Outspoken Jazz Chisholm Jr. has support of Yankees clubhouse: 'Jazz is Jazz'
Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees celebrates his eighth-inning three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It would not be accurate to refer to the Yankees’ clubhouse, as quite a few in the media have, as “corporate.”
Sure, in postgame interviews, there is no shortage of the “one game at a time,” “whatever the team needs” and “it is what it is” cliches that populate the entirety of the sports landscape.
But those well-worn phrases — and countless more — are typically reserved for the cameras and/or for the horde of reporters, armed with notebooks or recorders, in the clubhouse after a given game.
The implication of the description is that the clubhouse is devoid of personality.
In truth, there are personalities galore in the room — from pitcher Will Warren, complete with the slight drawl indicative of his birthplace of Brandon, Mississippi, exchanging zingers with fellow pitchers such as the deadpan Cam Schlittler; to third baseman Ryan McMahon bouncing around the clubhouse in late February with his phone showing off pictures of a 60-inch black snake discovered by his wife at the couple’s spring training living quarters, to Giancarlo Stanton’s quiet but piercing wit.
What players project for public consumption isn’t close to reflecting their true nature and individuality.
Well, except for Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Indeed, teammates say, the 28-year-old second baseman projects exactly who he is pretty much 24/7, whether in front of the media or behind the scenes.
And they can’t get enough of it.
Whether the 5-11, 184-pound Chisholm is talking about wearing the 6-5, 245-pound Stanton’s uniform pants to break out of a slump, swapping his bat for Aaron Judge’s to do the same, confidently declaring that he could become baseball’s first 50-50 player (50 homers and 50 stolen bases) or suggesting, as he did after an ALDS loss to Kansas City in 2024, that the Royals got “lucky,” Chisholm speaks his mind.
As manager Aaron Boone put it Wednesday morning before the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Guardians: “Jazz, he’s good for you guys [reporters] to talk to.”
During the series in Cleveland, Newsday conversations with a handful of randomly chosen players about Chisholm elicited, 100% of the time, a laugh at the broaching of the topic.
“I mean, honestly, Jazz really is hilarious,” outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger said. “He’s so full of confidence. The things he says, they’re genuine. They’re genuinely Jazz. He says it on and off the camera . . . Jazz is Jazz. He embraces that and we embrace Jazz as well. He’s great in this locker room.”
Centerfielder Trent Grisham, like most players, steers clear of social media, so he isn’t always immediately aware of some of Chisholm’s greatest verbal hits. But he usually hears about them eventually.
They all do.
“I laugh, have fun and make fun of Jazz all the time,” Grisham said. “Jazz is obviously a very fun, colorful dude. He’s just a lot of fun to have around.”
Said Warren: “He’s just being Jazz. People love to see that, and we can give him a hard time about that. He’s the same guy everywhere, that’s the easiest way to put it. He’s the same guy on the field, in the clubhouse and even talking in front of the media. He never changes, which is a great thing. He’s the most confident person in the room at all times, but I think that’s why he’s so good.”
Added the uber-straitlaced Paul Goldschmidt, a 16-year veteran: “He definitely makes me laugh. He is himself, which is great.”
Chisholm being himself was on display throughout the series in Cleveland, especially on Tuesday night after his eighth-inning homer off tough Guardians lefty reliever Tim Herrin snapped a 2-2 tie and ultimately gave the Yankees a 3-2 victory.
Before and during the at-bat, Chisholm, down 0-and-2 in the count before hammering a full-count slider out to right, was showered with chants of “overrated” by some in the Progressive Field crowd.
Players seldom acknowledge what they hear from the crowd, at least publicly.
Chisholm, who stood at the plate for several moments admiring the blast and subsequently took a tick more than 30 seconds to round the bases, heard it.
“That fuels me,” he said with a smile. “That trot was really for the fans.”
More on the chants: “I love it. Kind of. I feel like that was the loudest chants all day we heard, so I think it was great.”
What can be lost in Chisholm’s unfiltered bluntness, bravado and unfettered belief in himself, teammates say, is the No. 1 quality players look for in each other, at least when it comes to being in a clubhouse with the highest aspirations.
“He’s a very loving person and teammate and really wants to win,” said Goldschmidt, the 2022 National League MVP while a member of the Cardinals.
Bellinger, who was named the 2019 NL MVP while with the Dodgers, laughed and said there’s “probably been a few” times he’s had an I-can’t-believe-he-said-that reaction to some of Chisholm’s comments.
Then he echoed Goldschmidt.
“He’s a good teammate and he shows up every day and plays,” Bellinger said. “He wants to play, he wants to win. He really, truly wants to win.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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