Soft and Low Pitches Were Jackson Chourio's Kryptonite. Now He Demolishes Them.

[Jack Stern]

In just a few months, Jackson Chourio turned one of his greatest weaknesses into one of his greatest strengths. It's a shining example of the adaptability that positions him for long-term stardom.

Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson Chourio added another accolade to his explosive rookie season Tuesday night, when he crushed the Brewers’ longest home run of the season. It was a 449-foot blast off the American Family Field video board, to give his team an early lead.

The pitch was a mistake by Logan Webb, who missed his target with a changeup that ended up low-and-in, rather than off the outside corner. Still, it was the latest example of just how far Chourio has come at the plate in the last few months.

The home run came on a non-fastball in the lower third of the zone. Chourio has been one of baseball’s best hitters against such pitches. He has slugged .467 against them this year, the 11th-highest figure among qualified hitters. That’s impressive enough, but it’s even more remarkable given that Chourio was one of baseball’s worst hitters against low non-fastballs through the season’s first two months.

Through the end of May, Chourio slugged .128 against non-fastballs in the lower third of the zone or below. Soft stuff low was not just a weak spot in his game: It incapacitated him. Pitchers quickly discovered this, and began hammering Chourio with breaking balls and changeups away, sending him into a prolonged funk.

Much of Chourio’s tear since the calendar flipped to June has been fueled by an almost unfathomable turnaround against those pitches. He has slugged .733 against them since then, the second-best mark in baseball. Unsurprisingly, that 606-point swing in slugging is the greatest of any qualified hitter between those two split-spans. It’s not close, either. Ketel Marte ranks second, with a 544-point change. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is next at 333 points.

The transformation underscores Chourio’s greatest attribute as a young talent: his ability to make adjustments quickly against more experienced competition. That trait will make it challenging for pitchers to craft an effective plan of attack against Chourio. He does not merely possess a slate of elite raw tools, including his lightning-quick hands and effortless bat speed. He also has the mental and physical adaptability to harness them in a competitive setting.

Three months ago, pitchers could beat Chourio by executing a soft pitch at the bottom of the zone. If they do it now, he’ll destroy it. He did not merely improve from a compromised hitter against those pitches to a capable one. He has become elite against them.

Anyone who followed Chourio’s ascent through the minor leagues would be familiar with this element of his undeniable talent. He showcased it at almost every stop, including in Double-A last summer as a 19-year-old. He hit for a subpar .714 OPS (88 wRC+) during the first half, before exploding for a .917 OPS (141 wRC+) the rest of the way.

Chourio’s first big-league campaign was always likely to follow a similar trajectory. It’s partially why it never made sense to option him to the minor leagues amid his early struggles. Incredibly, he flipped the switch sooner at the highest level of professional baseball than he did in Double-A.

The cat-and-mouse game between pitcher and hitter is one of constant adjustments, but Chourio accelerates the speed of the game, and will force his competition to make more frequent adjustments than most hitters do. That should terrify them.

View full article