Jazz Chisholm Jr.returned from a month on the shelf in a new position in the Yankees’ infield. But while he had to find his footing at third base, he has had no trouble raking in the batter’s box.
In his first four games, Chisholm is 8-for-16 with two home runs and six RBI after a three-hit, four-RBI Friday night in New York’s 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox.
What’s been working for him? “Seventy percent,” Chisholm said. “Just go at 70 percent, that’s what’s been working for me.”
“I don’t know, it works,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders and a laugh. “I don’t know what to tell you. To play at 70 percent: defense, offense, running, everything. Stay healthy. You don’t overswing, you don’t swing and miss as much, you’re a great player at 70 percent.”
Chisholm said that the suggestion came from hitting coach Pat Roessler and that he was hitting .171 at 100 percent, “so we’re gonna take 70 percent.”
“I’ve really heard that all my life I need to tone down on the way I play,” he said. “Because it’s really over… It’s electric, but it’s like you can be electric while being in control at the same time.”
But taking his foot off the gas is “super challenging” for the 27-year-old. “The only thing I knew is how to go fast,” Chisholm said. “Basically, I was Ricky Bobby growing up. And that’s all I knew was just play at 100 percent, go at 100 percent, swing at 100 percent, throw at 100 percent.
“Even if you’re being flashy or anything like that. In order for you to be a flashy player, you gotta be able to go at 100 percent. You just can’t be out there being lackadaisical and be flashy because and then you’re never gonna make any of the plays, you gotta be at top peak to make those plays.”
It is about staying fundamentally sound at 70 percent, a level he still feels he can be a pretty good baseball player. And part of that is taking a basehit up the middle on a changeup, which he did his second time up Friday, a pitch he likely would have pulled foul trying to hit a home run on earlier in the year.
“It’s really a mindset thing,” Chisholm said. “Even on the home run, I was trying to hit a line drive to center field base hit. I wasn’t even trying to hit a home run. I was really trying to dunk one into center field. And it ended up shooting off my bat and getting over the fence, that’s why I was so hyped coming around first base. It really hit me, like 70 percent really is enough to be a great baseball player here.”
He means no disrespect or to give the impression he is coasting, but just calming himself down.
But even at that level, his play is noticeable. “Electric. I think that’s the only way to describe Jazz,” Friday’s starting pitcher, Will Warren, said.
“He’s squaring balls up,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s got so much talent and power, and he doesn’t have to go reach for it. That kinda wiry thing inside him, he doesn’t have to work too hard to generate it.
“So, nice and easy is always good for Jazz.”
Chisholm said that they were looking at his swing during his minor league rehab assignment and seeing it as “so effortless.” When they asked him how it felt when he was having success, he said it felt just like that.
“It felt like I was hitting home runs effortlessly, and I was hitting doubles and swinging as effortlessly as I could,” he said. “First game back, I think I got one fastball all game and, effortless swing, hit a homer. Came in [Thursday], did the same thing, three hits. Just keep on doing it.”
He added: “When you believe in something and it feels so right, you can’t go wrong with it.”
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