The New York Yankees have gotten some solid play from a variety of players, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. is starting to play much better.
Chisholm started slow, but his recent success has put him in the conversation to not only be an All-Star, but could also be the starter. Former MLB GM and analyst Jim Bowden predicts Chisholm will be the American League’s starting second baseman, which is a bit of a surprise.
“Second base is probably the weakest position in the AL, but I gave the nod to Chisholm despite his slow start to the season due to his power-and-speed combination. I did consider the Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement, the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran and the White Sox’s Chase Meidroth,” Bowden wrote.
Chisholm has started to hit the ball better, and if he continues that success for the next month, his case to be the starter at second base wouldn’t be a surprise. Yet, right now, after Chisholm’s start, it does seem surprising, yet that is the Yankees infielder’s goal.
Chisholm is hitting .234 with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs. Toronto Blue Jays‘ Ernie Clement is hitting .306 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs, so Chisholm over Clement does seem like a bit of a surprise right now.
Chisholm Uses Aaron Judge’s Bat
With Aaron Judge on the injured list, Chisholm decided to start using his bat.
Chisholm has used Judge’s bat before, but he suffered an oblique injury and then tried it again in spring training. Yet, on Sunday, after his first three at-bats didn’t go his way, he decided to go back to Judge’s bat.
“I was swinging and missing when I thought I was hitting the ball,” Chisholm said. “So I was just seeing if the bat would change things. Sometimes you need a little bit more weight and a little bit less on your swing.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, meanwhile, said he’s glad Chisholm decided to use the bat.
“I like when he does that,” Boone said with a smile.
Chisholm finished the game going 1-for-4 with a home run. He hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to blow the game open.
Yankees Split Against Red Sox
New York split a two-game series against the Boston Red Sox, as one game was postponed due to rain.
On Sunday, Cam Schlittler took the ball, and he was dominant, as he felt like he was back to his usual self after his last start.
“I think the velo was there,” Schlittler said. “The movement was a little bit better. I was still a little sloppy with strike percentage [63%], but definitely better than last week. That’s all I can really take from that, and hopefully it improves next week as well.”
Schlittler, meanwhile, admits he felt there was some added pressure to pitch well with Judge injured.
“I’m just trying to go out there and approach all these starts to put us in position to win,” Schlittler said. “It’s tough to lose an MVP, but he’ll be back soon, and I expect the other guys will be able to come through.”
The Yankees are 38-26 and tied for the top spot in the AL East.
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