Brewers 20-Year-Old Sensation Could Be Breakout Star Of 2024 Playoffs, Report Says

Music to the ears of Milwaukee...

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas and Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) pour champagne over Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) after the victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and winning the NL Central Division championship on Wednesday September 18, 2024 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have a new face of the franchise in 2024. But the question is how far he will be able to take them at such a young age.

With under a week to go in the regular season, the Brewers have had their spot in the playoffs clinched for a week officially, but for months unofficially. They've dominated the National League Central, and their 20-year-old rookie outfielder is leading the charge.

Jackson Chourio, the Venezuelan prodigy whom the Brewers inked to an $82 million extension before he touched a big-league field, has gone gangbusters in the second half. He is likely to finish third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, but he's been one of the ten best players in the game since the All-Star break.

Chourio's ascent to superstardom in the regular season has made many around the game start to believe he could similarly impact the postseason. He was named one of the possible breakout stars of the playoffs by Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz in a Tuesday piece for MLB.com.

"The Venezuelan outfielder’s debut campaign has been a tale of two halves. Before the All-Star break, Chourio had a .678 OPS -- admirable considering he's younger than "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown, but far from a headline-grabbing performance," Mintz said.

"But since the break, Chourio has exploded to a .940 OPS, the ninth-highest mark in baseball. His ascension helped the Brewers endure the loss of Christian Yelich to season-ending injury and secure another NL Central title."

It's never easy for a rookie to perform in October, let alone a rookie who is still the only player born in 2004 kicking around the big leagues. But Chourio has proven himself ready for the big stage during this stretch run, and that could easily translate to the postseason.

It's the all-around strength of Chourio's game that makes him so dangerous in October. He can beat you in so many equally deadly ways. Will he hit a mammoth home run? Steal a crucial base? Rob a home run that seals a series-clinching victory?

No one knows for sure, and that's why we'll all be tuned in for every pitch.

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