Keston Hiura Bio
Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura (born August 2, 1996) is an American professional baseball first baseman and second baseman who is currently a free agent. Over his major league career, he has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, and Colorado Rockies. A first-round draft pick in 2017, Hiura quickly emerged as one of the Milwaukee Brewers’ top prospects before reaching the majors in 2019.
Born and raised in Southern California, Hiura built a reputation as a polished hitter through high school and college before turning professional. He has experience at both corner infield positions and has also spent time in the upper levels of the minor leagues, giving him versatility that has shaped his journeyman career path in the majors.
Early Life and Background
Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura was born on August 2, 1996, in Valencia, California, a community located in the Santa Clarita Valley. He grew up in a household with a Chinese-American mother and a Japanese-American father, and he was raised as a Los Angeles Dodgers fan during his childhood. This Southern California upbringing placed him in one of the most competitive baseball regions in the country.
Hiura attended Valencia High School, where he played for the school’s baseball team, the Vikings. As a senior, he produced an outstanding offensive line, batting .500 with 14 home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs), helping lead Valencia to the Foothill League title. Despite that production, he went undrafted out of high school and committed to play college baseball at the University of California, Irvine.
Path to Baseball
At the University of California, Irvine, Hiura played three seasons for the Anteaters and steadily established himself as one of the most dangerous hitters in the Big West Conference. As a freshman in 2015, he hit .330 with a .392 on-base percentage (OBP), a .520 slugging percentage (SLG), seven home runs, and 52 RBIs over 56 games. He improved in his sophomore season of 2016, batting .358 with a .436 OBP, .559 SLG, seven home runs, and 41 RBIs over 53 games, and that summer he played for the United States collegiate national team.
In his junior year at UC Irvine, Hiura took another leap, batting .442 with a .567 OBP, and was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year. Recognizing that he was ready for professional baseball, he forwent his final season of college eligibility and entered the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, where the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the first round with the ninth overall pick.
Keston Hiura Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
After signing with the Milwaukee Brewers, Hiura was assigned to the Arizona Brewers of the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he batted .435 with four home runs, 18 RBIs, and a 1.339 OPS in 15 games. That performance earned him a quick promotion to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Single-A Midwest League, where he finished 2017 with a .333 batting average, 15 RBIs, and seven walks in 27 games.
Entering 2018, MLB.com ranked Hiura as Milwaukee’s top prospect. He began the year with the Carolina Mudcats of the High-A Carolina League and was promoted to the Biloxi Shuckers of the Double-A Southern League on June 1 after hitting .320 with seven home runs, 23 RBIs, and a .911 OPS in 50 games. Hiura also won the 2018 Arizona Fall League MVP, capping a strong developmental year in which he batted .272 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in 73 games with Biloxi.
Milwaukee Brewers Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Hiura began 2019 with the San Antonio Missions of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, and on May 14, his contract was selected and he was called up to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut that same day against the Philadelphia Phillies and posted a strong rookie line, batting .303 in 84 games. On July 28, 2019, he delivered his first career walk-off hit, a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Chicago Cubs, though he also led all major league second basemen in errors with 16 that season.
The 2020 pandemic-shortened season was more difficult, as Hiura batted .212/.297/.410 with 13 home runs and 32 RBI in 59 games and led the National League in strikeouts with 85. He hit .168 in 2021 and rebounded in 2022, playing 80 games for Milwaukee and batting .226/.316/.449 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI. On January 13, 2023, he agreed to a one-year, $2.2 million contract to avoid salary arbitration, but he did not make the Brewers’ Opening Day roster and was designated for assignment two days later. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, where he hit .308/.395/.565 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI in 85 games before electing free agency on October 4, 2023.
Los Angeles Angels Era (2024)
On February 16, 2024, Hiura signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, and in 49 games with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens he hit .232/.312/.401 with six home runs and 24 RBI before being released on June 3. On June 11, 2024, he signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels, and in 19 games for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees he produced a .360/.429/.853 line with 12 home runs and 21 RBI. The Angels selected his contract on July 5, and he appeared in 10 games for Los Angeles, going 4-for-27 (.148) with one RBI before being designated for assignment on July 23. He cleared waivers, was outrighted to Salt Lake on July 27, and elected free agency on October 2, 2024.
Colorado Rockies Era (2025)
On January 15, 2025, Hiura signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies, and in 46 appearances for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes he batted .243/.360/.467 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. On May 31, the Rockies selected his contract and added him to the active roster. In eight appearances for Colorado, he went 4-for-18 (.222) with one RBI before being designated for assignment on June 16. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Albuquerque on June 18, and on September 30, 2025, Hiura elected free agency.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hiura is recognized primarily as an offensive player whose calling card is line-drive hitting and above-average on-base skills. He has shown the ability to hit for power to all fields when he is on time at the plate, and his versatility between first base and second base has given teams flexibility when constructing their rosters.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Hiura’s signature moments was his first career walk-off hit, a 10th-inning home run against the Chicago Cubs on July 28, 2019, and his 2018 Arizona Fall League MVP award. He was also the ninth overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft and was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year in his junior season at UC Irvine.
Keston Hiura Career Wins
Across his professional career, Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura has recorded verifiable production at every level of the Milwaukee Brewers system, the Los Angeles Angels organization, the Detroit Tigers organization, and the Colorado Rockies organization.
MLB Highlights
Hiura’s strongest MLB season came as a rookie in 2019, when he batted .303 in 84 games for the Milwaukee Brewers. He added 13 home runs and 32 RBI in the shortened 2020 campaign and 14 home runs with 32 RBI in 2022, the last of his three full seasons in a Brewers uniform.
Other Wins & Performances
In the minor leagues, Hiura won the 2018 Arizona Fall League MVP, hit .442 as a junior at UC Irvine to claim Big West Conference Player of the Year honors, and produced a .360/.429/.853 line with 12 home runs in 19 games for the Salt Lake Bees in 2024.
Keston Hiura Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura was raised in Valencia, California, by a Chinese-American mother and a Japanese-American father. His multicultural background has been a point of pride throughout his career, and he grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a young fan in Southern California.
Personal Life
Hiura has kept most of his personal life private, and public details about a spouse or children are not confirmed in available sources. He continues to make his offseason home in the United States.
2025 Season Performance
Hiura’s 2025 season began with a minor league contract signed with the Colorado Rockies on January 15, and he quickly showed his power stroke at Triple-A Albuquerque, batting .243/.360/.467 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 46 appearances. That production earned him a call-up to the majors on May 31, when the Rockies selected his contract and added him to the active roster.
His major league stint with Colorado was brief, as he went 4-for-18 (.222) with one RBI in eight appearances before being designated for assignment on June 16. He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Albuquerque on June 18, where he finished the year in the Rockies system.
On September 30, 2025, Hiura elected free agency, closing the book on his third major league organization. He finished the year as a free agent, with his overall 2025 story defined by a productive Triple-A power surge and a short major league cameo in Colorado.