How Far Away is Jazz Chisholm From an Impact with the Miami Marlins?

The Miami Marlins seem happy with Miguel Rojas starting the 2020 season at shortstop.

Behind Miguel Rojas on the Miami Marlins organizational depth chart at shortstop lurks several exciting prospects, chief amongst them Jazz Chisholm.

Chisholm is a five-foot-11, 165 lb. lefty-batting and righty-throwing shortstop from Nassau, Bahamas. Born on February 1st, 1998, Chisholm signed through international free agency with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015.

In 2016 for his first professional look, with the Missoula Ospreys in the Rookie-level Pioneer League, he hit .281/.333/.446 and clubbed nine homers with 37 RBI. He also stole 13 bases in 62 games at the lowest level in professional baseball.

A torn meniscus limited Chisholm to just 29 appearances in 2017, with the Single-A Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League. He remained with the affiliate to begin 2018, and in 105 combined games between the two seasons, he hit .245/.315/.442 with 16 round-trippers and 55 RBI.

Missing a literal calendar year to the injury, Chisholm was stoked to get back to work again.

"I have way more respect for the game. I’m very excited to get back on track."

A mid-season promotion to the Visalia Rawhide in the High-A California League would see Chisholm hit .329/.369/.597 in 36 games, with 10 homers and 27 RBI to close out the season. According to MLB Pipeline,

"Chisholm posts impressive exit velocities from the left side of the plate with an explosive swing that has natural loft. He showed in 2018 that he not only could tap into his plus raw power, but also apply it across the entire field, as some of his longest home runs were hit to straightaway center. His power does come with swing-and-miss tendencies, so he’ll need to refine his aggressive approach as he develops. He’s an above-average runner who receives praise for his instincts on the basepaths."

In 2019, Chisholm was spinning out a .204/.305/.427 slashline through 89 games in his first look at the Double-A level in 2019, with the Jackson Generals in the Southern League. He also smacked 18 home runs with 44 RBI and stole 13 bases. Despite his middling batting line, the Miami Marlins spent pitcher Zac Gallen in trade for Chisholm’s services.

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Chisholm only appeared in 23 games once he got into the Marlins system, remaining in the Southern League and moving to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He hit .284/.383/.494 and hit three home runs with 10 RBI.

Currently, Chisholm is the fourth ranking Marlins player in the system, according to the MLB Pipeline, and the number 54 prospect in all of baseball. Right now he’s part of the 40-man roster. Other shortstops in the group include Miguel Rojas, and multi-positional talents Jonathan Villar and Jon Berti.

Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow for an Adam Conley preview, and tune in later to MLB.TV for the Marlins first Spring Training game, at 1:10 PM EST versus the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, FL.