Jazz Chisholm Jr. had been putting together a solid career with the Miami Marlins, but his first two months with the New York Yankees have been even better.
The Marlins traded Chisholm to the Yankees on July 27, taking prospects Abrahan Ramirez, Agustín Ramírez and Jared Serna back in return. New York was 1.0 game back in the AL East at the time, more than willing to make a splash if it helped them jump the Baltimore Orioles.
Fast-forward a few weeks, and the Yankees became the first American League team to punch their ticket to the postseason. They boast a 4.0-game lead over the Orioles in the race for the division title, having won seven of their last 10.
One of their few recent losses came against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Still, Chisholm’s two-run home run off Logan Gilbert in the top of the third was the only reason New York didn’t get shut out.
Chisholm has only played in 39 games with the Yankees, and he is already up to 10 homers. The 26-year-old has also recorded 15 stolen bases, 18 RBI, a .280 batting average, a .847 OPS and a 1.5 WAR since first donning pinstripes.
According to OptaSTATS, Chisholm is the third player in the live-ball era to reach at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in fewer than 40 games with a single team. Raul Mondesi did so with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000, while Ron Grant did it with the Cincinnati Reds in 1995.
Chisholm was a .246 hitter with a .749 OPS across five seasons with the Marlins, making an All-Star Game in 2022 but struggling to stay healthy along the way. He averaged 26 home runs, 82 RBI, 32 stolen bases and 2.8 WAR per 162 games in Miami, compared to his 41 home runs, 75 RBI, 62 stolen bases and 6.2 WAR per 162 games in the Bronx.
On the whole this season, Chisholm is batting .257 with 23 home runs, 68 RBI, 37 stolen bases, a .763 OPS and a 2.5 WAR. The only one of those that isn’t a career-high is his OPS.
Chisholm and the Yankees are set to open up a road series against the Oakland Athletics on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.
