Home/MLB

USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The 19-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio has already given enough headline-making instances. Among them, his signing the deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for eight years for $82 million is arguably the biggest. Now, amidst the spring training and impending regular season, the speculation revolves around his matching the expectations of the team following such a mammoth investment. Will he stand firm on their expectations?

Though the team’s authority identifies immense potential in him, the manager of the team, Pat Murphy, also discovered significant room for improvement. Consequently, he highlights the importance of Chourio’s Opening Day performance to bolster his chances of entering the 2024 season.

Chourio’s potentiality is subjected to honing

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Murphy, who was a head coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State and has substantial experience in shaping 19-20-year-old players, identifies the 19-year-old Chourio’s prowess for five particular aspects: “hit, hit for power, run, field and throw.” But at the same time, he observes a specific room for improvement in the plate discipline, which he believes Chourio will do over time.

When asked, he highlights Chourio’s skill, stating, “Timetable, I can’t tell you when. He certainly has great ability. You can see some of that; it takes time to see all of it.” Now, as the fans hope to see him facing the opponent with heightened energy, the team has yet to confirm anything, despite hinting at a favorable approach. Murphy isn’t the only one to identify Chourio’s considerable skills on the field and his confidence to face significant challenges.

The team’s general manager, Matt Arnold, made a weighty comparison when asked about the young center fielder. While discussing the staggering contract they signed with the athlete, Arnold stated, “He can get to just about everything; he has that type of barrel control. He can do damage to all fields, and he knows it. There’s the Vladimir Guerrero kind of profile that you can sort of squint at and see what he can do.” Now, with his team’s epic faith in him, it will not be groundless to imagine him on the 2024 roster, especially considering his outstanding performance in the previous season.

Being the youngest athlete in the major’s history to sign such a contract, Chorio thrived in the previous season for Double-A Biloxi, posting .280/.336/.467 with 22 homes and 43 steals. While on the other hand, the Brewers slugged .385 last season, second-worst in the entire National League. Thus, stepping into the upcoming season, the team desperately searches for a solid defensive line, stretching the ground for Chourio to appear if he performs remarkably on the Opening Day.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Read More: Milwaukee Brewers Make Off-Season History, Surpassing Previous Record by $32 Million Amidst New Era

The upcoming season can expect a sturdy defensive line from the Brewers

As the team has already signed the contract extension with Chourio, fans can ideally expect his appearance in the upcoming season. However, it will still be difficult to predict what the defence will actually look like of the Brewers. Though according to MLB.com, given the productivity of Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell, they can be the projected outfielders for the team.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

At the same time, while emphasising Chourio’s position, reports are projecting that he will be in the centre fielder position in the coming season. Nonetheless, the final result can only be delivered by the time itself.

Read More: MLB Spring Training: 5 Careers Hinging on Feb/March Auditions