![Miami Marlins v Philadelphia Phillies](https://www.phillysports.today/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2159409652.0.jpg)
The cover athlete won’t solve the Phillies’ mid-summer woes
As the MLB trade deadline quickly approaches, two things are certain. The Phillies need a bat and the Phillies need an arm.
We continue with our trade candidate series, by taking a deep dive into a guy the Phils simply don’t need. While he possesses all of the tools you want in a young athlete, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not a fit for the Phillies.
Offensive fit:
2024 stats: .248/.320/.407, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 21 SB, 24.7 K%, 8.7 BB%, .727 ops, 103 wRC+, 1.8 fWAR
![](https://www.phillysports.today/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot_2024_07_26_at_11.00.28_AM.jpg)
One thing the Phils don’t need is a guy who likes to chase and swing freely. While Jazz has improved his walk rate to slightly-above league average, the K% is concerning and too similar to some current Phillies.
He’s got plus speed on the bases, but the Phils are already 5th in MLB in stolen bases, so that’s not really a pressing need. The pop is slightly above average, as is his wRC+, but he has not posted many numbers to write home about. Additionally, his power production has experienced a steady decline:
2022: 14 HR in 60 G, 136 wRC+
2023: 19 HR in 97 G, 103 wRC+
2024: 13 HR in 100 G, 103 wRC+
His splits show an altered approach against LHP, where he’s significantly raised his average from previous seasons, but sacrificed power.
2024 v RHP: .244/.317/.432, (.749 ops), 11 HR, 32 RBI, 24.8 K%, 9.4 BB%, 105 wRC+
2024 vs LHP: .256/.327/.361 (.687 ops), 2 HR, 18 RBI, 24.5 K%, 7.5 BB%, 97 w RC+
Ideally, the Phillies need a bat that can hit LHP better than what Jazz is offering, considering Brandon Marsh’s inabilities to hit the same-handed-hurlers. If they were to trade for the Marlins CF, the Phils would still need a platoon bat for Marsh, or just be content with keeping one of Pache or Rojas to do so. Doesn’t seem ideal to me.
Then there’s Chisholm’s ops of just .727. For comparison sake, Nick Castellanos has a .784 ops since May first.
Defensive Fit:
![](https://www.phillysports.today/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot_2024_07_26_at_11.24.39_AM.jpg)
Jazz was athletic and versatile enough to switch from infield to becoming an everyday centerfielder. He’s been passable in patrolling the outfield, when you look at his OAA. However, his DRS of -5 is rather off-putting, especially considering Nick Castellanos sits at -7. I promise this is not a Nick Castellanos comparison piece.
The Verdict
While he’s under team control through the 2026 season, the decline in power production and inability to produce vs LHP, mean the Phillies should focus their efforts elsewhere ahead of July 31st.
He’s really not an upgrade over Brandon Marsh (.747 ops), considering Marsh’s Gold Glove caliber defense. While the Phils don’t necessarily need a major upgrade from Marsh specifically, they shouldn’t be acquiring an everyday player of a lesser caliber.
Then there’s the durability concerns as the Marlin played just 97 games last summer and 60 games in 2022. All in all he’s an unexcitable defender with declining pop and plus speed.
Based on reports from Bob Nightengale and a few others, the Phillies are completely out on the former D-Backs prospect, as they should be.
This deadline, the Phillies need a stabilizer, but the cover athlete is more of a continuation of the streaky sidekicks currently occupying the bottom of the Phillies lineup.