Ten years ago, Jazz Chisholm Jr. – then just an 18-year-old playing his first summer in the Minor Leagues – pulled on a Great Britain jersey for the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers held in Brooklyn. Despite his youth, Chisholm more than held his own, going 4-for-16 with a double and two stolen bases before Great Britain lost to Israel in the Qualifier final.
Now, with Great Britain set to play in its second World Baseball Classic – an upset victory against Colombia in 2023 earning its spot in next month’s tournament – Chisholm is set to return to the team.
Chisholm is coming off his best big league season, having hit a career-high 31 home runs with 31 stolen bases for the Yankees. That earned the big leagues’ only active Bahamanian his second career All-Star Game nod and his first Silver Slugger Award. Chisholm should find himself in the center of new skipper Bradley Marcelino’s lineup alongside Nationals prospect Harry Ford.
The infusion of talent will certainly help GB’s chances as – barring any rules changes for upcoming tournaments – they’ll need at least one win to avoid having to play in another qualifier. They’ll begin play in Houston on March 6 against 2023 semifinalists Mexico before taking on the USA the next day. Great Britain’s best chance of a victory will likely be against Brazil, whom they play on March 9.
