Opinion: Jazz Chisholm Can Be the MLB’s Next Mainstream Superstar, Will Baseball Let Him?

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Bahamian Major League baseball Jazz Chisholm’s ascent to superstar was cemented on Monday afternoon, when he  announced he would be on the next cover of the only Major League Baseball video game – MLB The Show 23 – in a hype video on his social media pages. 

Started from The Bahamas now we here! This is my story of how I got in the game. 😎 #MLBTheShow #OwnTheShow #Ad #MLBTSPartner pic.twitter.com/mQYwsLUCxq

— Jazz Chisholm Jr (@j_chisholm3) January 30, 2023

There were no questions about Jazz’s popularity among fans as he received the most votes at his position for the all-star game. But his appearing on the cover of “The Show” has solidified his status as a bona-fide superstar in a game desperately looking for one. 

Baseball is a game driven by analytics, where teams’ neverending quest for brutal efficiency has led to a largely homogenous style of play across the league. Idiosyncratic playing styles have been replaced with a one-size-fits-all approach to the game which as, strangled the life out of it.

Add the fact that baseball players have to face violent, potentially fatal retribution in the form of a 100mph missile being aimed at their head for the egregious crime of having fun while playing a sport, and the game has become nigh-unwatchable.

The game has been demoted from America’s national pastime to a regional game. As a result, there aren’t any Derek Jeters, Ken Griffey Jrs, or Ricky Hendersons. There are no crossover baseball stars.

The best baseball player of this generation is a guy who can walk through any airport without drawing so much as a glance, something that would seem ridiculous in the 1990s. Enter Jazz Chisolm with his blue hair, his hitting, his speed on the bases, his euro-step, his immaculate glovework and his exciting style of play. 

Jazz Chisholm PURE ELECTRICITY pic.twitter.com/Zcs7Lwefqm

— Starting 9 (@Starting9) May 3, 2022

Jazz is an opportunity for baseball to course-correct its dwindling popularity. He can and more importantly, he should be the face of the game. Jazz has the ability and the personality that baseball hasn’t had since David Ortiz retired: A legitimate mainstream famous superstar. 

He obviously wants it, if he didn’t he wouldn’t die his hair blue or euro-step. It would be in the best interest of the game that it has a marketable, charming superstar. Baseball is well aware of this, so they put him on the cover of their only baseball games.

The big question is this:

Do the enforcers of baseball’s unwritten rules know this?