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[Sports Seoul | Reporter Lee So-young] “NPB teams also showed interest.”
Kiwoom made the season’s first foreign-hitter cut. The club released Trenton Brooks (31), who had been at the center of controversy over alleged intentional underperformance, and moved quickly to sign Keston Hiura (30), a third-generation Japanese American and former MLB first-round pick.
Last-place Kiwoom pulled the trigger after Brooks’ slump persisted. The team tried to spark him as a pinch hitter and designated hitter, but nothing worked. After overhauling the front office last season with a clear goal of escaping the cellar this year, Kiwoom placed Brooks on waivers on the 18th and signed Hiura to a 500,000 USD (approximately 666,666,667 KRW) deal (400,000 USD (approximately 533,333,333 KRW) salary, 100,000 USD (approximately 133,333,333 KRW) in options).
Kiwoom, which climbed as high as ninth earlier, still sits at the bottom of the standings. As of the 17th the team was 16-1-26, the only club among the 10 with a .300-level winning percentage, and its team batting average ranks last at .226. With a roster of relatively young, inexperienced players, Kiwoom leans heavily on veterans and foreign signings. Manager Seol Jong-jin assessed Brooks’ struggles bluntly: “He swings a lot at high fastballs. The problem is he tries to hit bad pitches.”
It’s still early, but Kiwoom has a long road ahead. The loss of An Woo-jin was another setback, yet steady work from Raúl Alcántara and strong outings from arms like Bae Dong-hyun and Park Jun-hyun have stabilized the rotation. The clear priority is bolstering the offense. Kiwoom explained the Hiura pickup this way: “He creates hard contact with quick bat speed. Power is his biggest strength, and he can handle first and second base defensively.”
Hiura was a top prospect, taken ninth overall in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft by Milwaukee. He spent years rated among the game’s elite prospects and posted strong Triple-A numbers, but a high strikeout rate limited his success in the majors.
His MLB totals include 302 games, a .235 batting average, 231 hits, 50 home runs, 134 RBIs and a .756 OPS. Even in 2019—after a promising debut season when expectations were high—his strikeout rate was 30.7%. In 2020 he led the league in strikeouts, and in 2021 it climbed to 39.1%.
While he never settled in the big leagues, Hiura was a consistent performer in the minors: across 560 games he hit .298 with 631 hits, 120 homers, 376 RBIs, 28 steals and a .924 OPS. He spent time with Detroit, the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado, and signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February. NPB clubs had shown interest before he elected to join Kiwoom.
Hiura is due to arrive in Korea on the 20th. After completing administrative procedures, he will join the team, and all eyes will be on whether Kiwoom’s midseason foreign-hitter swap pays off. sshong@sportsseoul.com
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