Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. had a transformative year at third base last season, flourishing in a position he had never played at the big leagues level.

He thrived at the “hot corner”, recording a .940 fielding percentage in 116 total chances. He had 35 putouts, 74 assists and helped turn six double plays while having just seven errors. Those are remarkable numbers for a player who had never played that position before in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Now, the Bahamian professional baseball player could return to his natural position — the position he started his MLB career in with the Miami Marlins. Chisholm, now with the New York Yankees, made his mark as a second baseman with the Marlins. When he was traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline a year ago, it was determined that he brought more value to the team at third base. He played a little at center field, but spent most of his time at third base.

As the Yankees gear up for the upcoming spring training period, there is a cloud of uncertainty over their starting lineup, particularly concerning Chisholm’s designated position. It is rumored that he will head back to second base with marquee players like Alex Bregman, of the Houston Astros, and Nolan Arenado, of the St. Louis Cardinals, as potential acquisitions. Bregman is a free agent while Arenado has three years remaining on his current deal.

Chisholm, 26, is coming off his best year in the majors, particularly after being traded to the Yankees.

Chisholm ended the regular season with a .256 batting average with 24 home runs, 73 RBIs (runs batted in), 40 stolen bases and 74 runs scored — all career-highs. He finished third in the American League and sixth in the majors in stolen bases.

Chisholm ended the year as one of only four players in the majors with at least 40 steals and 20 home runs. The 40 stolen bases were 17 more than his previous career-high — 23 which came during the 2021 season.

Chisholm had 144 hits this season, inclusive of 24 home runs, four triples and 21 doubles. The 144 hits were 29 more than his previous career-high — 115 in the 2021 season. He finished with an on-base percentage (OBP) of .324, a slugging percentage (SLG) of .436 and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .760.

Chisholm and the top-seeded Yankees advanced all the way to the World Series where they fell in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a solo home run in Game Five of the World Series, becoming the first Bahamian to ever hit a home run in the Fall Classic. The Yankees lost that game, 7-6, and dropped the series four games to one.

In 46 games with the Yankees, Chisholm batted .273 with 11 home runs, 23 RBIs and 28 runs scored, showing that he is not bothered by the bright lights and huge expectations that come with playing in the ‘Big Apple’. He had 18 stolen bases with the Yankees.

Chisholm became just the third major leaguer to hit 10 home runs and steal 15 bases in fewer than 40 games with a single team. In his first three games with the Yankees, Chisholm had four home runs, becoming the first player in franchise history to accomplish that feat.