Jackson Chourio: Up-And-Coming Dynasty Players

For the past several weeks I have been highlighting the under-the-radar players who I believe are up-and-coming dynasty players. This week I am changing gears a bit since the player I want to highlight has been a top prospect for several years and is the farthest thing from being an under-the-radar player.

This week the spotlight falls on Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Chourio has been a hot commodity in baseball since signing with the Brewers for $1.8 million in January 2021. One year later, at the age of 18, he slashed .288/.342/.538 with 20 homers, 75 RBI, and 16 steals across three levels in the minors. He continued that success last year.

Playing at Double-A for most of last season before ending the year with a six-game run at Triple-A, Chourio hit 22 homers, drove in 91 runs, and stole 44 bases while slashing .283/.338/.467. The last teenage minor leaguer to post a 20-40 season was Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2017.

The Brewers knew they had a special player on their hands, so they made sure he would remain with the team for a while. This past December the club inked Chourio to an eight-year contract with two club options, potentially keeping him in Milwaukee through 2033.

If you are a seasoned dynasty player, then you know about Chourio and understand his value. But if you are new to dynasty baseball, then you are probably being approached by other players about trading for Chourio. Don’t do it.

I’ll explain why Chourio is an up-and-coming dynasty player.

2024 Statistics

This is what we know about Chourio: he can hit for power, he can steal bases and he should be able to hit for a decent average. It appears he should have a decent strikeout rate. Right now his strikeout rate of 30.3% doesn’t look great. But in 272 minor league games covering 1,211 plate appearances, Chourio struck out 250 times for a 20.6% strikeout rate. That is pretty good for a teenager.

The Tools

• Hitting

During his minor league career, Chourio only had a .286 batting average. But he also showed the ability to adjust once he got comfortable at the higher levels he reached. In 2022, he started at Low-A ball and slashed .324/.373/.600 in 62 games. In 31 games at High-A ball, he slashed .252/.317/.488. The Brewers weren’t concerned at all with the dip in batting average as they promoted him to Double-A at the end of the year. In six games, he slashed .087/.154/.130.

Starting the season at Double-A in 2023, Chourio slashed .280/.336/.467 to earn a brief six game promotion to Triple-A, where he slashed .333/.375/.476. Right now he is struggling at the plate, slashing .136/.273/.447 over his last seven games entering Friday and .171/.222/.317 over his last 14 games. But he is a 20-year-old kid playing against pitchers who are throwing pitches he has never seen move like they are.

He is currently hitting only .208 against the fastball and .259 against breaking pitches. That is not great. But I doubt that will last long. He will adjust and be just fine in the slash line department.

• The Power

Scouts give Chourio a 65 grade out of 80 in the power department. And he has shown that power in the minors by averaging 1 every 23 at-bats overall. So far this season with the Brewers he is averaging one every 20 at-bats. That doesn’t sound like a great ratio, but over the course of 600 at-bats in a season, that is 30 homers. Right now his 162-game pace is 32 homers.

With the power will come the RBI as well. He drove in 91 last season and currently has 11 – a 119 RBI pace over 162 games. Who wouldn’t want a 30-100 player in their lineup, with or without a nice average?

• The Speed

So Chourio can hit and he can hit for power. Guess what? He can also run. Scouts give him a 70 grade in that department and he has shown his speed on the base paths throughout his career. He stole 68 bases during his time in the minors and was successful stealing 81% of the time. Last year he really ramped up the aggression on the bases as he swiped 41 bags and was caught only nine times for a success rate of 82%.

With the Brewers, he is currently 3-for-3 in the stolen base department with a 162-game pace of 32 steals. Chourio may not continue his current 162-game pace of 32-119-32, but it is not too hard to imagine him reaching those totals yearly as he matures and gets settled into his major league career.

The Verdict

Every dynasty league has players who circle around other members of their league looking to steal a good young player or two when they are struggling. I do that, you may do that, you know others who do that. That is just smart.

But if you are a newcomer to the dynasty world, then at least do this – if you have Chourio on your team, do not trade him unless you are getting a king’s ransom for him. While he is currently in a funk at the plate, he will adjust and become a superstar. Mike Trout’s 40-game run with the Angels in 2011 at the age of 19 ended with a .220/.281/.390 slash line. Alex Bregman started his career 1-for-35 and was slashing .183/.244/.280 with one homer and six RBI through his first 20 games with the Astros.

So do not panic when it comes to Chourio. If you are being hounded to trade him, just say no. And if you are the one trying to trade for Chourio, good luck. He would be a great add.