Comparing Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s 2022 and 2024 seasons

[Kevin Barral]

Two years ago, Chisholm earned an All-Star selection with 60 games of excellent production at the start of the 2022 season. How do his current numbers stack up after the same 60-game sample size?

In 2022, Jazz Chisholm Jr. fully broke out as a star. The Miami Marlins second baseman slashed .254/.325/.535/.860 with 14 home runs, 45 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a 136 wRC+. Chisholm's combination of power, speed and personality attracted international support and MLB fans voted him a National League All-Star Game starter, a rare honor for any Marlins player. He wasn't able to play in the All-Star Game, unfortunately, due to a back injury. In fact, his season was cut short on June 28, so he couldn't even build upon his special 60-game start.

Still only 26 years old, Chisholm should be entering the prime of his career. It is within the realm of possibility that, if healthy, he can put up similar numbers again or even take his game to the next level.

Through 60 games in the 2024 season, how close is Chisholm to his 2022 form?

Overall, there is a big gap. Chisholm is slashing .251/.319/.429/.747 with eight home runs, 29 RBIs, 11 steals and a 110 wRC+. However, since the Luis Arraez trade, he has taken over as the team's lead-off hitter when facing right-handed pitchers and there has been improvement. He's slashing .275/.325/.477/.802 with four home runs and 11 RBIs since May 4.

Although Chisholm was named an All-Star, there were still flaws in his game back then. One of the biggest improvements from 2022 to 2024 has been lowering his strikeout percentage from 27.4% to 24.0%.

Chisholm is also much improved at hitting left-handed pitching. In 2022, Chisholm slashed .143/.205/.314/.519 against lefties and would often be benched by then-manager Don Mattingly in those matchups. In 2024, Chisholm is slashing .244/.298/.410/.708 with two home runs and 11 RBIs, pretty much a league-average hitter.

The most obvious change from two years ago: Chisholm is playing a different position. He made the transition from second base to center field following Miami's acquisition of Arraez and he has continued to play there every day since Arraez's departure. Chisholm's defensive metrics have been mixed, rating well in outs above average since 2023 (5 OAA), but poorly in defensive runs saved (-11 DRS). 

That being said, it's important to note that center field has been the weakest hitting position in MLB this season (.230/.296/.368/.663 slash line). Chisholm stands out from the group more than he would otherwise.

The best news of all, Chisholm is proving to be durable for the first time. He has played 60 out of 61 Marlins games entering Wednesday. Even before his season-ending injury in 2022, he had missed 13 of the team's games on his way to making 60 appearances.

Whatever ends up happening to Chisholm, he has matured in certain aspects of his game and there's reason to believe that there's still room for improvement. If he gets back to showing off his home run power more consistently, this should end up being the first 20/20 season of his career.

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