The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedcia.net

ALTHOUGH he’s currently on a 10-day injury, Miami Marlins’ second baseman Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm is now the first Bahamian in Major League Baseball to be selected to the All-Star game.

When the voting process closed on Friday, Chisholm ended up beating out Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies to also become the first confirmed Marlin selected for the National League, earning the most votes from the fans as the starting second baseman when the mid-season game between the National and American Leagues is placed on Tuesday, July 19 at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

He was selected to the National League’s starting line-up that includes Cubs’ catcher Wilson Contreas; Cardinals’ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt; Padres’ third baseman Manny Machado; Dodgers’ shortstop Trea Turner; Braves’ Ronald Acuria Jr, Dodgers’ Mookie Belts and Giants’ Joc Pederson as outfielders and Phillies’ Bryce Harper as the designated hitter.

At age 24, Chisholm is the youngest Marlins’ position player since Giancarlo Stanton in 2012 when he was 22. Chisholm and Giancarlo are two of six Marlins who have been selected to an All-Star game. The others are Hanley Ramirez, Dee Strange-Gordon, Marcell Ozuna and Gary Sheffield.

Chisholm is coming off the celebrated Bahamian Heritage Night on June 25 at the LoanDepot Park in Miami when he was honoured by the Marlins in a ceremony that was well attended by a number of Bahamians, including Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg.

On Tuesday, June 28, he was placed on the injured list with a right lower back strain. He was in Jupiter, Florida where he was involved in running, doing groundball drills and core/mobility work, as reported by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald on Thursday.

When the announcement was made on Friday that he was selected, Chisholm told the media on via zoom: “I feel like I should be able to play.”

He has not been officially ruled out of All-Star duties yet as Miami’s General manager Kim Ng said she’s “not really sure” about Chisholm’s return-to-play timeline, indicating that the priority is to ensure that he’s available for the Marlins’ second half stretch towards the playoffs following the All-Star break.

Chisholm got off to a great start during the first half of the season before he suffered the injury. He has played in 60 games so far this season and in 213 at-bats, he has a batting average of .254 with 54 runs and 14 home runs. He has also drove in 45 runs, stolen 12 bases and scored 39 runs.

As one of the most flamboyant players in the league, Chisholm has been a smashing success with the fans on and off the field, taking selfies with them and signing autographs before every game. He has provided just as much flair with his bang-bang plays defensively and his euro-stepping performance after every home run he hit offensively.