How Jazz Chisholm Jr. is preparing for Year 2 in center field. And who could back him up

At this time a year ago, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was in the throes of learning how to play center field. He voluntarily decided to make the switch, moving from the middle infield to the outfield to give the Miami Marlins more flexibility to round out their roster — Miami ultimately acquired second baseman Luis Arraez as a result.

Fast forward 12 months, and Chisholm is now no stranger to center field, and the difference in how confident Chisholm is at the position is noticeable.

“It’s a complete 180,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I mean, he didn’t really know what he was doing [at the start of spring training last year]. He was just being athletic and talented out there. Now he has an understanding of how to be a leader out there. That’s a leadership position. Any position up the middle is a leader position. I think he’s becoming one of those guys out there.”

Chisholm’s comfort on defense and ability to stay healthy to play are the main areas of growth the Marlins are looking for from him entering 2024.

Chisholm admitted last season started out “pretty rough” defensively. That’s natural when learning a new position.

But by season’s end, Chisholm had a better understanding of the position, and the metrics back that up.

Chisholm finished the 2023 season with four outs above average, according to Statcast. Out of 101 qualified outfielders, Chisholm tied for ninth-best outfielder jump — defined by Statcast as “how many feet did he cover in the right direction in the first three seconds after pitch release” — at two feet above league average. He was one of 14 outfielders to make multiple five-star catches, defined as recording outs on plays with a catch probability of 25 percent or lower.

“It’s not going to be like how last year was when the season starts,” Chisholm said at the start of spring training. “This year is going to be way better. It’s going to start off how it ended when I looked like a center fielder. I am a center fielder now.”

The Marlins’ main hope is that Chisholm can stay on the field long enough this season to show he can be a top-end center fielder as well as a middle-of-the-order threat in the lineup. Chisholm only played in 97 games for the Marlins in 2023. He first missed 39 games because of turf toe after he crashed into the wall in left-center field at loanDepot park trying to make an inning-ending play on May 13. He then missed almost all of July with an oblique injury.

Despite missing 65 games, Chisholm still hit 19 home runs and recorded a team-high 22 stolen bases while hitting .250 with a .761 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 51 RBI and 50 runs scored while improving defensively as the season progressed.

Chisholm had surgery for the turf toe in the offseason and said he was back into baseball mode by early January.

After two seasons filled with injuries — Chisholm also only played 60 games in 2022 while dealing with a lower back strain and a partially torn right meniscus — Chisholm said he plans to “play smart” this season in an attempt to be on the field as regularly as possible.

“I’m not going to go out there and just throw my body everywhere,” Chisholm said, adding that he learned that he “could still be the best player on the field when I’m not going 1,000 miles an hour. I don’t have to go max effort every single play. I don’t have to try to hit a homer every single day. On the days that I was hurting, they told me to dial it down to 60 percent. That’s when my best games were happening. Grand slams, walks, stolen bases, everything. For me, it’s just staying in that 75 to 80 percent range.”

Schumaker understands what kind of talent Chisholm can be if healthy.

But that if remains anything but a guarantee until he shows he can do it.

2024 is that opportunity.

“That’s what everybody talks about,” Schumaker said. “Sure you can imagine it, but until you do it, you imagine in. You have to prove that you can do it for 140, 150; until then, it’s just imagined. Those are predicted numbers. Prediction and real is different. When you have the 140, then you see that it’s real.”

Other center field options

While Chisholm will be Miami’s primary center fielder, the team has options to relieve him when needed.

According to Schumaker the main three contenders are Nick Gordon, prospect Dane Myers and non-roster invitee Jonathan Davis.

The front-runner for the backup spot in center field appears to be Gordon, who they acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins this offseason for left-handed reliever Steven Okert, primarily because he is out of options and his versatility gives Schumaker flexibility.

Gordon provided a taste of what he can do on Tuesday when he laid out for a diving grab in the second inning of the Marlins’ spring game against the Houston Astros to rob Kyle Tucker of a hit. Gordon has played 92 games (with 66 starts) in center field at the MLB level. He also has experience in left field and both middle infield spots.

Meanwhile, Both Myers and Davis spent time at center field for the Marlins last season when Chisholm was sidelined.

Also, at some point down the road, Schumaker said Victor Mesa Jr. could be an option. Mesa, the fourth-ranked prospect in Miami’s system according to MLB Pipeline, grades out as a high-end defender but hasn’t played above Double A yet.