MIAMI — The Marlins plan to switch things up in a big way this season.
“Jazz is a very unique athlete, very dynamic,” said Ng. “He’s got great range, great speed. He has a lot of the things you look for when you think of midfield. We’ve seen how he handles pop-ups and how he reaches out to those that are really hard to reach.”
When Miami traded shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers in early January, many wondered if Chisholm would be promoted from second to short. The Bahamas all-star has played at both positions in the past, but he has been the Marlins’ opening-day second baseman for the past two seasons.
“We’ve been talking about this for a while,” Ng said. “We were never necessarily forced to think meaningfully about it until probably this off-season. So on this special occasion [to pick up Arraez] came up – and we’ve had quite a few scenarios like this running – made it harder for us to think about.
“[Jazz is] quite fascinated and also interested in this situation. So that made it a lot easier.”
Last year Chisholm had to sit out on June 29 due to back problems. It was later determined that he had a stress fracture that caused him to miss the remainder of the season. So the Marlins turned to a move at second base.
But with Friday’s trading, Ng made it clear that Chisholm’s future lies in the outfield. Arraez will play at second base with some replays at first base assisting Garrett Cooper. Both Jean Segura and Joey Wendle can play third base and shortstop, so expect the pair to control the left side of the infield.
“It’s definitely looking a lot better,” Ng said of the Marlins’ pre-spring practice situation. “You always want to get better. … Between the supplements and health, we’re in a much better position than we were six months ago.”