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Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Matt Arnold held court with the media during the team’s latest homestand. Among the topics discussed was the development of Jackson Chourio, the club’s former top prospect who has debuted and spent the entire season in the big leagues after signing an eight-year, $82 million contract.
Chourio has struggled mightily so far, hitting .214/.257/.345 (71 wRC+) in 180 plate appearances. Defensive metrics grade his glovework as above-average, but he has also shown hesitancy and taken subpar routes on playable balls.
Garrett Mitchell’s impending return from the injured list, Sal Frelick’s recent hot streak, Blake Perkins’s solid performance as a fourth outfielder, and Chourio’s inconsistent play raise questions about his short-term fit with the big-league term.
His playing time against right-handed starters has dried up lately. Chourio did not start in Monday night’s series opener against the Phillies, and has now started in just two of Milwaukee’s last seven games against a right-handed starter.
A demotion to Triple-A could be on the table, but Attanasio pushed back against that notion.
“I don’t see where he’s going to learn anything in Triple-A at this point,” he said.
Attanasio is right. While there would be a more straightforward path to daily at-bats in Nashville, Chourio won’t gain much from a developmental standpoint by facing that level of competition.
Chourio has already hit six home runs, and has shown that he can punish mistakes. When pitchers leave pitches over the middle of the plate, he’s destroying them.
Two of those home runs have come during the last two homestands, and demonstrate how naturally Chourio crushes any pitch in his wheelhouse. On May 15, he demolished a changeup over the plate, sending it to the Miller Lite Deck in left field with a powerful but controlled swing.
Last Monday against the Cubs, he took a controlled swing at a two-strike fastball over the outer half of the plate and hit a 103.8-mph double into the gap in right-center.
On Sunday against the White Sox, he belted a hanging slider by Nick Nastrini into the left-field bleachers.
Chourio’s struggles are primarily against well-executed pitches around the edges of the strike zone. He also continues to swing at non-competitive ones, chasing outside the zone at a 36.1% rate that ranks in the 10th percentile of all hitters.
Facing pitchers in Triple-A who are more prone to making mistakes over the plate would allow Chourio to lean back on his existing strengths, instead of addressing his weaknesses. Being challenged less will not facilitate growth.
Keeping him in the big leagues also guarantees Chourio immediate access to perhaps the most important resource in his development: veteran teammates who can offer guidance and encouragement.
“The veteran guys are really helpful for him,” Arnold said. “Conversations with guys like Freddy [Peralta]. He’s playing dominoes with Wade Miley. He’s connecting with veteran guys, and he wants to learn from them.”
The conversation with Peralta appeared to spark an improvement in Chourio’s glovework. He appeared hesitant to go after shallow fly balls, perhaps in fear of what would happen if the ball skirted past him after an unsuccessful dive attempt. Chourio was forgoing outs to ensure the ball remained in front of him.
When it happened again last Tuesday with Peralta on the mound, the ace pulled Chourio aside afterward for a pep talk. He reminded the rookie that the organization and his teammates had confidence in his abilities, so he should have the confidence to play aggressively. Chourio made two diving catches in the following days.
“One hundred percent,” Peralta said when asked if Chourio played with more confidence throughout the rest of the homestand. “I think everyone can tell if they’re seeing what he’s been doing … That’s what we want at the end of the day, to make him feel comfortable.”
“I don’t know what he said, but it’s what you want to see, right?” Attanasio said. “It’s a constructive conversation. All I know is they had that conversation and then Jackson made a sliding catch shortly thereafter.”
Barring injuries or sudden slumps, the Brewers could be facing some difficult roster decisions when Mitchell is ready to return. It’s possible that Chourio will end up in Nashville soon to ensure playing time. The best place for his development to continue, though, is still the big leagues.
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