Recent projections suggest Brewers’ Jackson Chourio could put up MVP caliber season

Last year, the Milwaukee Brewers saw Jackson Chourio burst onto the scene and perform at a star-caliber level in his rookie season. At just 20 years of age, the outfielder became the first player in MLB history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a single season before turning 21.

Now, FanGraphs' STEAMER projections believe Chourio is going to get even better in his sophomore season. So often do we see rookie phenoms go through a "sophomore slump" as pitchers adjust to him and the scouting reports grow more detailed on what to expect when he comes to the plate. However, STEAMER is bypassing that concept entirely.

As things currently stand, the young superstar-in-the-making is projected to hit 28 home runs and steal 27 bases, coming oh so close to the 20-20 club at 20 and then the 30-30 club at 21. The sky is truly the limit for what he's going to be able to do in the big leagues, and Brewers fans should be over the moon to have him patrolling their team's outfield for the long-term future. In fact, it wouldn't be crazy to think that Chourio could be among the game's best hitters as soon as next season.

Jackson Chourio's 2025 projections should have Brewers fans buzzing

STEAMER has Chourio also scoring 96 runs, driving in 87 and posting a 119 wRC+ which would come in two points higher than what he was at in his first season.

In 2024, Chourio hit 21 home runs with 79 RBI, 80 runs scored and a .791 OPS. This earned him a 22nd place finish in the NL MVP voting and a third-place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. If he's able to come close to what the projections are expecting of him in 2025, he's going to seriously improve on that place in the MVP voting.

Sticking with FanGraphs, this time looking at their Roster Resource page, Chourio is projected to be the Crew's leadoff hitter on Opening Day. He made 33 starts in the leadoff spot this past season, hitting four home runs and driving in 14 while posting a .277/.327/.447 line. Getting on base as often as he does makes him a prime leadoff hitter, especially when he can run into home runs as frequently as he clearly can.

Again, the sky is the limit on Chourio and his potential. He looked phenomenal last year, but the sense around the industry is that he's only just beginning a long, long career of greatness.

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