Brewers avoid their own Jackson Holliday dilemma thanks to prospect breakout

The Baltimore Orioles sent the MLB world into a frenzy when they made the decision to finally promote the top prospect in the majors, to the show. It felt as if Jackson Holliday had earned it earlier, but better late than never, right?

Well, it turns out, the 20-year-old could've used a bit more seasoning in the minors. He had just two hits in his 34 at-bats and struck out 18 times in his 36 plate appearances before being sent back down to Triple-A. Sending Holliday back down was necessary as he clearly wasn't ready, but boy, was it a gut punch.

The Milwaukee Brewers found themselves in a bit of a similar dilemma with their No. 1 prospect entering the season, Jackson Chourio. The Brewers had Chourio on their Opening Day roster thanks to an extension that he inked before playing in an MLB game but he, like Holliday, had struggled in the majors before finally breaking out in their most recent game on Sunday.

Jackson Chourio helps Brewers avoid Jackson Holliday dilemma with breakout performance

Chourio recorded two hits in four at-bats in Milwaukee's win over the Chicago White Sox including this three-run home run to give the Brewers a lead they would not relinquish. That was Chourio's sixth home run of the year, and it came at a time when he really needed it.

Chourio hadn't homered until May 15 since going yard on Sunday, and had really struggled of late after a nice start to his MLB career, as Patrick Fitzgerald of Pitcher List points out.

Since posting a combo meal (a homer and a steal) on April 15, Chourio’s wRC+ of 50 from April 16 to May 27 ranks seventh-worst among hitters with at least 100 PA. Chourio has an aggressive approach at the plate; he both swings (52%) and chases (35.8%) more than 80% of major league hitters. When you throw in the poor contact skills (70.1% Contact%, 23rd percentile), the Ks will pile up. Chourio is not hitting for enough power (.122 ISO, .347 xSLG) to make the 27.4% K% palatable.

He entered Sunday's action slashing .207/.251/.323 with five home runs and 16 RBI. He had shown value in the field and on the base paths, but he was doing next to nothing at the dish. With the Brewers fighting for the NL Central division, they're not a team that can realistically wait all season for Chourio to maybe turn it around, much like the Orioles with Holliday. They were already taking some of his at-bats away against right-handed pitching.

No, Chourio hasn't looked nearly as lost as Holliday did in his stint. His strikeout rate isn't outrageous like Holliday's, but he has fanned 27.8% of the time in his rookie year. He had gotten on base just 25.1% of the time before his big day on Sunday while getting a chance to play almost every day. He simply hasn't played well enough to earn regular at-bats.

Chourio's big game delays them thinking about potentially sending him down to the minors. The Brewers hope that kind of performance will springboard into his first big hot streak. His home run buys the team time, but they're not completely out of the woods yet.