"We believe he can do this," Stearns said Friday of Hiura's move to first base.

With certain GM's that statement would be a sure sign that he's being traded. ;-)

If Hiura can play average defense at first base, he is going to be a long-term answer for a big question the Brewers had. I hope he's able to prove the naysayers wrong.

I think Melvin liked power guys, and they made the majors because "the bat plays." Defense always seemed secondary during the Melvin era. Under Stearns, the Brewers seem to like athletic guys, and they've drafted a lot of middle infielders and center fielders. As they grow and develop, they're sometimes moved to corner positions, but I don't think it's been a big thing since Stearns has taken over. Of course, he hasn't had too many position players graduate to the majors.

Hiura is an odd case. He hurt his elbow in college and played DH there, and most people thought he would need elbow surgery after he was drafted. The Brewers didn't force him under the knife, but they too had him DH in the lower minor league levels.

Counsell has defended him by saying that he really hasn't had much time playing defense, so he thought that he'd get better as he got more reps. That may well be the case, but the Brewers need to win, so they can't let a player develop at the MLB level. There is reason for concern with him moving, but I think there is also reason to believe that he will do just fine at first base.