Chourio ready to build on milestone-filled rookie year in postseason

MILWAUKEE -- Over the last 40 years, nine players have started MLB postseason games before their 21st birthdays, among them household names like Andruw Jones, Miguel Cabrera, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acu?a Jr., and Juan Soto.

There’s about to be two more, and they are both named Jackson. Shortstop Jackson Holliday’s Orioles are scheduled to open the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday afternoon, followed about 90 minutes later by outfielder Jackson Chourio’s Brewers.

It will be the latest milestone for Chourio in a rookie season full of them. He bounced back from a tough first two months to hit .305 with an .887 OPS from June 2 on, along the way becoming Milwaukee’s youngest Major Leaguer (Braves and Brewers) to have a multi-homer game and the youngest Major Leaguer ever to secure a 20-homer, 20-steal season. All that after becoming the youngest player to make his MLB debut on Opening Day batting leadoff since Boston’s Bobby Doerr in 1937.

“I thought, ‘Man, this kid must be pretty special if they’re going to throw him out there when he’s 20 years old,’” said Rhys Hoskins. “I remember being 20 in college, not anywhere near being ready for professional baseball in any capacity, let alone the big leagues.

“What do I think now? I think I see somebody who has all the talent in the world to be successful in this game. Just his understanding of some of the nuances to win baseball games has grown exponentially. Because of those two things -- his talent and just learning the game more and more every game -- his confidence is through the roof.

“He’s smiling when he’s taking pitches, he’s laughing when he fouls stuff off that he feels like he should hit, he’s ribbing the guys, calling a home run and then he goes and does it. Those are the kinds of things that the greats in this game have. I don’t know if he knows that, which is probably a good thing.”

Of course, it’s easy with hindsight to see that Chourio belongs. But there was a time, as his OPS sunk as low as .575 as late as June 1, that Brewers officials pondered whether it was time to send him down to Triple-A to relieve the pressure valve.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio was asked that very question when he sat down in May with some of the reporters who regularly cover the team. He reflected on that during a similar session on Monday.

“I think I said at that time he had nothing left to learn at Triple-A, that we were committed to letting him learn at the Major League level,” Attanasio said. “You know, good process leads to good performance. His attitude really never wavered.”

Frelick, Hudson among roster questions

Teams have until the morning of Game 1 of each postseason round to set their 26-man roster, and the Brewers will need every minute to decide whether outfielder Sal Frelick and left-hander Bryan Hudson make the cut.

While health is the primary question for Frelick, who deemed himself “good to go” after testing his left hip in right field and on the bases during Monday’s workout, the opponent would help decide the fate of Hudson, who was sent down to Triple-A Nashville in early September when his velocity and stuff -- but not his results -- plummeted.

The Brewers are flush with left-handers, with Jared Koenig and Aaron Ashby locks for the roster in the first round and DL Hall and Hoby Milner also in the running with Hudson. Whatever happens, Hudson was pleased to put himself back in the discussion after a demotion that shocked everyone, given his 1.73 ERA in 43 appearances.

“I think it’s back where it needs to be,” Hudson said. “The velo was down on a little bit of everything, but we worked on some things down there and got back right. We’re good to go.

“I think the body is not used to the amount of innings I’m throwing at the pace I was throwing them, and it caught up to me. That’s something to go off of next year so I’m not in this position again. The rest was the biggest key for me.”

Hudson’s fellow relievers felt his presence missing the night the Brewers clinched the NL Central, but he was with them in spirit. Hudson said he got a six-pack that night and watched the game from his hotel room.

“I was rooting like I was right there with them,” he said.

Attanasio on Adames' future

How fondly does Attanasio regard free agent-to-be Willy Adames? So fondly that he mentioned Adames in the same sentence with CC Sabathia, the left-hander who had an outsized influence in the Brewers snapping their 26-year postseason drought in 2008, early in Attanasio’s ownership tenure.

The Brewers would have loved to bring Sabathia back, just like they would love to hold onto Adames. But Attanasio has also consistently argued for keeping payroll within the bounds of a responsible budget and avoiding long rebuilding periods. So, the Brewers know they face long odds with Adames.

“I was thinking about this walking over here, back to CC Sabathia,” Attanasio said. “I believe we made the first offer to CC, and then the Yankees jumped the offer. And then while we were contemplating increasing the offer, they jumped their offer again. They created, in 2008, a $40 million gap.

“So, [Adames] and Robin [Yount] are probably the two greatest shortstops to play here, and a cherished part of our history. We’re appreciative of everything he has done here. He is going to get an enormous free agent contract and I’m very happy for him and his family. We’ll give it our best shot, but there are a lot deeper pockets out there. That’s just reality.”