s brief test of left field -- he spent 224.2 innings there in the minors last season and only made one error.
But they aren’t exactly short on outfielders, either. Riley Greene is back from injury and joins Parker Meadows, and Mark Canha to form the likely starting trio. Kerry Carpenter will likely get at least some reps in the outfield, and Justyn-Henry Malloy is competing for a spot in spring training.
If he’s a bench option, Hiura will compete with the likes of Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry for a super utility role.
The Tigers have made a series of savvy moves this offseason to position themselves for a potential competitive season in the AL Central. The Hiura signing comes with almost no risk, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out in spring training.
