Twins Series Proves the Future is Now For Jackson Chourio

Last month, I wrote about how Jackson Chourio’s improved swing decisions against fastballs helped drive an offensive resurgence. I worried about whether that topic would age like milk, but thankfully, it has aged more like the Franzia you bought when you first turned 21--not that Chourio would know. He’s kept up the good work and has had a few flashes of greatness, most recently in the series against the Twins. In two games, he racked up five hits, with a double, a home run, five RBIs, and two stolen bases. 

This home run was particularly impressive because it was against a pretty good fastball from Jorge Alcalá: 97.8 miles per hour, high and tight. Furthermore, high velocity was something that Chourio struggled with immensely early in the season. From the start of the season through May 31, he had just a .414 OPS against pitches with a velocity of 95 MPH or greater. Since Jun. 1, his OPS has jumped up to .851 against such offerings. Not coincidentally, that's very close to his overall line in that span, which is .309/.363/.504. Everything is looking better, but here are some of the most meaningful advancements:

It was the kind of incandescent showing that seizes the attention of every fan in attendance, and it certainly didn't escape the notice of his manager.

"What can you say? That's amazing, what he's doing," Pat Murphy said after Sunday's contest. "These two games, you'd walk away saying, 'Wow, that kid deserves $150 million.'"

In addition to making strides at the plate, he’s evolved into an outstanding defender. At the beginning of the season, there were some questions about his ability to play the corner outfield spots, after playing center for the majority of his time in the minor leagues. Furthermore, there were some shaky routes at the beginning of the season to add onto the concerns. Those worries, too, have been assuaged lately--especially this weekend. 

What’s Next?
Although he’s come around to hit the four-seam fastball well, there are other pitches against which Chourio still struggles. He’s averaging just .179 against the changeup, with a 27.6% strikeout rate, something that hasn’t gotten much better throughout the season. He’s also struggled to hit the sinker with much power, posting a .038 ISO.

Outside of his hitting, I’ve been curious about how soon it will be before he becomes a stolen base menace like his compatriots Brice Turang and Christian Yelich. He has 97th-percentile sprint speed, and he was aggressive in the minors, but he has just 12 stolen bases as a rookie. This may have been hindered by his relatively low OBP early on, but even in his hot streak over the past two months, he’s stolen just five bases.

Nonetheless, all of the growth the wünderkind has had in a little over half a season is a reminder of why his prospect stock was so high. It took him around 200 plate appearances to start catching up to big-league velocity, but the sky’s the limit in what he’ll be able to do in the final 200 plate appearances of his rookie year.

Brewer Fanatic's Matthew Trueblood contributed to this report.