The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JAZZ Chisholm Jr has continued to be one of the breakout stars in Major League Baseball in the 2022 season and has garnered attention for both his production on the field and his style of play.

The Miami Marlins second baseman recently discussed his star climb and the excitement he continues to bring to the game with Stadium and Bally Sports Florida.

“I just feel like the way I play the game is very new to people. It’s hard for people to realise that the game is changing sometimes. It’s hard for people to change once they have done something in such a way for so long, but this is how I’ve done it all my life,” he said. “Coming from The Bahamas this is what we were always trying to do, this is how we were doing it from little league to now and I’m just trying to recreate my little league dream on the big league field.”

Through 20 games, he is currently slashing .329/.380/.657 with four home-runs, five steals, 13 runs, and 19 RBI. He also improved both his strikeout rate (24.1 percent, a 4.5 percent drop from 2021) and walk rate (8.9 percent, a 2.2 percent rise).

“I want the game to be exciting. I just want everybody to have fun in every way they can at a baseball game,” Chisholm said. “It can be a security guard sitting on the side, it can be a fan in the stands and it might be their first game, I want it to be exciting. I don’t want them to come here, sit there and say they don’t want to come back to another baseball game again. I want them to say they want to buy another ticket tomorrow to come and see this guy play because it was so much fun coming to the game.”

Bahamian culture will once again take centre stage at loanDepot Park when the Miami Marlins hosts its second annual celebration of the relationship between the franchise and The Bahamas. The Marlins will host a Bahamian Appreciation Celebration on June 25 when they face the New York Mets in Miami, Florida.

“There’s no better city to do it in than Miami. It’s a 45-minute flight, my family can easily get over here whenever I need them to come watch a game or when I’m not feeling like myself,” he said. “Miami just has that Caribbean style and that’s just who I am.”

Chisholm’s popularity has inspired apparel and many moments that have gone viral with everyone from celebrities to young fans impersonating his now trademark style - varying hair colours and several gold chains around his neck. “I went to a lot of minor league games when I was a kid. Watching Hanley Ramirez was my first big league game in 2010. I came down to the field, I got batting gloves and it made me love baseball even more than I already did,” he said.

“It’s just the love for the game itself is what baseball needs again. I feel like unnecessary things - throwing at people - is not what the game needs, the game needs fun, the game needs to be how basketball is loved so much, that’s how I feel baseball should be.”

Chisholm took a seven-game hitting streak into last night’s series opener with the San Diego Padres.

He went 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday’s loss to the Diamondbacks.

His fast-running, hard hitting style has keyed a Marlins resurgence at 12-12 and has Chisholm looking ahead to his future in the game.

“I go out there and I play my game everyday, I’m going to be the same guy everyday. I’m not going to change if we win, lose, or draw. Inside I’m going to be very upset when we lose but at the same time I’m going to come and sign for the fans everyday and I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can everyday even if I go 0-5 with five [strikeouts]. I’m going to go out there and make every single play on defense because if I’m not getting a hit, nobody’s getting a hit,” he said. “I work hard at it everyday, at this point in my career, the hard work is starting to pay off, it’s not fully there yet, but it’s getting there. You work all your life, you’re almost to your peak, that’s how I feel and I feel like I can lead a team somewhere, I feel like I can lead a team to the World Series.”