Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 30, 2022 190 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
After missing four games, Bahamian infielder with the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. was back in action yesterday, starting at second base and batting second in the lineup.
The Bahamian professional baseball player, who is having a breakout second season in the majors, went hitless in five at-bats yesterday and struck out twice. The Marlins lost to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, 6-3, and dropped the weekend series two games to one. They will stay on the road to face the Colorado Rockies in a three-game series starting today.
About a week ago, Chisholm was pulled from the lineup, in a game against the Braves at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, suffering from tightness in his left hamstring. The injury proved not to be extreme, and Chisholm avoided any extended time in the injured list.
On Sunday, Chisholm went hitless in five at-bats for the first time this season in a single game. He is still among the league leaders in a number of offensive categories.
The 24-year-old Bahamian is batting .279 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs (runs batted in) and 21 runs scored. He has an on-base percentage (OBP) of .329, a slugging percentage (SLG) of .558, and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .887. Chisholm also has six stolen bases, possibly on his way to a 30-30 season.
Defensively, Chisholm has 60 putouts and 80 assists in 143 total chances this season. He has helped turn 17 double plays and has a fielding percentage of .979. The Marlins’ leadoff hitter is still well on his way to his first career MLB All-Star selection.
On Sunday, for the first time since May 4, the left-handed hitting Chisholm batted out of somewhere other than the leadoff spot, and it wasn’t a good experience for him.
In his first at-bat, in the top of the first inning, Chisholm flew out to Braves’ right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. The Marlins’ next batter, Jorge Soler, homered to give them an early lead, but the Braves responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and they never looked back.
In Chisholm’s second at-bat, in the top of the third, he grounded into a force play which was fielded by Braves’ shortstop Dansby Swanson, recording the out at second. Chisholm struck out swinging in his third at-bat in the top of the fifth. He grounded out to Braves’ relief pitcher Jackson Stephens in his fourth at-bat in the top of the seventh, and then struck out swinging to end the game in the top of the ninth.
The Bahamian is now back in the lineup and is looking to produce. He spent time on the injured list four times in his first full season in the majors in 2021 – his longest due to a left hamstring strain at the beginning of May 2021, missing 16 games.
Chisholm has bounced back and is having a strong second full season in the majors. He is proving that he is among the best second basemen in the league and is expected to receive a significant number of votes for this year’s MLB all-star game which is set for July 19 at Dodger Stadium Los Angeles, California.
As for the Marlins, they have now dropped seven of their last nine games and are in fourth in the National League East Division in the majors. They sport a 19-26 win/loss record, 10 and a half games behind the front-running New York Mets (31-17). The World Series Champions Braves are second in that division at 23-25 and the Philadelphia Phillies are third at 21-26. The Washington Nationals bring up the rear in that division with a 18-31 record.
The Marlins will now face the Rockies in a three-game series before turning to LoanDepot Park in Miami for four games against the San Francisco Giants next weekend. Bahamian Antoan Richardson, a former major leaguer, is a first-base coach with the Giants.