For years, the Milwaukee Brewers have flown under the radar of national media outlets. Every year, the Brewers are picked to finish in the middle of the National League Central at best. Many times, they are predicted to finish last. Their best players are often disregarded in rankings or not considered for major awards despite the team’s overall success.
This offseason, though, has been very different.
Milwaukee Brewers Stars Have Received Well-Deserved Recognition from the National Media
Earlier this week, it was announced that Brewers manager Pat Murphy won the National League Manager of the Year Award, making him the first skipper in franchise history to win the award. Milwaukee also became the last Major League Baseball club to have a Manager of the Year winner.
Prior to Murphy’s win, right fielder Sal Frelick and second baseman Brice Turang each won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award. Turang was later honor with the Platinum Glove Award in the National League, given to the best overall defensive player, regardless of position.
William Contreras won the Silver Slugger at catcher for the second season in a row and was just announced as the fifth-place vote-getter for National League MVP (Willy Adames finished 10th).
Milwaukee Brewers Outfielder Jackson Chourio Also Received Some Offseason Recognition
Prior to the 2024 MLB season, the Brewers signed their top prospect, Jackson Chourio, to an eight-year $82 million contract that includes two options that could make it a 10-year deal worth $132 million.
Chourio proved to be well-worth the investment. He overcame a slow 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, his season also put him on the radar of national baseball analysts, one of which ranked him as the eighth-best outfielder in all of baseball.
Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report recently published his top 25 outfielders in baseball rankings, and had high praise for the young Brewers star:
“It took Jackson Chourio some time to settle into life as a big leaguer, which was unsurprising since he was the youngest player to appear in an MLB game in 2024. But once he hit his stride, he looked the part of a future superstar.
- 1st 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 slapped a bow on top of his impressive debut by going 5-for-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-homer game in the postseason.
“The eight-year, $82 million extension he signed last offseason might end up being one of the most team-friendly deals in MLB history.”
The only outfielders that ranked ahead of Chourio were Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Jarren Duran, Mookie Betts, Merrill, Teoscar Hernandez, and Anthony Santander.
While no other Milwaukee outfielders ranked in the top 25, Rueter did list Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Christian Yelich as honorable mentions
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