MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jackson Chourio is looking forward to more champagne-soaked clubhouse celebrations, even if he still isn’t old enough to partake fully. When the Brewers sealed the NL Central title, the 20-year-old Chourio found a collection of non-alcoholic drinks inside a stroller in front of his locker. The Baltimore Orioles provided a similar setup for their own 20-year-old rookie — Jackson Holliday — for their playoff-clinching celebration by giving him a package featuring bottled water, baby bottles, a child’s jersey and pages of coloring books with drawings of the Orioles mascot. Chourio had no problem with the gag gift as he savored the festive locker-room atmosphere. “I hope there’s more to come,” Chourio said through a translator. The chances of that happening this month depend in part on whether Chourio keeps performing beyond his years. He’s one of the headliners of an impressive class of rookies stepping into the playoff spotlight this week. This has been a banner season for rookies. The most notable of the bunch — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes — won’t be part of the playoffs. But plenty of other first-year players will be playing big roles in this postseason. Two of the best happen to share the name Jackson. Chourio made headlines in the offseason when the Brewers signed him to an eight-year, $82 million contract, the most money ever guaranteed to a non-Japanese player with no major league experience. At the time, Chourio had played only six games above the Double-A level. He has proved his worth this year by becoming the youngest player ever to complete a season with at least 20 homers and 20 steals. The Brewers are confident he can deal with the pressure of the postseason. “Chourio will be fine,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I’m confident. This kid’s endured everything. He’s got some guys in the room that have been in the postseason, and they’ll help him through it for sure.” The San Diego Padres have their own productive rookie in Jackson Merrill, who moved over from shortstop to center field in spring training and has thrived in that role. “I just saw my name in the lineup one day,” Merrill said. “That was it. They threw me in center field without saying anything, so they obviously trusted me.” Merrill batted .292 with 24 homers, 90 RBIs and an .826 OPS. He had six game-tying or go-ahead homers in the eighth inning or later, tying him with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (1956) for the most in a season by a player 21 or younger since 1900.
