Brewers' 17-year-old international signee draws comparisons to Chourio

PHOENIX – A farm system loses an elite-level prospect like Jackson Chourio, who was the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball at the start of the 2024 season, to the big leagues, it’s easy to understand that it would take a hit in this year’s farm system rankings.

So don’t feel bad, Brewers fans, to see that they … checks the new farm system rankings … jumped 10 spots?

There are multiple reasons why Milwaukee is now considered a top 10 farm system even without Chourio, from infield depth to shrewd drafting to a very strong presence on the international market. But while it’s not just one player who gets all of the credit for the rise, the fact that it looks like there might be someone who could follow in Chourio’s footsteps certainly doesn’t hurt.

Jesús Made is here in Arizona experiencing his first Spring Training, just like Chourio did in 2022. Made’s debut in the Dominican Summer League after signing for $950,000 in January of 2024 was even better than what Chourio did. The infielder was named the organization’s co-Minor League Player of the Year after posting a .331/.458/.554 line with six homers, 28 steals and a 28/39 K/BB ratio in 51 games. With every report the player development staff got last summer about Made’s exit velocities and impact from both sides of the plate, the more excited they got about his future.

Chourio went straight to full-season ball for his United States debut after that first Spring Training experience and there’s some organizational conviction that Made can follow suit and jump on a similar fast track.

“What will it ultimately come down to? Baseball skill-wise, we’re confident he could go to Carolina, probably like Jackson did,” Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan said. “But it’s also all the off the field stuff. You’re in a new country, you’re not even 18 years old yet, how do you go to a grocery store, keeping up with the language. Balancing the life skills and all the things that growing up in the States you kind of take for granted. That’s going to be the big factor.

“It came naturally to Jackson, and he was comfortable in the States. Jesús has shown signs of that already, so we’re hopeful he can at least start out on that path. Where it ends up, we’ll see.”

There’s a balance to be struck here. There’s an example to follow in what Chourio did, but it would be unfair to assume any talented prospect could go from the DSL, spend one year in the Minors stateside and then finish third in Rookie of the Year voting following a 20-20 season. The Brewers won’t be afraid to move Made aggressively because they know it can be done, but they’ll also not cut any corners.

They’ve even learned to do some things a little differently with Made this spring compared to 2022 with their center fielder. Chourio didn’t see any time in Major League Cactus League games until very late in camp. To help Made, now the No. 55 prospect in baseball, prepare for what could come next, they’ve sent him over for more big league experience, even as a late-inning backup, to help smooth the path for him a little bit.

What Made has more than anything that Chourio didn’t have ... is Chourio. Made met him in Milwaukee for the last home series of the year when he came to town to get his Minor League Player of the Year award. Now they’re in Maryvale together, and a relationship is slowly forming that will only serve to benefit Made’s development.’

“They obviously knew of one another but hadn't spent much time together,” Flanagan said. “I think now, just having these conversations here and there, and more importantly, just from the side, seeing that it’s possible to move that quickly, I think Made has that extra level of confidence that he won’t be the first guy, but maybe, hopefully, he’ll be the second guy in a couple of years to do it.

“We know time is on his side, so we want to be careful not to force the issue. He has to, just like Jackson had to, earn his way at each level, and he kind of forced our hand. Hopefully Jesús can do the same.”

• Subscribe to the Baseball Traveler newsletter

Camp standout: Jack Hostetler

A year ago at this time, Hostetler was in his third season at Division 3 Whitman College in Washington. He was planning to move on to Oregon State for a senior season until the Brewers signed him as a nondrafted free agent last August. Now he’s in his first Spring Training and making a very strong first impression, including an early big league Cactus League inning. There are some who think he could be this year’s Brett Wichrowski, who was a Day 3 draftee in 2023, wowed people seemingly out of nowhere in camp and then pitched his way to Double-A.

“He came on the scene with little fanfare,” Flanagan said about Hostetler, who could pitch entirely off of his lively mid-90s fastball, but also has a solid changeup and slider. “Like Wichrowski, he’s a guy who came into our offseason programs and opened some eyes and took it right into Spring Training. He has quick at-bats, always on the attack. He knows his stuff is good and makes short work of the hitters he’s faced.”

Breakout candidate: Luis Lara

Currently the No. 21 prospect in the system, it looked like Lara might be a fast-tracker. He signed for $1.1 million in June 2022, went to full-season ball in 2023 and earned a promotion to High-A. A return to Wisconsin in 2024 didn’t go as well as he slashed just .245/.332/.327, and he didn’t move the needle much offensively when he finished up in the Arizona Fall League. He seemed out of gas at times, playing far more games in a season than ever before, even after missing time with a hand injury, and it looks like he put in the offseason work to address that issue.

“The will was there, but he just didn’t have the stamina,” Flanagan said about Lara’s 2024 season. “I think this year he’s in a much better place physically. He is much much stronger than we feel he’s been in the past, so I could see him being a guy who holds up a lot better over the course of the season. The experience he’s had, as a non-roster invitee to big league camp this spring, I think his confidence is high right now as well.”

Something to prove: Eduardo Garcia

Way back in July 2018, the Brewers gave Garcia seven figures to sign as a top shortstop prospect out of Venezuela. It’s been very slow going ever since, with injuries playing a factor, though he did start the 2024 season in Double-A. There were some glimmers of hope out of the gate: He had to move to center field because of the glut of infielders in Biloxi and looked very natural on the grass. He was swinging the bat better than perhaps he ever had, with an OPS of .837 OPS over 10 games until he was hit by a pitch and broke his hand. He missed two months and spent the bulk of his time once he returned back at High-A. His showing in winter ball, albeit in limited playing time (.391/.412/.674 in 51 plate appearances) is giving the Brewers some cause for optimism in a guy who will be a Minor League free agent at the end of this season, even though he’s still only 22.

“He has a chance to move around the diamond quite a bit,” Flanagan said. “A little bit is out of necessity; a lot of it is on him and his athleticism to go wherever you need him. The bat is interesting. He’s been a little bit of a swing-and-miss guy in the past, where you question the strike-zone judgement. Is he recognizing spin? He started to make some strides last year but that’s still a huge thing he has to step on. This is his opportunity to show us what he’s got.”