The Jackson Chourio era is near.
MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect signed an eight-year, $82 million Major League contract with the Brewers, MLB.com reported. The deal includes two club options that could keep the outfielder in a Milwaukee uniform through the 2033 season, when he would still be just 29 years old, and those options – at $25 million each and including escalators and incentives – could make the player younger. The total value of the deal is more than $140 million over the full 10 years, a source told MLB.com.
It is the longest and largest contract ever signed by a player without any Major League service, surpassing the six-year, $50 million pact signed by White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. in 2020.
These are the long-term effects of the agreement. In the much shorter term, Chourio’s immediate placement on the 40-man roster could make him an Opening Day option for the Brewers. Milwaukee’s top prospect, who turns 20 on March 11, would become the first player born in 2004 to reach the Majors if he breaks camp with the big club.
The Venezuela native even earned consideration after one of the most impressive Minor League power-speed performances in recent memory.
Chourio finished the 2023 season with 22 home runs and 44 stolen bases in 128 games between Double-A Biloxi (where he played the vast majority of the season) and Triple-A Nashville. In doing so, he became only the fifth teenager to reach the 20-40 plateau in the minors since 1958, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. (2017), Alex Escobar (1998), Andruw Jones (1995) and José Cardenal ( 1961). on this list.
This inclusion alongside Acuña and Jones could make many Wisconsinites jump out of their chairs, and while Chourio still has a way to go before he can truly earn awards for the reigning National League MVP and five-time All- Star, this is not the case. This is the first time that the comparison has been made by people close to the player.
“I know he’s been good to us in the past, but right now he’s a different guy,” Single-A Carolina manager Victor Estevez. told MLB.com in July 2022. “I compare him to an Acuña type player. To be honest, I compare all these kids who reached the big leagues very early.
The raw tools are certainly there.
Chourio gets positive marks from evaluators for his speed, and he used those wheels to swipe 68 sacks over his first three Minor League seasons. That running ability has also treated him well in center field, where he shows plenty of range after moving there from his amateur shortstop position. (He even told MLB.com in September that in short remains his favorite spot on the diamond.)
As a right-handed slugger who can drive the ball well to all fields, Chourio also displays the potential for at least 60 power. His 22 homers for Biloxi were the most in Double-A by a player with 19 years since 2006, beating fellow Top 10 prospect Junior Caminero (20) and other notable boppers Fernando Tatis Jr. (16, 2018) and Giancarlo Stanton (16). , 2009).
The ability to hit major league right out of the gate is Chourio’s biggest question mark.
He’s struggled with outside pitching in the past, and he entered last season with just a .254/.308/.418 line and a 24.6 percent strikeout rate through 44 games in April and May. This coincided with the Southern League’s use of a pre-glued ball that made it easier to get up the pitch and move in the first half, and by July Chourio was one of the hottest hitters in the minors with a .388/.447/.718 line, six home runs and a 10.6 percent K rate in just 19 games. The Brewers believe this was more of a case of Chourio adapting to the level over time (rather than just a causal effect of the ball change), but it wouldn’t be a shock if it took the youngster so much time to find your feet. against top-level pitchers.
Chourio, whose arm is considered a bit below average, will also have to establish his position in a Brewers outfield corps that already looked crowded. Recent graduate prospects Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Joey Wiemer can all play center field with more proficiency, and Christian Yelich, Tyrone Taylor and new acquisition Jake Bauers could be factors in the corners. It’s worth noting that Chourio made 107 starts at center for Biloxi, but four of his five defensive starts for Triple-A Nashville came, out of respect for the then-rehabbing Mitchell. He returned to center position exclusively in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he made all 15 of his appearances.
The truth is, with the exception of Yelich’s background, no one in the Brewers’ outfield group can match Chourio’s ceiling. Clubs are making room for this type of prospect instead of worrying about the depth chart, and with the size and timing of this long-term deal, Milwaukee is making it clear: it’s ready for its superstar.
