Jackson Chourio

Jackson Bryan Chourio (born March 11, 2004) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Jackson Chourio
Chourio with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 11
Outfielder
Born: (2004-03-11) March 11, 2004 (age 20) Maracaibo, Venezuela
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 29, 2024, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Batting average	.275
Home runs	21
Runs batted in	79
Stolen bases	22
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (2024–present)

Professional career

Minor leagues

Chourio signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as an international free agent on January 15, 2021, with a $1.9 million signing bonus.^[1][2] He made his professional debut that season with the Dominican Summer League Brewers.^[3] During his first professional season, Chourio slashed .296/.386/.447 in 45 games, with five home runs and 25 RBIs.^[4]

Chourio began the 2022 season with the Single–A Carolina Mudcats, for whom he batted .324 (5th in the league)/.373/.600(3rd) in 250 at bats, with 23 doubles (8th), 12 home runs (9th), and 10 stolen bases.^[5] He then played for the High–A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, batting .252/.317/.488 in 127 at bats with eight home runs. He was promoted to the Class AA Biloxi Shuckers prior to the conclusion of the 2022 season. After the season, he was voted the Carolina League MVP and won the league's Top MLB Prospect Award.^[6] He was also named a 2022 MiLB Gold Glove as one of the three-best defensive outfielders in the minor leagues.^[7] He was the youngest player in Double-A in 2022.^[8][9] Across three classifications, Chourio slashed .288/.342/.538 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs.^[10]

The Brewers assigned Chourio to Double-A Biloxi in 2023.^[11] Entering the season as baseball's sixth best prospect, Chourio became the highest-ranked Brewers prospect since Orlando Arcia in 2016.^[12] During the season, he was named baseball's top prospect by Baseball America^[13] In June 2023, Chourio was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game.^[14] In 122 games with the Shuckers, Chourio batted a slash of .280/.336/.467 with 22 home runs and 89 runs batted in, and stole 41 bases. Chourio became the first Double-A player to hit 20 home runs and steal 40 bases since 2005. In addition, his 89 RBI were a Biloxi single–season record.^[15] On September 18, 2023, Chourio was promoted to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.^[15] In the 6 games he appeared with the Sounds, he batted a slash of .333/.375/.476 with 2 runs batted in.^[16]

Major leagues

On December 4, 2023, the Brewers signed Chourio to an eight-year contract worth $82 million with two club options for the 2032 and 2033 seasons.^[17][18] As of that date, it was the largest contract given out to a player who had not reached the major leagues, surpassing Luis Robert Jr.'s six-year, $50 million contract from 2016.^[19][20]

He made his MLB debut on Opening Day of the 2024 season as the youngest player on any MLB roster.^[21] On April 3, 2024, Chourio hit his first career MLB home run off of Daniel Duarte against the Minnesota Twins.^[22] However, Chourio's first few months went poorly. At the beginning of June, he had a batting average of .210 and an on-base percentage that was near .250. After changing his approach to at-bats, he hit over .300 in the following month.^[23] On September 12, 2024, against the San Francisco Giants, Chourio hit an opposite-field home run off of Spencer Bivens for his 20th home run of the season, becoming the youngest player in MLB history (20 years, 185 days) to have a 20-20 season, and joined Vada Pinson and Mike Trout as the only players to accomplish the feat in their age-20 season (both Pinson and Trout turned 21 before completing their 20-20 seasons).^{[citation needed]}

In the 2024 National League Wild Card Series, Chourio hit two home runs in a single game against the New York Mets, one of which was a game-tying home run. The accomplishment made him the second-ever under-21-year-old player to accomplish that after Andruw Jones in the 1996 World Series.^[24] It was also the first time since Babe Ruth in the 1928 World Series where a player hit two game-tying home runs in a postseason series. Chourio's first home run of the game, in the first inning, made him also the youngest player to ever hit a leadoff home run in a postseason game.

Personal life

Chourio's younger brother, Jaison, plays for the Cleveland Guardians organization.^[25]

References

1. "Brewers to land 16-year-old int'l prospect". MLB.com.
2. "Brewers Sign Venezuelan SS Jackson Chourio To Open Int'l Class". Reviewing the Brew. January 15, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
3. Norris, Josh (May 10, 2022). "In First Full-Season Series Jackson Chourio Opens Eyes".
4. Wagner, Andrew. "Teenage Phenom Jackson Chourio Is Swinging His Way Up The Milwaukee Brewers' Prospect Ladder". Forbes. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
5. Radcliffe, J. R. "Brewers land four prospects on Baseball America Top 100 for first time in nearly five years, including one of the game's fastest risers". Journal Sentinel.
6. "Jackson Chourio Named Carolina League MVP". Carolina League. Minor League Baseball. November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
7. "Here are 2022's MiLB Gold Glove winners". MLB.com.
8. "Chourio just getting hotter and hotter in July". MLB.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
9. "Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio is adjusting well as youngest player in Double-A". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
10. Adams, Robins (December 5, 2022). "Brewers: Jackson Chourio Could Be Up Sooner Rather Than Later". wisportsheroics.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
11. "Top Brewers prospect Jackson Chourio seeking to build off breakout 2022 season". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
12. "Jackson Chourio is a special Brewers top prospect". MLB.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
13. "The Brewers now have the No. 1 prospect in baseball". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
14. WLOX Staff (June 26, 2023). "Chourio, Quero named to 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game". WLOX. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
15. "Jackson Chourio, No. 2 Prospect in Baseball, Promoted to Sounds". milb.com. September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
16. "Jackson Chourio Winter & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
17. Harrigan, Thomas; McCalvy, Adam (December 4, 2023). "Brewers top prospect Chourio inks record-setting deal". MLB.com. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
18. Anderson, R.J. (December 4, 2023). "Jackson Chourio extension: Brewers reach historic $82 million deal with MLB's No. 7 prospect". CBSSports. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
19. Rosenthal, Ken. "Rosenthal: Brewers discussing deal with top prospect Jackson Chourio that could influence team's direction". The Athletic. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
20. Harrigan, Thomas; McCalvy, Adam (November 30, 2023). "Brewers top prospect Chourio expected to sign record-setting deal (source)". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
21. Cooper, J. J. (March 29, 2024). "The 30 Youngest, Oldest MLB Players To Start 2024". College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
22. "Watch: Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio slugs first career home run since MLB call-up". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
23. Hogg, Curt (June 28, 2024). "Is Jackson Chourio already becoming the star that was promised for the Brewers?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
24. McCalvy, Adam (October 2, 2024). "Chourio, Mitchell blast Brewers into deciding Game 3". MLB.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
25. Torres, Maria. "Notes from the DR: Guardians' Jaison Chourio — Jackson's brother — making his own name". The Athletic.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)