In my time covering the Miami Marlins, José Fernández and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are two of a kind. It takes a vivacious personality and loud baseball tools to transcend the South Florida fanbase while playing for a middling team. Chisholm is almost precisely the same age now that Fernández was when he tragically passed away. While there’s no comparison between their MLB résumés, Chisholm is in the midst of building a JDF-like following, drawing new fans to the league and becoming a guilty pleasure for those who ordinarily root for other MLB teams.
During Bruce Sherman’s ownership tenure, no Marlin has impacted the collectibles industry as much as Chisholm (the demand for his baseball cards, the bidding for his game-used memorabilia, etc.