NASHVILLE – Four Nashville Sounds have been named the 2023 Milwaukee Brewers Robin Yount Performance Award recipients, given to the Brewers Minor League Players of the Year and Pitchers of the year. Jackson Chourio and Tyler Black were named the Co-Players of the Year and Robert Gasser and Carlos Rodriguez were honored as Co-Pitchers of the Year. The awards were announced by Milwaukee Brewers earlier today.
Chourio, the Brewers’ top prospect (Baseball America and MLB Pipeline) and the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, made his Nashville debut during the final homestand of the season. The 19-year-old did not disappoint in his first week at the Triple-A level, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with three doubles and two RBI. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native became the youngest Sounds player during the franchises Triple-A era (1985-present) when he was promoted to Nashville on September 18.
The 2021 international signee has a stellar season with Biloxi. He became the first player in Double-A to have at least 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases since 2005, finishing the Southern League campaign with 22 homers and 43 steals. Chourio led the league with 143 hits and ranked among league leaders in RBI (2nd, 89), home runs (T-4th), stolen bases (5th), extra-base hits (6th, 48), average (6th, .280) and slugging percentage (7th, .467). He is the first Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer to win the award twice, also taking the distinction in 2022.
Sharing the top honor among Brewers’ Minor League position players is Black. The No. 4 prospect in the Brewers’ system and the No. 51 prospect in baseball (MLB Pipeline) joined Nashville on August 6 and played in 41 games with the Sounds. The Toronto, Ontario native was on fire at the plate to end the season, hitting safely in each of his final 14 games. From September 7 to the end of the season, Black hit .453 (24-for-53) with 16 runs, nine extra-base hits, 11 RBI and a 1.276 OPS.
Gasser was a staple on the mound for Nashville in his first full season in the Brewers organization. The southpaw led the Triple-A level with 166 strikeouts. It was the fourth-most in a season in team history. The No. 5 prospect in the Brewers’ system (MLB Pipeline) also boasted the best win percentage in Triple-A and posted the second-best ERA at 3.79. Gasser had a pair of 10-strikeout performances (August 4 vs. Durham and August 18 vs. Charlotte) and ended the season with 10 quality starts.
Last, but certainly not least of the group, is Brewers’ No. 6 prospect (MLB Pipeline) Carlos F. Rodriguez. The 21-year-old Nicaraguan made his Triple-A debut with the Sounds on September 20 vs. Jacksonville. He struck out six over 4.2 innings, just finishing an out away from taking a win. Rodriguez made 25 starts with Biloxi, going 9-6 and posting a Southern League-best 2.77 ERA in 123.2 innings.
All four recipients are the first Sounds to receive Brewers’ Player of the Year accolades since Ethan Small was named Pitcher of the Year in 2021.
The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. The 2024 home opener against the St. Paul Saints is Tuesday, April 2. Season ticket memberships are available now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].
