Brewers' Jackson Chourio vocal on 'important' Pat Murphy advice
11/19/2024 04:52 PM
Milwaukee Brewers' left fielder Jackson Chourio finished third for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award. The NL ROTY honor ultimately came down to a two man race between Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher Paul Skenes and San Diego Padres' center fielder Jackson Merrill, with Skenes winning NL Rookie of the Year.
However, Chourio's top-three finish among all National League rookies is an impressive feat. The young outfielder credits first year Brewers' manager Pat Murphy. "[Murphy] always trusted in me… He always told me, 'You have to understand that this is a process for you. You're in the big leagues. Everything is going to get better for you. Keep doing what you're doing, working hard,'" Chourio said, per Adam McCalvy on MLB.com.
"That was one of the most important things that happened for me to finish the way I did," Chourio added.
Murphy was hired as the Brewers' manager after spending eight seasons with the team as a coach. Under his guidance the team once again captured the NL Central, improving on their 2023 record of 92-70 by one game.
But the 2024 season was particularly special. Milwaukee lost former MVP Christian Yelich to a back injury in July. Yelich would ultimately need season-ending surgery. While it's nearly impossible for a small market team like the Brewers to replace a player of Yelich's caliber in the middle of the season, Chourio stepped up. The rookie produced 29 doubles, 21 home runs, 79 RBI, 80 runs scored and 22 stolen bases with an OPS of .791 and 3.8 WAR in 148 games for Milwaukee.
Brewers' rookie Jackson Chourio turned in a sensational debut season
Chourio made MLB history as the youngest player ever to have a 20/20 season – hitting 20 home runs and stealing 20 bases. He continued producing in the postseason, becoming the youngest player ever to hit a leadoff home run in the playoffs.
His play justified the Brewers' unexpected decision to sign Chourio to an eight-year, $82 million contract before he had played his first major league game. If the talented, young outfielder's 2024 season is any indication, that contract will end up being a steal.
Unfortunately, Milwaukee's postseason results remained the same, as the team was bounced from the first round of the playoffs, losing to the New York Mets in the Wild Card round.
The Brewers have made the playoffs in six of the last seven years. But the team has lost in the first round five straight times. Milwaukee last won a postseason series in 2018. Since then, the Brewers have gone just 2-10 in postseason play, never advancing past the Division Series.
Despite the disappointing finish to the season, the Brewers appear to be on the right track. Chourio finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Milwaukee's Matt Arnold won Executive of the Year – the first person to ever win the award with the Brewers – and Murphy is up for Manager of the Year honors, which will be announced Tuesday afternoon.
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