Chourio doubles up on his first Biloxi homers

In just his fourth game at the Double-A level, Jackson Chourio tapped into his power. And he did so not once, but twice on Tuesday, racking up a couple milestones in the process.

The Brewers’ top prospect hit his first homer for Biloxi, a two-run jack to right field off Pensacola lefty Patrick Murphy, before doubling his dinger total with a walk-off, two-run shot in the 10th frame of the Shuckers' 7-6 win.

It was a career game for Chourio, who slugged his first professional homer off a southpaw as part of his first multihomer performance.

"When he stays in the strike zone, the kid is a special player. He can do special things," Biloxi hitting coach Chuckie Caufield said. "Being at a new level, it kind of gets to you a little bit, but the more he goes into the season, I think you're gonna see more of that and see some special things from him."

The No. 6 prospect in baseball didn't light up the place in his first two at-bats of the game. In the first frame, he struck out on three pitches, and in the third, he got ahead in the count, 3-0, before going down looking four pitches later. The outfielder was about to turn his luck around.

With his team up in the fifth, 2-0, the Venezuela native found himself down in the count, 1-2, and fouled off a pitch in the zone, looking again to be on the verge of striking out before connecting on the fifth pitch of the at-bat. Chourio’s 60-grade power was evident as he muscled the ball to the opposite field for a no-doubter.

"He got off to a little bit of a rough start tonight, but he stayed in there, battled through it and got some pitches to handle," Caufield said. "That [homer] kind of got him going. The ups and downs will be something that he'll be challenged with, but it's not anything that he can't handle, since he's a special player."

Chourio didn't get another hit until extra innings, when he stepped up to the plate with one out and his club down by one. With the free runner representing the tying run on second, the 19-year-old didn't just tie the game. He ended it with one forceful swing in a 1-0 count, punishing righty Cristian Charle by smacking the offering to dead center and sending Biloxi fans home happy in the team's 2023 home opener.

"When that kid stays in the strike zone and he's on top of his game, there's a reason he can do what he does," Caufield said. "A lot of these guys, it's their first time at Double-A, and there are a lot of ups and downs in the game. We had a big crowd, and you want to come up big in front of them. ... Just seeing the smile on his face and all the hugs and happiness, that's what it's all about."

Chourio, who slugged a career-high 20 homers across three levels in 95 games last season and has 27 career dingers, has hit for average against lefties, just never for power. As all eyes turn to the teenager, he has so far showed no signs of slowing down on a torrid path to Milwaukee.

What can Brewers fans expect from the phenom? Caufield echoed the same thing he said all night -- Chourio is special.

"You see the bat, everyone gets wowed by the bat, especially the things he can do in the batter's box, but the kid can run. He can wreak havoc on the bases," the coach said. "He's pretty good out there in center field too. He throws the ball well, and he covers a lot of ground. He's the whole package."