Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s Walk Year Is off to the Worst Possible Start

With free agency on the horizon, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has entered a defining 2026 season, but he hasn’t found his footing quite yet.

While many players experience a slow start at the plate, it is the early key defensive and mental errors that have added more questions on top for Chisholm.

Several situations have already arisen where fans, media, or his manager have questioned his process in certain moments.

All of these early factors have contributed to a harsh start for Chisholm, especially in an offseason when he aimed to join the 50 homer/50 stolen base club, a feat achieved only once in history.

The first month of the season has not shown that Chisholm can back up his optimistic offseason predictions, which is crucial for both the New York Yankees‘ team aspirations and his personal goals.

Today, we’ll discuss Chisholm’s early plate struggles, mental errors, and how it’s all going to affect his impending free agency

Plate Problems

Through the Yankees’ first 25 games, Chisholm is currently the team’s worst overall qualified hitter in several categories.

Slashing .188/.274/.282 with a .556 OPS and a 61 wRC+, Chisholm currently ranks as the 16th-worst qualified hitter in baseball by OPS and slugging percentage.

It took until April 23 for Chisholm to launch his first homer of the season, putting him behind pace for the 50/50 prediction he set for himself.

While the early counting stats are obviously disappointing, his advanced numbers also raise some concerns.

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Let’s start with his average bat speed, which has seen a 1.3 mph drop from his 2025 average of 73.9 mph.

Bat speed has increasingly become a more prevalent statistic in the game because of how it affects several aspects of contact and hitting, and his average bat speed has dipped by more than just a couple of ticks, a notable fact.

When it comes to his contact, it’s not that he is necessarily making less contact, but rather that the overall quality of contact has dipped.

In 2026 so far, Chisholm’s hard-hit percentage has hit 33.9%, down 9.4% from last year, while also barreling just two balls in the early going.

His quality of contact has decreased, while his contact percentage and in-zone contact percentage have actually ticked up a bit.

This data just shows me that the bad stretch is really around a possible early timing issue and him not getting the barrel on the ball consistently.

Chisholm’s productivity in the Yankees lineup is crucial for regaining the top offense in baseball and for earning significant money in a contract year.

Mental Errors

Many media members and fans can overlook a rough couple of weeks at the plate, but the added mental errors leave many, including Aaron Boone, less than pleased.

In the first three weeks, Jazz has committed two on-field errors that led to media questions for himself and Boone.

In a game on April 4 against the Marlins, Chisholm sat back on an easy ground ball and let the first batter of the ninth inning reach, leading to a longer-than-expected save for closer David Bednar.

While the mistake didn’t end up costing the team the game, it was definitely something to note for Aaron Boone and something he addressed in the postgame.

Then, in the most recent incident on April 11 against Tampa Bay, Jazz made an error that ended up walking off the game for the Rays.

This time, the issue wasn’t the error on the field; it was Jazz’s clear lack of understanding of the rules when he addressed the situation at his locker.

Chisholm essentially asked the reporters if the run would’ve scored anyway if he had gone to first base initially and then they had thrown to second base for the non-force double play, which the Rays would’ve won anyway if he had actually tried that.

Neighboring teammate Trent Grisham also made the point, chiming in to highlight that the run would have still scored.

The whole situation was a bit funky, as a major league infielder did not know the rules, and it definitely led to quite a media stir.

Boone was asked about the situation and essentially said that Jazz wasn’t confused; he would talk to him, and he was just saying that with reporters in front of him, which almost made the situation even more funky.

Especially during a bad stretch for the team, mental lapses will only be heightened in the New York media stream, and it wasn’t a good look for Chisholm.

Free Agency Outlook

Chisholm’s free-agent contract numbers will become clearer as his stats and the offseason shape up, but there is some idea for what fans can expect.

Cubs star second baseman Nico Hoerner landed a lucrative six-year, $141 million deal recently, and while Chisholm is a different type of player, he can still expect to get money somewhere in this region.

A big part of the 28-year-old receiving a similar or greater contract is a strong final year to put a bow on a solid first six seasons that have seen him total 100-plus homers and 100-plus steals with a career .761 OPS.

Beyond the nitty-gritty contract details, a much larger question looms in many fans’ heads: Are the Yankees going to re-sign Chisholm?

With a notable infield prospect pushing for the big leagues in George Lombard Jr., the Yankees could opt for the cheaper solution to help shuffle and fill the infield gaps.

We saw a similar situation last year with Cody Bellinger, as his demands and the market did not align with his full desires, and he returned to the team, despite rumors that the team was willing to go with internal options if they didn’t sign him at their price.

Chisholm’s season will likely determine his fit and cost for the Yankees, and that’s a big fact for both parties.

If the negative season continues, his market will surely crumble to much different standards, and he could be a re-sign option for the team. But if he gets back to what he has shown over the last year and a half, he will certainly get paid handsomely by some team, Yankees or not.

In my opinion, at this time, unless the price comes down, I can easily see the Yankees letting Jazz walk in free agency and filling the gap with an internal option or a cheaper outside option.