The New York Yankees are the defending American League champions and the team certainly has confidence that it will return to the playoffs and have an excellent chance of returning to the World Series at the conclusion of the 2025 Major League Baseball season. One of the most confident players on the team is relative newcomer Jazz Chisholm, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins last year at the trade deadline.
Chisholm played 3rd base for the Yankees after he came to New York, but he is slated to play 2nd base for the Yankees this year. Chisholm has played multiple positions throughout his career, including 2nd base, outfield and shortstop. He believes that he will work extremely well with Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, and the two will give the team outstanding defense at those two key positions.
“I think we could be the best shortstop-second baseman in the league, definitely defensively,” Chisholm said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “And I think we are probably going to turn the most double plays in the league, too. That would be my prediction for us.”
Defense has long been one of the more overlooked areas of Major League Baseball, especially when compared with power hitting and pitching. However, baseball insiders have never underrated defense and modern statistical advances have shined a much greater light on defensive proficiency
Chisholm enjoying higher profile with the Yankees
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Chisholm has played five big league seasons and he made the National League All-Star team in the 2022 season. It was difficult for him to maintain his edge while playing with the Marlins when they were struggling. However, once he was traded to the Yankees his production and enthusiasm picked up dramatically.
Chisholm slashed .273/.325/.500 after coming to New York. He belted 11 home runs in 176 at bats and drove in 23 runs while playing 46 games in the Pinstripes. Chisholm also gave the Yankees a dose of energy and speed. He stole 18 bases after the trade and was caught stealing just 2 times.
The postseason was not overly kind to Chisholm as he batted just .133 in the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals and .158 in the ALCS triumph over the Cleveland Guardians. He picked it up a bit in the World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers as he slashed .238/.304/.381 with a home run and 4 stolen bases.
Volpe has been a solid shortstop for the Yankees in the last two seasons. Volpe played 159 games as a rookie in 2023 and he followed up by playing 160 last season. He hit 21 home runs and drove in 60 runs as a rookie and followed up with 12 HRs last season and another 60 RBI season in ’24. He won a Gold Glove during his rookie season.
Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in the NFL.”
