Since Jazz Chisholm played his last game on April 27, the Miami Marlins have been floundering.
When he went down, the second-year second baseman was batting .290 with four home runs and seven stolen bases. Chisholm recorded hits in 14 of the 21 games he played before heading to the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
While he was gone, the Marlins went 7-9, including losses in six of their last eight games entering their matchup with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon. In those eight games, Miami scored a total of 22 runs, and six of those came in a 9-6 loss on Friday.
But Jazz joined his teammates on Saturday and hit the field on Sunday, and immediately made a difference.
Playing shortstop in his first game back, Jazz went 2-for-5, while scoring a run and stealing a base in a 3-2 win that allowed Miami to salvage one win in the three-game series and stay three games back of the New York Mets in the division standings. The rookie is a difference-maker and his absence proved it.
He was inches away from collecting his third hit of the game in the ninth inning. It took just about everything Gavin Lux had to throw him out after Jazz sent a two-out grounder back up the middle. That play brought out the best in Lux and Chisolm. That’s what baseball is about.
What a play by Lux to get the speed Jazz Chisholm #Marlins 3 #Dodgers 2 B9 pic.twitter.com/LlSobXZHOr
— ?????? ???? (@B_R_R_D) May 16, 2021
That hamstring looks pretty good to me.
Jazz putting in work in his first game back shouldn’t be a surprise. He mauled Triple-A pitching during his rehab stint with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He slashed .444/.500/.899, with a home run, four RBIs, and three runs scored in nine at-bats.
Some players just have “it.”
You can’t describe “it.” You can’t develop “it.” You can’t fake “it.”
Jazz Chisholm has “it.”
One of the things that every manager wants to see out of a young player is the ability to learn and adjust.
Chisholm was showing that in the last 15 games before his injury. He hit .327 over that stretch, including mashing all four of his home runs, six of his seven RBIs, and four doubles. His OPS was a ridiculous 1.012, and he was slugging better than .600.
Most importantly, the Marlins produced an 8-7 record in those games.
If you’re nitpicking, then yes, Jazz still strikes out too much and walks too little. Just imagine what damage he could do just by raising his on-base percentage to .420.
But remember, he’s only played in 125 games. He hasn’t truly discovered the rhythms of the major league baseball season. Once he gets that experience, it’s not much of a stretch to think that pitchers across baseball will be adjusting the Jazz Chisholm more than he’ll be adjusting to them.