Brewers’ Hiura is something special
Imagine what kind of damage Brewers second baseman (and rookie) Keston Hiura could have done had he been with the Brewers the entire 2019 season.
Hiura has 10 home runs and a .320 batting average in 41 games with the Brewers this year. With 56 games remaining on the schedule, Hiura is on a pace to slug 24 home runs, which would be the third most by a Brewers rookie in franchise history.
Here is a look at the most home runs by a rookie in Brewers history.
34-Ryan Braun
28-Prince Fielder
17-Greg Vaughn
17-Danny Walton
16-Jesus Aguilar
16-Casey McGehee
16-Darrell Porter
15-Bob Coluccio
15-Pedro Garcia
15-Wayne Comer
You may be wondering why a few Brewers legends/sluggers are not on the above list… Paul Molitor had six HRs his rookie season (1978), while Greg Vaughn, a rookie in 1989, had only five homers that season. Gary Sheffield had only four home runs his rookie season in 1988; Robin Yount was a rookie in 1974 and had only three homers that season
What has been even more impressive with Hiura’s batting prowess in his first season in the majors has been his hitting for average. With a .327 batting average, Hiura is second to Christian Yelich’s .335 average. A strong finish to this season and Hiura could challenge the team record for highest batting average by a rookie.
Of all Brewers rookies with 250 plate appearances, Ryan Braun tops the list with a .324 batting average in his first season with the club. Braun did that in 2007 when he was selected as the National League Rookie of the Year.
Following are the Top 10 Brewers rookies in batting average for a season (250 plate appearances to qualify).
- Ryan Braun, 2007… .324
- Scott Podsednik, 2003… .314
- Casey McGehee, 2009… .301
- B.J. Surhoff, 1987… .299
- Ronnie Belliard, 1999… .295
- Dion James, 1984… .295
- Pat Listach, 1992… .290
- Alex Sanchez, 2002… .289
- Nori Aoki, 2012… .288
10.Ernest Riles, 1985… .286
Of the 10 players listed above, seven of them finished in the Top 10 for Rookie of the Year voting that season. Braun and Listach won the award, while Podsednik finished second.
Wondering about Molitor and Yount? Molitor hit .273 his rookie season (and he finished second in the A.L. Rookie of the Year voting that year), while Yount hit .250 his rookie season.
Former Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett hit .324 his rookie season with the Brewers, but based on our criteria, he did not qualify for the list… he had 230 plate appearances that season.
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