If making hitting changes was as simple as watching a few GIFs on Twitter, every MLB player would be at the absolute peak of their powers every second of the day. As far as “who needs a GIF sesh the most?” Yankees star Jazz Chisholm wouldn’t be atop our list.
After coming over from the moribund Miami Marlins (their full legal name) at last year’s deadline, Chisholm drilled 11 homers in 46 games, racking up 1.5 bWAR while learning an unfamiliar position. Now, he’ll be moving back to second base full time, and will presumably be set up even better to take advantage of his natural athleticism and approach his peak.
According to Aaron Judge’s personal hitting instructor Richard “Teacherman” Schenck, that peak could be even higher than any of us imagined if he’d only make one simple adjustment.
Schenck took aim at what he called Chisholm’s less-than-impressive load time on Twitter this week, insinuating that if he got his naturally jumpy swing started quicker, he could be Barry Bonds lite. The post, as posts tend to do, eventually made its way to Chisholm himself.
Said Jazz in response, quote, “I don’t get it.”
I don’t get it
— Jazz Chisholm Jr (@j_chisholm3) February 19, 2025
Yankees star Jazz Chisholm as confused as the rest of us by Aaron Judge’s hitting guru’s Twitter rant
And, despite Schenck’s best efforts, Chisholm was never to be seen again in the conversation. Took the high road. Exited stage lefty.
The range of outcomes for Chisholm’s 2025 campaign are vast, but with a cleared mind and a return to normalcy defensively, there’s a good chance he continues to ride the exciting wave he arrived on last August. The Yankees still retain Chisholm’s rights through the 2026 season, and the importance of the juice he provided last year cannot be overstated. Repeating his surge would be hugely impactful.
If he does hit a slump, though, expect big-league hitting coach James Rowson to get the first crack at fighting through it with him, though. Judge’s teacher travels for private sessions sometimes, but we’re not sure the Yankees would love to see his in-house client list expanded — even if he’s promising Bonds.
