Jackson Chourio: Brewers 2022 Minor League Player Of The Year

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There are fast risers, and then there’s outfielder Jackson Chourio.

The Venezuela native opened the 2022 season in extended spring training. The Brewers’ preseason No. 10 prospect was expected to debut in the Arizona Complex League in June.

Fast-forward to September and Chourio had completed one of the more impressive full-season debuts ever. He began with Low-A Carolina on May 3 and finished with Double-A Biloxi. In between he made a stop at the Futures Game before landing at No. 2 on the August update of the Top 100 Prospects

All at just 18 years old.

In 93 games split between Carolina and High-A Wisconsin, Chourio hit .300/.354/.562 with 20 home runs, 14 stolen bases, 30 walks and 117 strikeouts in 93 games. He went just 2-for-23 at Double-A, with the caveat being that he was the only 18-year-old at the level.

“We’re very excited and very proud of how he handled himself,” Brewers vice president of minor league operations Tom Flanagan said. “We kept challenging him throughout the year, and he answered every one of those challenges.

“Just an outstanding first full season, and at that age to go from extended spring training to finishing the year at (Double-A) and putting up numbers at each stop was more than we could have asked for.”

Chourio was nine months younger than the next-youngest player in High-A when he was promoted to Wisconsin on July 25.

His average dropped to .252 with the Timber Rattlers, but he slugged eight homers—including six in an 11-game stretch—and drove in 24 runs during his time with them.

In doing so, he became the fifth player since 2006 to hit 20 or more homers in his age-18 season while playing exclusively in full-season leagues.

Chourio also earned rave reviews for his defense in center field, where his speed and instincts figure to allow him to remain as he moves up.

“Our scouts were very high on him, the development staff that worked with him were very high on him,” Flanagan said. “To see it come to fruition in the early going has been very gratifying.”

MICROBREWS

— While Jackson Chourio was the strongest choice for the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year, shortstop Brice Turang, the 2018 first-rounder out of high school, and outfielder Sal Frelick, the 2021 first-rounder out of Boston College, both were among the organization’s best performers in 2022 as well.

Turang had a career year at the plate, hitting .285 with 12 homers and 72 RBIs with 32 steals in 125 games for Triple-A Nashville. He also added versatility to his game by playing second base and third base as well as center field. Frelick, meanwhile, hit a combined .329 with nine home runs, 53 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in 114 games split between High-A Wisconsin, Double-A Biloxi and Nashville.

— Catcher Jeferson Quero moved to High-A Wisconsin along with Chourio and also thrived following his promotion. He hit .313 with four home runs in 20 games. He was assigned to the Arizona Fall League.