Who is Jazz Chisholm, the Miami Marlins shortstop prospect acquired for Zac Gallen?
In Jazz Chisholm, the Miami Marlins hope to have their shortstop of the future.
The Marlins acquired the 21-year-old slick-fielding, power-hitting, left-handed hitter from the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of MLB’s 4 p.m. trade deadline in exchange for starting pitcher Zac Gallen.
While there are kinks to work out in his game — primarily lowering his staggering 33.8 percent strikeout rate from this season — Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill sees Chisholm as a future MLB shortstop who “has a rare combination of speed and athleticism and power batting from the left handed side and a player who we think is going to be a tremendous big leaguer.”
“I think you can put whatever ceiling you want on him,” Hill added. “When you talk about his tool package and what he brings to the table, it’s gold glove defense. It’s power from a position that you don’t expect power from. It’s athleticism. I think the sky’s the limit when you talk about what he can do on a baseball field.”
MLBPipeline ranks Chisholm as the No. 59 overall prospect in MLB, which puts him as the No. 4 player in the Marlins’ minor-league system behind pitcher Sixto Sanchez (No. 26), outfielder JJ Bleday (No. 32) and outfielder Jesus Sanchez (No. 42), acquired Wednesday in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
He has a career .253 batting average with 53 home runs over almost four minor-league seasons after signing as an international free agent in 2015 and is currently in Double A. He could be ready as early to make his MLB as early as the 2020 season, according to Pipeline.
Chisholm was hitting just .204 this season at Double A at the time of the trade after hitting .272 with 25 home runs (most by minor-league shortstops last season) while splitting time in the Diamondbacks’ Class A and A-Advanced affiliates.
Chisholm “posts impressive exit velocities from the left side of the plate with an explosive swing that has natural loft,” according to his MLB Pipeline scouting report. “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 Chisholm’s longest home runs were hit to straightaway center. Chisholm’s 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.”
He’s the latest shortstop prospect the Marlins have added to their system. Miami has four other shortstops they have added over the past two years who are among their top 30 prospects in Jose Devers (Giancarlo Stanton trade), Nasim Nunez (2019 second-round pick), Jose Salas (2019 international free agent) and Osiris Johnson (2018 second-round pick).
Miguel Rojas, the Marlins’ everyday starting shortstop this year who is in the midst of a career season, has one more year of team control before being eligible for free agency following the 2020 season.
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