(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The No. 2 overall prospect according to MLBpipeline.com Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio signed on Monday at the Winter Meetings in Nashville to an eight-year contract with club options for 2032 and 2033 for $82 million, which is the highest paid player that has not played in a Major League Baseball game in his professional career.
Chourio’s contract can push the total value north of $140 million over the full 10 years.
The contract extension broke outfielder Luis Robert from the Chicago White Sox in 2020 when he signed for six years for $50 million.
Houston Astros first baseman Jon Singleton signed for five years with a contract worth $10 million in 2014, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Scott Kingery signed for six years worth $24 million in 2018, Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez signed for six years worth $43 million in 2019, and Seattle Mariners first baseman Evan White signed for Six years worth $24 million in 2019 as the only players that have inked contracts before stepping onto an MLB field.
Chourio, 19, was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela signed as a free agent to a minor league contract on January 15, 2021 with the Brewers and has played up to Triple-A Nashville from last season when he was called up from Double-A Biloxi on September 18, 2023.
Last season between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, Chourio hit .283 playing in 128 games with 583 plate appearances recording 150 hits, 26 doubles, three triples, 22 home runs, 91 RBI, 44 stolen bases, 43 walks, 104 strikeouts, and a .851 OPS.
In 2022, Chourio played at three levels in 99 games between Low-A Carolina, High-A Wisconsin, and Double-A Biloxi hitting .288 in 439 plate appearances smacking 115 hits, 30 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 75 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 32 walks, 118 strikeouts and a .879 OPS.
Chourio has played 322 games in three seasons in Minor League Baseball at all levels in the Brewers organization from 2021-23 recording 368 hits in 1,426 plate appearances batting .286 with 74 doubles, 10 triples, 50 home runs, 206 RBI, 72 stolen bases, 113 walks, 291 strikeouts, and a .821 OPS.
Chourio during his minor league career was selected to the futures game twice in 2022 and 2023, won the 2022 Baseball America Low Class A All-Star Award in Low-A Carolina, won the 2022 Carolina League MVP Award, and 2022 Carolina League Postseason All-Star Award and won the 2022 Carolina League Top MLB Prospect Award.
Chourio is currently playing for Aguilas de Zulia in his third winter league season during the 2023-24 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional regular season. Chourio has played 17 games in LVBP batting .379 with 75 plate appearances recording 25 hits, five doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBI, three stolen bases, eight walks, and eight strikeouts.
Chourio can possibly get called up to the major leagues after Spring Training and will have to compete with other outfielders such as Christian Yelich, Tyrone Taylor, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer before the start of the 2023 MLB regular season.