Brewers' Jackson Chourio Makes Team Venezuela Commitment

Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase was the first to report that Chourio would be participating.

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Why Brewers fans should care about WBC

Chourio was the second Brewers player to join his country's roster for the WBC (Brice Turang, Team USA), and he might well be the player on the team fans would most want to see. His first two years in the majors have been good, though he hasn't quite become a superstar yet, and in the playoffs, he's showed up the biggest.

In 12 career playoff games, Chourio currently sports four home runs, 15 hits, a .341 batting average, and a 1.044 OPS. He played through a nagging hamstring injury to begin last year's postseason, and wound up being the Brewers' most dynamic hitter in the National League Division Series.

As for the rest of the roster, the departure of Freddy Peralta via trade leaves Chourio's fellow countryman, Venezuelan catcher William Contreras, as the most obvious Milwaukee star who would be a good fit for his team's roster.

Team Venezuela also announced the commitments of Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on Thursday. They're joined on that roster by Royals catcher Salvador Perez and Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu.

Venezuela always sends an excellent squad to the WBC, but has yet to win the event. In 2023, the Venezuelans went undefeated in pool play, but lost a thrilling 9-7 game to Team USA in the semifinals in Miami.

At a difficult moment in the country's history, it would be uplifting for the nation to see a championship, and Chourio might be the X-factor.