It’s Been an Interesting Year for Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is probably one of the more polarizing players on the New York Yankees‘ roster. His talent and swagger in the batter’s box and at second base are very apparent, but the Bronx faithful have often had good reason to question his decisions on the field.

He has often come up huge in clutch situations during his tenure in New York, both in the regular season and the postseason. He has also cost the team dearly with a poor at-bat or, more notably, a mishap in the field.

This season he has been streaky at times, but has stepped up in some big spots while some big players have been absent due to injury. He has provided sparks on offense when the lineup is struggling and continues to be a tenacious personality in the dugout. As long as he is able to stay on the field and avoid both injury absences and certain distractions on the field, he can still be an important piece.

This Yankees team must continue to have a player like Chisholm, as when he succeeds, it gives the team some edge, something the franchise has shied away from in the past. As long as the team continues to trust him in the lineup, he will continue to be an important asset for the Yankees.

Chisholm’s Background in Pinstripes

When Chisholm first came up to the majors with the Miami Marlins in 2020, he was the first flashing star on a team that was starved for attention within the baseball landscape. He drew attention with his long uppercut swing, his speed on the basepaths and his dazzling defense.

He also caught eyes because of the brightly colored accessories he would wear, including chains and customized cleats. He was the type of star that the league office had been longing for for a while, as baseball has a lot fewer flashy stars than other major sports. This was shown by his feature on the cover of MLB The Show 23.

He backed up his personality with his play on the field, collecting 115 hits in 2021 and stealing 23 bases, fourth in the National League that year. In his first three full seasons in Miami, he showed off real power, good speed, and a solid glove, making the All-Star team in 2022.

He helped the Marlins reach the postseason in 2023, although they were swept by the Phillies in their Wild Card Series. He was traded to the Yankees at the 2024 trade deadline, as the team needed middle infield help.

Chisholm’s time in the Bronx has been filled with highs and lows, with him often being one of the focal points of the team’s success and struggles. Once he arrived in New York, he immediately began to contribute, hitting three home runs in his first four games with the club.

He switched from second base to third base for the remainder of 2024, a position he had never played before. Chisholm collected 48 hits and 11 home runs during the remainder of the regular season, driving in 23 RBI. He also had 10 hits in the postseason during the team’s AL pennant run.

Chisholm succeeded at the plate last season as well, joining the 30-30 club with 31 homers and stolen bases. His slugging percentage and OPS were both top-20 in the American League. Despite a strikeout rate of 27.9%, he drew a career-best 58 walks, driving in 80 RBI and collecting 112 hits.

His batting and baserunning run values were in the 84th and 86th percentiles, respectively, and he barreled the ball on 15% of all his balls put in play.

Where Chisholm has occasionally been criticized is his defense at second base. Although he has great range because of his speed, he struggles fielding hot liners right at him, which often skip past him into center. He committed 18 errors last season, including 12 at second base, his natural position.

A ball he let get past him in game four of the ALDS against the Blue Jays bungled a potential inning-ending double play and helped seal the team’s fate.

This year, in which the team has seen more contributions across the lineup, Chisholm has struggled to find consistent success, though he has had some clutch hits when needed. Although his slash line does not look stellar at first glance, he has looked much better since shaking off a slow start in March and April. His 97 wRC+ on the season is right around league average.

He continues to make an impact on the basepaths, with 26 stolen bases, second-most in the AL. His baserunning run value is in the 99th percentile, and he has only been caught stealing five times. His strikeout rate is high, but he has also drawn 36 walks on the year. Chisholm also has a .936 OPS and a .380 on-base percentage in late and close situations this season, with 14 hits in those situations as well.

He has double-digit RBIs in each month this season, despite having a slower June. In May, he was one of the standouts on the team, with 27 hits and 12 runs scored. Lately, any issues for Chisholm stem from attention unrelated to his play.

Recent Headline-Grabbing Moments

Recently, Chisholm was lambasted by some in the fanbase over eating a lollipop while manning second base during the Yankees’ recent trip to Detroit. Manager Aaron Boone even said “that pisses me off” when asked about it.

However, Boone later clarified that he wasn’t that angry.

“I talked to him about it, and it should be over with,” Boone said, “I mean, let’s face it. I was annoyed by it. I addressed it. And at the end of the day, it’s not that big of a deal.”

I have definitely never seen anyone else eating a lollipop in the field. Players usually don’t chew on anything aside from the traditional gum and sunflower seed combo. It’s one of those things that only Chisholm would get involved in, and Yankee fans were not expecting this from a team that is so often by-the-book.

Recently, as the team was swept in four games by their archrival Red Sox, Chisholm was ejected from the final game for arguing a checked-swing call on a third strike by the home plate umpire. He acknowledged that he had to “do better and stay in the game.”

This is not the first time he has been ejected while wearing pinstripes, and it sums up the rough run of play the team has been having. Despite the obvious reasons for angst in the clubhouse, you cannot help the team win as a player if you are not on the field.

Chisholm’s latest incident came during a contest against the Tigers in New York, as he left the game after colliding with Jasson Domínguez while trying to track a blooper in shallow right field.

He was then placed in concussion protocol after the game but only missed one game.

It’s hard to blame Chisholm for this one – Domínguez admitted he didn’t call for the ball loudly enough – but it’s yet another example of the second baseman making headlines in his up-and-down free agent walk year.

All these incidents came with the team struggling through injuries and an offense that has been stagnant.

While the Yankees often seem to struggle around the June-July period, the team is still on better footing than in years prior. They are still in striking distance of the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East title and the best record in the American League.

It seems that everyone in the lineup is trying too hard to get the rest of the team going again. The team’s overall batting average over the last seven days is .201 with only 39 hits among all players and 21 runs scored.

The pitching staff has taken a step back, with a few rough starts by Cam Schlittler hampering his Cy Young hopes, and equally poor performances from the bullpen. Over the last two weeks, Yankee pitchers have given up 106 hits and 71 runs (though many have been unearned).

This all comes as Chisholm is set to become a free agent after the season. Before the season, he stated that he was hoping to sign an eight-to-10-year contract for about $35 million per year. That would add up to $280 to $350 million in total dollars.

Even if Chisholm fully reverted back to his form from last season, it’s hard to imagine him earning such a deal. However, if he does have a successful second half, there’s a good chance he will be extended, just not for that much or that long.

I think that his upside is certainly worth looking at keeping around, as when he is succeeding, he can be a major spark plug in the lineup and add depth to it as well. Even with his struggles this year, he has still come in clutch at moments and shown flashes of his old self. I just think he has not shown enough to deserve a long-term deal.

If the team does decide to bring him back, they need to make sure that his head is in the right place and he is willing to dedicate himself to the team. Some of the distractions, like the lollipop incident and his ejections, can cause undue harm to his chances to get out of slumps and are intensified by the pressures of playing in New York.

I believe that a two-to-four-year deal would be preferable for the Yankees. It would give them a chance to commit to Chisholm as a member of the team while also giving them easy exit routes if it does not work. Chisholm has always had the potential to be a star player in the Bronx, but time might be running out for him to prove he can be one for a good chunk of the rest of his career.