Brewers phenom Jackson Chourio settles in

HOUSTON – When a 4-year-old Jackson Chourio went to watch the Aguilas de Zulia in his hometown of Maracaibo, Venezuela, a coach told Chourio’s mother, Angely, that he should play baseball. 

An ecstatic Chourio was eager to play. He would always accompany his father Jackson Chourio Sr. to his baseball games at their local fields. In other words, baseball has always flowed through the Chourio family’s genes. 

The young 6-foot slugger relied on his father’s experience to guide him to the major leagues. His father has been instrumental to his early success, as well as an inspiration for Chourio. 

“My dad is a very big baseball fan.” Chourio said. “I would always go to his games when he played and since I was a little he would always pitch to me. He would throw the ball so I could hit it.”

Jackson Chourio leans on brother

The elder Chourio taught Jackson and his brother Jaison Chourio, who is in the Cleveland Guardian’s farm system, the fundamentals of the game. He even coached them for a time in their adolescent years. 

Chourio, 20, calls his 18-year-old brother daily. They try to stay away from talking about baseball, though. Rather they cherish their phone calls by talking about video games or other things that grab their interest. 

“We talk everyday,” Chourio said. “I think we talk about baseball the least. We talk about everything except baseball. We talk about video games and other stuff.”

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Milwaukee’s No.1 prospect has high expectations entering his rookie season. Jackson Chourio signed an eight-year, $82 million contract last December before ever playing in the majors. The record-setting contract was the highest for a player with no prior major league experience. 

Chourio understands the magnitude of the contract and wants to prove the Brewers right in their decision. Even for a highly regarded prospect it is not easy to adjust to the major leagues. While Chourio has shown glimpses of greatness he still has work to do.  The speedy outfielder is hitting .226, with five home runs, 28 hits and 15 RBIs. 

Five-tool outfielder

Chourio has struggled against the fastball and slider. He is hitting a surprisingly low .125 against the heater and .233 against the breaking ball. 

On Saturday against Astros ace Justin Verlander, he hammered a 94.4 mph four-seam fastball for a single. Chourio was a year old when Verlander made his major league debut. Chourio also ripped a single off a Seth Martinez sweeper. 

While the numbers may not show it yet, Chourio has the vital tools to become a five-tool player for the Brewers. 

“He has great hitting attributes.” Milwaukee’s third base coach Jason Lane said. “He has quick and explosive hands. He sees the ball well and has somewhat of a small move. You can see why the kid hits and why he has the ability to hit.”

While the pressure can mount on anyone with so much hype, Chourio keeps a smile on his face throughout the clubhouse and remembers that baseball is a children’s game after all. He also realizes that his numbers aren’t where he would like and knows it’s going to take time to adjust, but he is adamant that having fun is the way to eliminate the pressure of expectations.

“Obviously they are a lot better here.” Chourio said of major league pitching. “I still need the needed adjustments to be better.”

“I feel happy that (the Brewers) have confidence in me. I just need to play and have fun.”