Miami Marlins: What will Jazz Chisholm do this season?

Will the Miami Marlins rush top shortstop prospect, Jazz Chisholm, to the Major Leagues in this shortened season?

Since the talk of the 30-man roster, this season in Major League Baseball and the possibility of a 20-man taxi squad, my curiosity about which prospects the Miami Marlins will use this season has grown.

The Marlins face an interesting dilemma this coming season – should the be a 2020 MLB season – of which veterans will make the backend of the roster and who could be brought up from the minor league system to get their feet wet.

It makes for an interesting strategy, which could also include more hitters on the roster than usual because of the proposed designated hitter for both the American and National leagues. One player in particular who figures to get a long look at the 50-man scrum is shortstop Jazz Chisholm, who could scratch and claw his way to the Majors this season and become a fixture on the 2021 Miami Marlins roster and beyond.

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Chisholm showed improvement in is hitting once he became a part of the Marlins minor league organization, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald explained.

“After hitting just .204 with 18 homers and 44 RBI in 89 games for Arizona’s Double A team last season, he hit .284 with three homers and 10 RBI in 23 games in Double A Jacksonville in the Marlins’ system after his acquisition from the Diamondbacks in the Zac Gallen trade,” he wrote.

The Chisholm for Gallen deal is rare, where two top-shelf prospects are traded for each other. It looks on the surface the trade will benefit both the players and the teams moving forward. Gallen is already part of the Diamondbacks rotation. Chisholm could become the team’s best shortstop of all time, in time.

While he is solid with his glove, there is some thought the Marlins may use Chisholm in the DH spot, giving him a chance to get familiar with Major League pitching. It might, should he make the team’s roster, prove to be a “trial by fire” move by the Miami Marlins front office.

“We think he should hit for average and hit for power, and he’s an above-average runner and [should] be a complete player for us on both sides of the ball,” says Marlins president of baseball operations, Michael Hill. “Excited to get him into our structure and allow his God-given ability to shine.”

Because of the unlikelihood of there being a minor league season, Chisholm, 22, could take full advantage of playing more baseball this season, giving him a leg up on other prospects once the 2021 Miami Marlins open Spring Training down in Jupiter, Florida.