Chourio makes splash as 2024 NL Rookie of the Year finalist

MILWAUKEE -- One came to the Brewers from a family of baseball prospects in Maracaibo, Venezuela. The other took a more circuitous route, falling in love with boxing and Notre Dame football while growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., before finally finding his niche in baseball as a coach and world-class motivator.

They converged in Milwaukee in 2024 as rookies -- 20-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio and 65-year-old Pat Murphy in his first year as a full-time MLB manager. And they’re both being recognized for their successful seasons once more, this time by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Chourio is a finalist for the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award and Murphy is a finalist for the NL Manager of the Year Award. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network next week -- first, the rookie honors in each league at 5 p.m. CT on Nov. 18, and then the manager honors at 5 p.m. on Nov. 19.

Here’s a look at each race:

NL Rookie of the Year finalists
Chourio
OF Jackson Merrill, Padres
RHP Paul Skenes, Pirates

The Brewers have had three Rookies of the Year, from Pat Listach in 1992 when Milwaukee was still an American League town to Ryan Braun in 2007 and Devin Williams in ’20. Chourio would need a remarkable upset to become the fourth; Merrill (11 votes) and Skenes (19 votes) accounted for all 30 first-place votes in MLB.com’s final poll on the matter during the regular season.

But that was in late August, when Chourio was in the midst of a four-month run that removed any doubt that the youngest player in the Major Leagues belonged there. On June 1, Chourio had a .575 OPS and his record-setting, eight-year, $82 million contract from the Brewers still looked like a gamble. Chourio’s veteran teammates sat him down and urged him to start having fun again.

From June 2 through the end of the regular season, he slashed .305/.360/.527 with 16 of his 21 home runs and 15 of his 22 stolen bases. Chourio surged through the NL Wild Card Series, including a two-homer effort in Game 2 against the Mets, but BBWAA ballots were cast before the first pitch of the postseason, so that didn’t figure into his case.

Every step of the way, Chourio set a new standard. He was the youngest player to make his MLB debut on Opening Day batting leadoff since Boston’s Bobby Doerr in 1937, Milwaukee’s youngest Major Leaguer (Braves and Brewers) to have a multi-homer game and the youngest Major Leaguer to secure a 20-homer, 20-steal season. On the night the Brewers clinched the sixth postseason berth in the past seven seasons, it was Chourio who tripled and scored the winning run against the Phillies. The Brewers had a stroller stocked with non-alcoholic drinks waiting for him in the clubhouse.

“It’s just an incredible story,” Murphy said. “I feel privileged to be part of it, to be honest with you.”

NL Manager of the Year finalists
Murphy
Carlos Mendoza, Mets
Mike Shildt, Padres

Seven times since the BBWAA started naming a Manager of the Year in each league in 1983, a Brewers skipper has been the runner-up. Tom Trebelhorn was the first in ’87, and Phil Garner was in ‘92. Since the Brewers’ move to the NL, there’s been Ron Roenicke in 2011 and Craig Counsell four times -- in 2018, ’19, ’21 and ’23.

Murphy, who was Counsell’s bench coach for all of those years, has a chance to finally take home the prize.

He already was named Sporting News’ Manager of the Year, a particularly meaningful honor since it’s decided by a vote of fellow managers. Now, we’ll see what the baseball writers have to say after Murphy led a team that went 93-69 to win the NL Central title with a 10-game cushion over the Cardinals and Cubs, outpacing its 79-win PECOTA projection by 14 victories.

The Brewers reached that total with a full month of the regular season yet to play, and with baseball’s best run differential -- despite trading one co-ace (Corbin Burnes) and being without another (the injured Brandon Woodruff) all season, and with ace closer Williams on the injured list until the end of July. It took 17 starting pitchers to cover 162 regular-season games, tying Milwaukee’s franchise record. The Brewers set a franchise record with 12 pitchers recording at least one save.

Murphy managed to keep it all together. The Brewers were the first team in MLB to punch a postseason ticket.

“You have to give Murph and the coaches credit for the way they pulled everyone together and got these guys to believe in themselves when nobody else did,” said Brewers owner Mark Attanasio. “Nobody.”