The 2023 year was a season to forget for the Milwaukee Brewers fans after reaching only the Wild Card round.
The MLB 2024 season has something exciting in store for them as they are about to field the biggest prospect from the minors.
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee's Minor League co-player of the year last season, is confirmed to debut on the opening day.
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The press is all over the outfielder, and for the right reasons. He recently became the sixth-youngest player to appear with the Brewers at the age of 20 (he turned 20 on March 11).
MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect was with the team during spring training, and his 19-for-58 (.328) with three doubles, a triple, and three RBIs is already impressing scouts and fans.
The Milwaukee Brewers are set to face the New York Mets in the first series of the new season, and Chourio can't contain his excitement about making his debut.
"I called my parents ... my dad was going crazy," Chourio told reporters.
"They are going to have the opportunity to go to New York. I'm extremely happy they are going to be there on Opening Day."
Jackson Chourio contract
The league has seen record-breaking contracts during the offseason, and Chourio's contract is up there.
The Brewers knew they had a gem in the Venezuelan, so they signed him to an eight-year contract worth $82 million.
The contract is the largest awarded to someone who has yet to make the majors. It broke the six-year, $50 million contract record by Luis Robert Jr. and the Chicago White Sox in 2016.
The young man has done enough to earn that amount.
Jackson Chourio stats and profile
Chouriou hails from Maracaibo, Venezuela.
He bats right and throws right.
He joined the Brewers in January 2021 as an international free agent and debuted through the Dominican Summer League Brewers. He finished the year with a .296/.386/.447 slash in 45 games, five home runs, and 25 RBIs.
He spent the 2023 season with Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville and batted a slash of .280/.336/.467 with 22 homers and 44 stolen bases across 128 games.
This feat made him only the fifth teenager to record a 20-40. The other guys who reached this plateau went on to carve a historic MLB career.
Comparison to Ronald Acuña Jr.
Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. is one of those teenagers to record a 20-40, and he is the same guy Chourio is being compared to by coaches.
It is not because they are both from Venezuela but because of his speed and ability to drive the ball anywhere.
"I know he's been good with us in the past, but right now, he's a different guy," Single-A Carolina manager Victor Estevez shared with MLB.com in 2022.
"I compare him to an Acuña type of player. Any of those young guys who made it to the big leagues early, I compare him to those types of players, to be honest."
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