MLB Insider Reveals Derek Jeter's Past Talks With Jazz Chisholm Jr., 'Get Your Head on Right'

The last gasp of Jazz Chisholm's tenure with the New York Yankees may have been being used as a pinch hitter in Game 3 of the ALDS after manager Aaron Boone benched him to start the game due to his struggles at the plate and in the field.

Per Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star Ledger, Chisholm's erratic performance on the field has been an issue dating back to his time with the Miami Marlins when then-minority owner and Yankees legend Derek Jeter met with him to tell "him to get his head straight" as part of a series of conversations:

"When Jazz was in Miami, Derek Jeter was there as the owner and Don Mattingly was the manager. That's two great Yankees who understood tradition and played the game right. They both met with Chisholm on repeated occasions and begged him to get his head straight. 'You have superstar talent. You have to get your head right. You have to focus. You have to make this a priority.' Not even they could get through. The Yankees knew all this when they traded for Jazz. It's not like Chisholm's reputation was a mystery to them. But they thought that a clubhouse filled with veterans like Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger and Gerrit Cole could get through to him."

After going 0-for-6 at the plate in the first two games against the Tampa Bay Rays and committing a costly error in Game 2, Chisholm was benched for Anthony Volpe to start Game 3.

Chisholm, who is set to become a free agent this offseason, told reporters after the Yankees' 4-3 loss that ended their season he wasn't given any advance word about not being in the starting lineup.

"I'd always prefer a conversation, so I would at least know what I'm walking into," Chisholm said.

That came after Chisholm also didn't play Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox, though Yankees manager Aaron Boone made him aware ahead of time that was going to be the case.

Chisholm was originally signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2015. He was traded to Miami in July 2019, then made his big-league debut the following year.

Jeter purchased an ownership stake in the Marlins in 2017 and held the title of CEO for the organization. He remained in that position until February 2022 when he stepped down reportedly in part due to differences with majority owner Bruce Sherman over payroll spending.

Chisholm had plenty of ups and downs throughout his time in Miami, but the highs suggested a player with superstar potential. He hit 14 homers in 60 games during an injury-plagued 2022 season, earning his first All-Star appearance.

That performance helped Chisholm earn the cover spot on MLB The Show 23. He is the only Marlins player to grace the cover of the popular video game.

After more injuries limited him to 97 games in 2023 and a slow start the following year, the Marlins traded Chisholm to New York midway through the 2024 campaign.

Last year was the best of Chisholm's career with a .242/.332/.481 slash line, 31 homers and 31 stolen bases. He came into the season targeting a 50-50 year, but he slumped down to 19 homers in 137 games. He did steal a career-high 41 bases.

Chisholm's defensive metrics have been all over the place throughout his career. This season was a down year, as he finished 15th out of 17 qualified second basemen in defensive runs saved. He did grade out well in outs above average and field run value.

All of this is to show how difficult an evaluation Chisholm will be as a free agent. He will be among the youngest players in this class with his 29th birthday not until Feb. 1, so a team could easily bet on his upside to be a difference-maker.