Chourio heads into his sophomore season with high expectations
The Milwaukee Brewers made a risky move by signing then-19-year-old Jackson Chourio to an extension before ever playing a major league game, but it already looks like it paid off. After his scintillating debut, what should the team expect from Chourio in his second season?
The right-handed outfielder finished with an impressive stat line, slashing .275/.327/.464. That was good for a 117 wRC+, which was fourth-best among Brewers with at least 300 plate appearances.
What stood out about Chourio’s emergence was his balanced profile. He hit for both average and power, he was both disciplined at the plate and speedy on the basepaths. There weren’t many weaknesses in his game. Any player that can boast a 20-home run, 20-stolen base season as a rookie is clearly doing something right.
Jason already profiled how other Brewers’ prospects did in their sophomore seasons, so let’s take a closer look at what to expect from Chourio.
Projection systems vary slightly on Chourio’s upcoming campaign, ranging from a 106 wRC+ projection to a 117 mark. Here’s why Chourio should hit the high end of that scale.
Chourio was just 19, it’s important to remember, facing major league pitching for the first time. After his incredible finish, it might be easy to overlook the rough beginning to his career in Milwaukee. He had a .210 batting average and a 61 wRC+ at the end of May last season. For a stat line that looked so good at the end, it’s incredible that the start was such a struggle.
From that point on, Chourio finished with a flourish, sporting a .303 batting average and a 142 wRC+, including 16 of his 21 home runs. If Chourio’s true talent is now more reflective of this sample size (399 plate appearances), it’s easy to buy into the idea that Chourio is going to take a monumental step toward stardom this year.
Another important figure in that excellent stretch is his improved plate discipline. He struck out at a 27% clip by the end of May. After that point? He cut that number down to 18.5%. All his power metrics ticked up in that time span too.
Chourio has the foundation to be an elite power-speed threat and displayed the ability to manage a balanced, controlled approach at the plate. As the season rolls around, it will be just as entertaining to follow Chourio as he establishes himself among the best in the game as it was to watch him step up to the plate for the first time last year.
All stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.