Jazz the most talented Marlin since Hanley?!

There is no denying Jazz Chisholm Jr. has had an electric start to the 2022 Season. From hitting a go-ahead Homer in the 9th on Opening Day, to letting Manager Don Mattingly know how he felt about being Benched in Game #2, to becoming Charlie Sheen's favorite Player in Anaheim, to being rushed at the plate by an Umpire followed by a Dinger, to putting the Team on his back while facing his former Organization. Jazz has caught the baseball world's attention and is certainly the kind of Player the Marlins haven't seen in a long time. 

Yes, Giancarlo Stanton was the last true Superstar while playing in a Marlins Uniform. Stanton was the greatest power threat the Organization had/has ever seen, culminating in a 2017 MVP Season in which the prodigious Slugger banged 59 Long Balls. But Stanton has never had a .300 Batting Average campaign. He's never stolen 20 Bases. He's never banged 40+ Doubles. The Fish never had a winning Year under Stanton. They did however have a pair of Winning Seasons with a former Teammate of Big-G's in the late 2000's.

It's unfortunate that many remember Hanley Ramirez the way his Marlin Career ended instead of the way it began, with most of it being his own doing. But Hanley was as Talented a Player that's ever passed through Miami in his prime. A true 5 tool Phenom, the testament of a 30/30 Campaign in 2008. Back to back 51 Stolen Base Seasons in '06/'07. 46, 48, and 42 Doubles in 3 of his first 4 Years. A Batting Champion in 2009. All as a Shortstop. There wasn't much Hanley Ramirez couldn't do on a Baseball Field.

Like Hanley, Jazz is known around here on a first name bases. Originally a Shortstop from the Diamondbacks system, the Marlins current Second Baseman has played Gold Glove type Defense in the early going of 2022, a far cry from 2021 when Jazz was switched back and forth between Second and Short. 2021 did see Jazz steal 23 Bases and was 2 Longballs shy of a 20/20 Year as a Rookie.

Though 2021 certainly had it's ups and downs for the Bahamian Middle Infielder, one thing that did not go unnoticed was Jazz's ability to adapt. 8 of the 18 Longballs in 2021 for the Rookie came Leading Off an Inning, the instant spark. Or late in Games when all the Marlins needed was a Baserunner, you would see Jazz try and slap a ball the other way in order to reach base.

Speaking of adapting to the big moment in 2022, all the the Marlins Leadoff Hitter has slashed in Late and Close situations is .500/.556/1.188 😱😱😱, you know, stuff of Superstars. In a recent interview with Bally's Russell Dorsey, when speaking in regards to "fun and fan interaction" at the Ballpark and it being something "Baseball needs", Jazz laid this interesting nugget. "My first Big League Game, Hanley Ramirez (and the Marlins) in 2010, I came down to the field, I got Batting Gloves". "It made me love baseball even more than I already did".

Forward the clock 12 years, these days Jazz leads the Marlins in Stolen Bases, Batting Average, RBI's, Triples, and is tied with Brian Anderson with 7 Doubles. In other words, not bad for a guy who was Benched twice last week. I wonder what would have happened to Managers Joe Girardi & Fredi Gonzalez had they benched Hanley 🤔 oh, never mind 😉. Go Marlins!