Jazz Chisholm does not necessarily know the geometry of it all, not the angles to take or the windswept space to be covered in the manner a veteran centerfielder would. But the former second baseman understands why he was in the outfield for the Miami Marlins first practice Tuesday morning, chasing fly balls and studying his new home.
“I went to [manager Skip Schumaker] and I told him if you need a center fielder and we can’t get one … and even if you get one, I feel like I’ll be better anyway,” he said.
When did he last play center field?
“Never my life.”
He’s smiling as he said that, and you can’t help but return the smile, too. That makes this the best place to be on the first day of spring in a sport where so much talk is about payrolls and television deals and new rules trying to help the game. Like the bigger bases. Chisholm has a thought on those.
“Point, Jazz,” he said.
He held up a finger for emphasis, chalking up the point in the air. The bases are two inches larger, meaning the space between first and second base just shrunk four inches on his quest for steals.
“A little extra step, thank you,” he said.
A year ago in spring training, he forecast a breakout season for himself and defined it as a 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. He made it only to 14 homers and 12 stolen bases before being sidelined by injury after 60 games.
No matter. He’s talking a galaxy farther away this year. He’s mentioned 50-50. If you detect a dash of humor amid the bravado, then you’re understanding the inner workings even as he worked overtime on helping that .143 batting average against left-handed pitchers. His left-handed brother, a former arm in the Arizona system, threw to him all winter.
“He wasn’t going to take it easy on me,” he said.
There’s no mystery to the Marlins plans or why Chisholm is in center field. They went out and got infielders who hit for average like second baseman Luis Arraez and third baseman Jean Segura.
The mystery is how they’ll all look in new positions. Arraez playing first base last year. Segura has played only nine major-league games at third base. Shortstop Joey Wendle has never been rooted at that position.
And Chisholm in center field? He shrugs.
“I never played second base until the big leagues,” he said.
All of this isn’t some new-fangled idea of the Marlins’ strategic plan to return baseball to the days when players got on base, caused havoc on the basepaths and were brought home by a bigger bat. It’s more old-fashioned desperation the way the Marlins did it.
They had no way to look competitive this year. Derek Jeter’s drafts have no one left on the roster (and a dwindling number inside owner Bruce Sherman’s organization) That Jeter era’s minor-league system also has no hitters in the pipeline, a staggering omission considering every team has a few hitting prospects.
For this year’s small-ball plan to work, that means one-year flops Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia can’t be two-year flops. If they are, the Marlins are right back to where they were last season as the worst offense in baseball.
But come on. The first day of spring isn’t for reality or even payroll sizes. It’s for optimism and hope. It’s for the idea Chisholm won’t just make it healthy through his first, full major-league season but win the Gold Glove in center field like he’s mentioned. Again, there’s a riff of fun bravado to him.
Chisholm did spend time consulting or working out with proven outfielders. He ticks through the names: Former pros Gary Sheffield and Ken Griffey and Minnesota’s Byron Buxton as well as now Marlins’ outfield coach Jon Jay and Mr. Marlin, Jeff Conine, who’s back with the team as a consultant.
“The advice they told me is try to learn the fundamentals but at the same time you’re not going to be the same guy as everyone else out there,” he said. “You’ve got to bring your own game.”
Chisholm has no problem doing that. He isn’t for everyone. He wasn’t always for former manager Don Mattingly, a solid old-school mind who pushed Chisholm to have consistent work habits. He wasn’t for some teammates last year and a team meeting was called to say so.
But there’s a flash to his style that sounds right on the first day of spring. It says anything is possible. His Gold Glove in center field. The Marlins being competitive. Anything at all.
