Aaron Boone just praised Jazz Chisholm Jr. and told him he needs to be way better, all in the same postgame breath.
Chisholm hit a two-run go-ahead homer in the ninth inning off Matt Krook on Friday night to lift the Yankees to a 5-3 comeback win over the Washington Nationals. Jasson Dominguez singled ahead of him, and Chisholm took Krook deep to flip the score. Austin Wells added a solo shot two batters later for insurance.
You would think Boone would go full love-fest after that. Instead he pushed Chisholm publicly.
“He’s such a dynamic player, and I feel like he got off to a tough start in April,” Boone told the New York Post. “Since then, he’s been fine, but Jazz shouldn’t be fine. He’s better than that. So hopefully he’s setting himself up for a really good second half because when he gets it going, he’s one of those guys that changes a game in a lot of ways and even can carry teams at certain stretches.”
That is a manager saying “you are talented and I need more from you” without hiding behind coach-speak. Boone actually said Chisholm should not be fine. He should be great.
The read is fair. Chisholm has too much talent to be a league-average second baseman. When he is locked in, he changes the shape of the Yankees lineup. He can steal a base to change an inning, hit a homer to change a score, and play defense that lets Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger relax in the outfield.
When he is not locked in, the Yankees lineup gets predictable. The Boone comment is a shot across the bow before the second half.
Chisholm’s leadership has also become a bigger part of his role in the Bronx clubhouse. His teammates like him. The front office likes him. Boone likes him. Nobody in that organization is trying to run him out of town.
They just want more, and they are done being polite about it. The Yankees are trying to hunt down the AL East and they cannot afford Jazz Chisholm at 90 percent for another six weeks.
Friday night was the version of Chisholm the Yankees fell in love with when they made the deal. Big moment, big swing, big win. Boone is telling him that should be Monday and Tuesday too.
If Chisholm answers the challenge, the Yankees might just find another gear. If he does not, this quote will get replayed a lot in September.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
