The Milwaukee Brewers made a surprising selection in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft. After being connected to prep hitters all spring, the Brewers selected injured UC Irvine second baseman Keston Hiura with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.
Hiura is a legitimate college bat, but an elbow injury has limited him to DH duties all spring. In mid-January, he underwent a platelet-rich plasma treatment to try to avoid a longer recovery of his injured elbow. But, he will potentially need Tommy John surgery in the future.
Hiura is one of the top college bats in the draft, making consistent, hard contact regularly. He hit .442 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs in 56 games this spring.
In his first two seasons at UCI, Hiura played third base and centerfield. But, scouts envision Hiura as a second baseman in the pros.
The signing bonus slot value for the No. 9 overall pick is $4,570,000. The Brewers have the sixth-highest draft bonus pool at $10,447,700.
Read my feature articles on Keston Hiura here:
—Keston Hiura battles through elbow injury
