Jackson Chourio

From BR Bullpen

Jackson Bryan Chourio

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 1", Weight 165 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Jackson Chourio was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers as an international amateur free agent out of Venezuela on January 15, 2021. He was a shortstop as an amateur, but the Brewers moved him to centerfield. He played that season with the DSL Brewers 2, hitting .296/.386/.447 in 45 games, then played winter ball with the Aguilas del Zulia following the season. He was one of the youngest players in the Venezuelan League that year, as he was still 17.

In 2022, he again belied his youth with a great season that got him named the Brewers' Minor League Player of the Year. He started off with the Carolina Mudcats in the Carolina League but proved too good for the level, as he hit .324 in 62 games. He found the next two levels more challenging - not surprisingly given how much younger he was than the average player in those circuits - completing his season with 31 games for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League, for whom he hit .252, and 6 with the Biloxi Shuckers of the AA Southern League. He was in fact the youngest player in all three leagues in which he appeared that year. He was named to play on the National League team at the 2022 Futures Game at Dodger Stadium on July 16th and made the final out of the game against Ken Waldichuk, who would be pitching in the majors by the end of the season. In all, Jackson hit .288/.342/.538 in 99 games, with 30 doubles, 20 homers, 75 runs scored and 75 RBIs. He also stole 16 bases. In spite of playing just half a season there, he was named the MVP of the Carolina League as well as a league All-Star, a Brewers organizational All-Star and the Brewers Minor League Player of the Year. He again played for Zulia after the season.

He started the 2023 season in AA with the Biloxi Shuckers of the Southern League. He was again named to play in the 2023 Futures Game. In 122 games for Biloxi, he hit .280/.336/.467 with 22 homers and 89 RBIs. He received a late-season promotion to the AAA Nashville Sounds, where he hit .333 in 6 games. He repeated as the Brewers Minor League player of the Year, sharing the honor with If Tyler Black. Following the season, the Brewers made it known that they wanted to sign him to an extension that would cover his arbitration years; the largest such contract ever awarded had been to Luis Robert for $50 million, and what was envisaged for Chourio would likely top that by a fair amount. On December 4th, it was announced that he had been signed for eight years at $82 million.

He headed to spring training in 2024 with a chance of earning the starting centerfield job with the Brewers. If he were successful, it would make him only the third player under 21 to start in center field on Opening Day in the last 50 years, although fellow top prospect Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres was vying for the same achievement. The fact that the two shared the same rather rare first name made it even more mind-boggling. Merrill was successful first, starting both games of the Padres' opening series staged in Seoul, South Korea on March 20-21, then on March 22nd, the Brewers announced that Chourio had made the Opening Day roster. His debut was pushed back by a day by a rainout, but on March 29th, he started in right field and hit leadoff for the Brewers against the New York Mets (Blake Perkins was the starter in center). He went 1 for 3 with a walk and scored a run in a 3-1 win; in fact, he led off the game with a walk off José Quintana, then promptly stole second base. He was the fifth youngest player to start on Opening day since 1969, and the second youngest to lead off since 1900, after Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr in 1937. He hit his first career homer on April 3rd off Daniel Duarte of the Minnesota Twins, becoming the youngest Brewers player to homer since Gary Sheffield in 1988; he also had seven hits through his first five games at that point.

His younger brother Jaison Chourio signed his first pro contract with the Cleveland Guardians in January of 2022.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • David Adler: "Chourio does it all in Opening Day debut", mlb.com, March 29, 2024. [1]
  • Michael Avallone: "Chourio slugs his way to first 20-20 season", mlb.com, August 31, 2023. [2]
  • Jack Magruder: "Chourio not feeling weight of record contract in productive spring", mlb.com, March 15, 2024. [3]
  • Jack Magruder: "Chourio earns spot on Brewers' Opening Day roster", mlb.com, March 22, 2024. [4]
  • Adam McCalvy: "Brewers prospect Jackson Chourio is 'something special'", mlb.com, April 6, 2023. [5]
  • Adam McCalvy: "Brewers, top prospect talking record-setting extension", mlb.com, November 28, 2023. [6]
  • Todd Rosiak: "Jackson Chourio, who earned two promotions in his first season as a pro, is the Brewers' top minor-leaguer for 2022", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 4, 2022. [7]
  • Brendan Samson: "MLB's new No. 1 prospect celebrates rank with 10th homer: Chourio, youngest player in Double-A Southern League, on pace for banner year", mlb.com, June 24, 2023. [8]
  • Joe Trezza: "Two HUGE debuts: Get to know Jackson Chourio and Wyatt Langford", mlb.com, March 27, 2024. [9]

Related Sites[edit]