Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio is on an unconscious tear at the plate for Biloxi Shuckers in Class AA

ATLANTA – The hottest hitter in all of the minor leagues is named Jackson Chourio.

The Milwaukee Brewers top prospect, after a first half featuring his share of ups and downs as the youngest player at Class AA, is scorching hot for the Biloxi Shuckers.

On July 4 – less than a month ago – Chourio sported a .247 average, .303 on-base percentage and .396 slugging percentage, good for an OPS of .699.

Since then, it’s been nothing but fireworks off his bat.

Chourio is batting .439/.500/.818 in his last 15 games entering play Sunday. He has an OPS of 1.318 and, no, that isn't a typo. He has five homers, two triples and six doubles as one-fifth of his at-bats have led to an extra-base hit.

Jackson Chourio being more disciplined at the plate

Also of importance from this stretch: Chourio has struck out just seven times.

“At that age, we knew the league would be a challenge for him and he’d held his own,” said Brewers vice president of player operations and baseball administration Tom Flanagan. “Then suddenly, now he’s just kind of kicked it into another gear coming out of the break.”

This month has served as a blaring reminder from Chourio to anyone paying attention that he is still one of, if not the best prospects in baseball.

Chourio has been lasering balls to all fields during this stretch while also utilizing his plus speed to make things happen when he doesn’t square it up.

“His exit velocities, he hits the ball extremely hard,” Flanagan said. “The key for him – when he makes contact, it’s gonna go – it starts with swinging at strikes. He’s so athletic he can get to a lot of balls. He’s not really restricted to just pull power or yanking everything. He’ll go to all fields.”

Jackson Chourio is flashing his power stroke with the Biloxi Shuckers

Chourio’s 15 home runs are the second-most by any teenager at Double-A since 2006, only one round tripper back of Giancarlo Stanton’s mark of 16. His 65 runs batted in are tied with Elvis Andrus for the most and his .457 slugging percentage is the fourth-highest of any teenager with at least 300 plate appearances at the level behind only Justin Upton, Mike Trout and Fernando Tatis Jr.

The difference for Chourio, as the Brewers see it, is improved swing decisions of late.

“With young players, I think you’re always looking at it always comes back to plate discipline and swinging at strikes,” Flanagan said. “That’s any player. Jackson’s no different. I think that’s something that stood out where he was doing a decent job in that area and has picked it up. I think it’s been improved.”

Chourio’s streak also coincides with the league the Shuckers play in, the Southern League, switching back from an enhanced-grip baseball it used in the first half to a regular ball. The tacked ball created a challenge for evaluators who could never be quite sure just how much the increased spin and movement impacted performance.

While the inverse is also true – it’s tough to tell how much the switch back to the mudded ball has mattered – it sure seems clear Chourio is thriving off pitches that are moving in a more typical manner.

“It’s hard to quantify, exactly, but I think the pre-tacked ball did have some movement characteristics that were different that our guys weren’t used to seeing,” Flanagan said. “So now that they’re back to the traditional, mudded baseball I think you’re seeing guys having a little more success. I wonder what (Chourio’s) numbers might have been with a traditional ball.”

Jackson Chourio has moved up ranks quickly early in his baseball career

The Brewers have not been shy about challenging Chourio by presenting him with advanced competition for his age throughout his time in the organization, but they also want to make sure they aren’t unnecessarily rushing him.

While that means it’s unlikely Chourio makes an appearance in a Brewers uniform in 2023, the current trajectory indicates that some point early in 2024 isn’t all that unrealistic.

“It’s one of those things where it’s that old adage of, ‘Hey, the players tell you when they’re ready to move up,’” Flanagan said. “And that’s not saying he’s imminent to go to Triple-A or not, but just to go on a tear like this, I don’t think anybody in the office is surprised at all. You’re happy for him and have to enjoy it when they go on a hot streak like this and tap into something. It’s something that certainly he can build on.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio red-hot for Biloxi Shuckers