If you're a Milwaukee Brewers fan, it's hard not to love Jackson Chourio. The 22-year-old left fielder is a staple of the team's batting order and one of the most consistent batters in baseball over the last two and a half years. After missing much of the season early due to an injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic, Chourio has found his rhythm and returned as one of the best bats on the team.
Through just 57 games this season, Chourio is posting a slash line of .286/.342/.510, which reflects career-highs across the board. He leads Milwaukee in slugging percentage so far this season and already ranks top five on the team in hits, RBI, and home runs despite playing 25-to-30 fewer games than most of his healthier teammates on the season.
It's starting to feel like there's nothing he can't do, which was exhibited as clearly as ever on Tuesday evening at the end of the Brewers' blowout victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. At the top of the ninth with an eight-run lead, Chourio stepped up to the plate and batted as a lefty — an unusual sight for him, to say the least. His teammates and coaches were highly enthused with big smiles on their faces as he blasted a hit 360 feet before Cardinals center fielder Nathan Church snagged it out of the air.
Although it was a simple eephus pitch, Chourio's contact was impressive nonetheless and received raucous praise from his teammates. According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, Chourio said he did it on a dare, but it really did give us reason to believe he could switch hit if he set his mind to it.
Jackson Chourio might not be an All-Star yet, but the Brewers' rising star is well on his way.
Even for those outside of Milwaukee, it's becoming increasingly evident that Jackson Chourio is one of the most exciting young talents in the entire MLB. Even so early in his career, and arriving in the majors ahead of schedule, Chourio has such a range of talent that even opposing pitchers don't know what they can expect from him on a game-to-game basis.
With outfielder being one of the most loaded positions in all major American professional sports, the path to his first All-Star appearance is arguably going to be more difficult than bringing home season-long hardware. He earned his first milestone MLB accolade by becoming NL Player of the Week for the week of June 13, but missed the All-Star game in large part because of the games he missed.
In due time, will be able to celebrate Jackson Chourio as one of the most dominant players at his position. He's still a long way from reaching his full potential, and probably many years out from his prime. Even in the early stages, he's an absolute joy to root for and one of the most versatile sluggers the game has to offer. If he stays the course and the Brewers sustain their excellence into the postseason, maybe his first major career accolade will come in the Playoffs.
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