For years, the Milwaukee Brewers remained in the shadow of the national media. Each year, the Brewers are selected to finish at best in the middle of the National League Central. They are often predicted to finish last. Their best players are often left out of the rankings or not considered for major awards, despite the team’s overall success.
However, this offseason has been completely different.
Milwaukee Brewers stars received well-deserved recognition from national media
Earlier this week, it was announced that Brewers manager Pat Murphy had won the National League Manager of the Year award, making him the first captain in franchise history to win the award. Milwaukee also became the last Major League Baseball team to win Manager of the Year honors.
Before Murphy’s win, right fielder Sal Frelick and second baseman Brice Turang won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. Turang was later honored with the National League’s Platinum Glove Award, given to the best defensive player, regardless of position.
William Contreras won the Silver Slugger in the catcher category for the second consecutive season and was just announced as fifth place in the votingr for National League MVP (Willy Adames finished 10th).
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio also received some recognition this offseason
Ahead of the 2024 MLB season, the Brewers signed their top prospect, Jackson Chourio, to an eight-year, $82 million contract that includes two options, which could make it a 10-year deal worth $132 million.
Chourio proved to be worth the investment. He overcame a leisurely start to the season to hit .275/.327/.464 with 21 home runs and 79 RBI. He also scored 80 runs and stole 22 bases, making him the youngest player in MLB history with a 20-20 season.
Despite his historic season, Chourio finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes and San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill.
However, the season put him on the radar of national baseball analysts, one of whom ranked him as the eighth best outfielder in all of baseball.
Joel Rueter comes off Bleacher Report recently released his list of the top 25 outfielders in baseball’s rankings and had high praise for the juvenile Brewers star:
“Jackson Chourio took some time to establish himself on the big league team, which was no surprise as he was the youngest player to appear in an MLB game in 2024. But once he gained momentum, he looked like a future superstar.
- First 50 games: 174 PA, .210/.254/.327, 9 XBH (5 HR), 27.0 K%
- Final 98 games: 399 PA, .303/.358/.525, 45 XBH (16 HR), 18.5 K%
“The 20-year-old turned in an impressive debut, going 5-of-11 with two home runs in three games against the Mets in the NL Wild Card Series, becoming the youngest player in Brewers history with a two-game home run in the postseason.
“The eight-year, $82 million contract extension he signed last season could prove to be one of the most team-friendly deals in MLB history.”
The only outfielders ahead of Chourio were Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Jarren Duran, Mookie Betts, Merrill, Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander.
Although no other Milwaukee outfielder made the top 25, Rueter cited Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich as standouts
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