Jazz Chisholm Jr. needs one adjustment to become elite

I’ve written extensively about the best second baseman in the game, and for good reason. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the superstar that the Miami Marlins need. Chisholm is a superstar with a well-earned 2.5 WAR and a .254/.325/.535 batting line for the season. There is one thing that he needs to do to become truly elite however…

Jazz Chisholm Jr. needs one adjustment to become truly elite.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has legitimate power as we can see here on his StatCast profile. Chisholm improved his BB% from 6.7% in 2021 to 8.7% in 2022. He also improved his K% from 28.6% to 27.4%. It’s clear that he’s improving, but there’s more that can be done.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. improved his WRC+ from 98 in 2021 to 138 in 2022. He still has his 90.2 EV since 2021, which is an improvement over his 87.1 EV from 2020. This means that he’s hitting for power and is better offensively than last season.

What about his approach at the plate? Well, this is the area that Jazz Chisholm Jr. needs to make adjustments in. He improved his swinging at pitches outside the zone: 33.4% in 2021 to 30.7% in 2022. He also now swings more at pitches ínside the zone: 65.6% in 2021 to 67.7% in 2022. Strangely enough, he connects with the ball less now than last season.

In 2021, Jazz Chisholm Jr. connected with pitches outside the zone at 61.4%, this season it’s 58.7%. Inside the zone, he connected with the ball 81.8% of the time, but this season it’s 77.8%. Chisholm’s patience at the plate improved, but his contact rate needs to go up as well. Well, according to StatCast he actually should have a .262 batting average, so perhaps his contact is already improving.

As you may have already guessed, Jazz Chisholm Jr. needs to improve his contact skills, as if he does then he’ll fix the biggest flaw that he has. If Chisholm starts batting .280+ along with his speed, power and defense, he’ll be a true top 10 position player in the Major Leagues.