Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts in the 10th inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on September 04, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
It’s a long way from Maracaibo to Milwaukee – 2115 nautical miles, to be exact.
And it probably seems even longer to Jackson Chourio, the 20-year-old Venezuelan phenom for the Milwaukee Brewers, who is in his first season in Major League Baseball.
After just two years in the affiliated minor leagues in the United States, Chourio made the Brewers’ roster out of spring training and has stayed, providing vital offense and error-free play in the outfield for a team that is 19 games over .500 and leading the National League Central by nine games.
This week, Chourio went 7-for-21 with three doubles, three homers, and five runs scored, slashing .333/.517/.905 with an OPS of 1.422, earning him World Baseball Network‘s International MLB Player of the Week honors.
Chourio’s biggest game of the previous week came on September 2 in a 9-3 win against St. Louis, where he went 1-for-2 with a grand slam homer, four RBIs, and three walks.
So far, he’s living up to the hype put upon him as a teenager with a big contract. As a rookie, he’s batting .276/.331/.466 with a .798 OPS, 16 homers and 69 RBIs.
The Brewers (81-60) have just 21 games left, though even the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates, 14 1/2 games back, are not out of it yet, and while the Brewers slid into this weekend on a three-game losing skid, expect Chourio to continue to spark the team through September and October.
Barring a complete collapse by the Brewers, Chourio will be playing in the postseason in his rookie year, and fans in Milwaukee will gladly raise a glass to that.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
