Jazz Chisholm Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Track Record: At a showcase for Lucius Fox in the Bahamas in February 2015, D-backs scout Craig Shipley was as intrigued by Fox at shortstop as he was by Chisholm, who was playing second base. Shipley saw Chisholm again a few weeks later, this time at short, and, impressed by Chisholm's actions and athleticism, wound up signing him for $200,000 that July. He has quickly turned himself into a bargain. After an impressive debut in Rookie-level Missoula, where he hit .281 with nine homers in 249 at-bats, Chisholm played in just 29 games in 2017 before a torn meniscus ended his season. He made up for lost time in 2018, with a solid three and a half months at low Class A Kane County followed by a monster six weeks in the high Class A California League. The 25 home runs he hit in 2018 set a single-season franchise record for a shortstop. He finished with a good showing in a limited role in the Arizona Fall League.

Scouting Report: Chisholm has an exciting array of tools. He has an athletic build and strong hands, and he generates a smooth, lefthanded uppercut swing that produces loud contact with easy power. His approach is aggressive, sometimes too aggressive. Coaches say he has a tendency to try too hard to generate power to his pull side, saying his swing can get too steep and his approach too pull-conscious. They believe when he keeps his approach simple, the power comes naturally to all fields. He strikes out a lot--nearly 30 percent of the time--and his high swing-and-miss rate on pitches in the zone is concerning. He also struggled against lefthanded pitchers. Defensively, Chisholm has everything it takes to stick at shortstop but needs to work on his consistency. He has smooth, flashy actions but is prone to lapses in concentration, making highlight-reel plays before committing errors on routine ones. He's an above-average to plus runner and stole 17 bases in 21 tries. Chisholm has a bubbling, energetic personality and is brimming with confidence, and coaches and team executives say he continued to work hard despite being disappointed about starting the season in Kane County.

The Future: Chisholm is a high-risk but high-reward stock. He has some rough edges to smooth over, but if it comes together he could be a shortstop with 20-homer, 20-steal potential. Parts of his game lack maturity, which could come in time. He could open 2019 in Double-A Jackson.