The Yankees Play Much Better with All That Jazz

This genre of music is an expression of sadness on varied and deep levels. It is the beat of the unseen. A boy from the Bahamas is taught the joy of hitting by his grandmother. His swing is smooth like his nickname. Jasrado is a pirate of the best kind, ambitious yet loyal to his crew. We know him in New York as Jazz Chisholm Jr. The return of the Yankee's second, no third baseman, has served as a re-introduction to the man, willing to learn, and able to adapt to attain his journey's end. The player, who likes his favorite anime worn on his sleeve, is One Piece of major league talent all rolled into one. A piece of talent blessed by God to reinvent himself and immerse himself in camaraderie and championships. 

The player who left the field due to an oblique injury spent three weeks thinking about how he got to where he was. He was a supernova when the Yankees acquired him in 2024 and surprised with his power and speed, and surprising play at the hot corner. His reflexes and cannon arm impressed and solidified a position that could not be tamed for years. His swagger was infectious and was one of the reasons the Yankees won the American League pennant despite their imperfections. 

However, his average dipped this year in the search for power numbers. It caused him to be on base less often, and this negated his other skills that could have opened the door to impacting games in more ways. His return has already seen him wiser and more understanding. The change in position did not move him at all. His desire centered on attaining dreams with friends. "I just want to win," Jazz told Yankee manager Aaron Boone, "I want a ring." Jazz has had to throw off the reputation that the Florida Marlins placed on him for being selfish and a showboat. In reality, Jazz plays the game with an enthusiasm that excites his team and makes the Yankees better. The only thing that stops him is trying not to fall too much in love with his tools. 

His decision to ditch the infamous torpedo bat was a commitment to a new philosophy of hitting. The stroke is shorter and more natural. He is attacking the whole field, and if the ball goes out, it's in the flow, not forced. The opening game against the Boston Red Sox was a grand example as Chisholm Jr. caught an off-speed pitch in the first inning that dropped low into the zone, which he went with to dead center 417 feet with a natural adjustment. The next inning saw Jazz catch a runner up close that he stroked to right, adjusting his body to get the head to the ball, producing a balanced swing. The improvement in approach is obvious in the numbers. Jazz has produced an excellent .500 average with two home runs and six RBIs. The natural progression for Jazz, if he can keep hitting in this manner, would be to become the lead-off hitter the Yankees have been searching for years.