Diamondbacks Top Prospect #5: Infielder Jazz Chisholm

Name: Jasrado Chisholm

DOB: 2/11/1998 (Age 20)

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 165

B/T: L/R

Acquired: 2015 International Free Agent

Position: Shortstop

Most Notable Tool: Power

Season Stats: 112 G, 501 PA, .272/.329/.513, 23 2B, 6 3B, 25 HR, 70 RBI, 79 R, 49/139 BB/K, 17/21 SB for A Kane County and A+ Visalia

2018 Season Summary: The first thing Chisholm needed to prove in 2018 was that he was healthy following a meniscus injury that wiped out almost all of his 2017 season. He did that, save for a short DL stint for a hamstring injury in late April, by accumulating 500 PA in the 2018 season. Chisholm proved not only that he was healthy, but also very good as well. He started out the gates very hot before pitchers in the Midwest League stopped being aggressive against him. Chisholm got promoted to Visalia in late July and took the league by storm there, posting insane and likely unsustainable numbers there (.329/.369/.597, 10 HR, 9 SB) over a 160 PA sample. That earned him a trip to the Fall League where he continued to turn heads with a .442/.489/.767 slash in 10 games.

Tools: Hit 45/55, Power 50/60, Speed 55, Defense 45/60

Chisholm oozes talent and confidence. His Visalia and AFL BABIP numbers obviously aren’t sustainable, but Chisholm does show a high BABIP skill despite often being a feast/famine type hitter. The strikeouts limit his ceiling offensively, but .250 with average OBP skills and plus power is a solid hitting profile at any position, especially at shortstop. Chisholm shows solid basestealing instincts with a 33/41 stolen base attempts being successful, which makes me believe that he has 20+ SB potential at the MLB level. He’s still a bit inconsistent defensively, mostly due to being error prone, but he has more than enough range and arm to stick at the shortstop position.

Upside: Chisholm when he’s going good will light up the box score in every way possible: Big defensive stop, big home run, impressive baserunning feats. While there is still inconsistency, his upside is that of an All-Star shortstop even with a .250 average. Overall I project him to be a .250/.315/.475 hitter with 20-25 HR power, 20+ SB potential, and solid defense at the shortstop position.

Risk: The only thing I’m worried about is his inability to adjust to breaking or offspeed pitches at the upper minors and MLB levels. Chisholm is an aggressive swinger who misses quite a lot, so you worry a bit about strikeouts. As I mentioned before, he’s still error prone at the shortstop position so that needs to be cleaned up as he gets closer to the majors.

Likely 2019 Assignment: I don’t believe his Visalia production is sustainable moving forward, but I also believe that level is not that much of a challenge so I think he’ll start the first 4-6 weeks of the season in Visalia before seeing most the season in Jackson. The team could also elect to just be aggressive with the promotion and have him start the season in Jackson.

ETA: 2021 Season