Jazz Chisholm Stirs Up Drama By Accusing Former Teammate Of Not Being A 'Good Person'

Jazz Chisholm Jr. did not enjoy his early time in the major leagues, according to a new podcast interview from the 26-year-old Miami Marlins outfielder.

Chisholm, widely regarded as one of the up-and-coming younger stars of the sport, appeared on "The Pivot" podcast, and discussed what his experience was like as a young player coming up in a clubhouse filled with veterans. And he did not hold his feelings back, both on their quality as teammates, leaders and players. 

While he didn't specifically call anyone out by name, the most obvious discussion centered around Miguel Rojas, an infielder now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

"My first three years in the big leagues were the worst three years of probably my life," Chisholm said. "Outside of baseball was great, but playing baseball, which that was the thing that really I loved doing more than anything else, was the worst. I got to where I wanted to get to at that point—not to the level of it yet, but I got to the big leagues—and I hate it..."

"I was already a team leader without being called a team leader," Chisholm said in the interview. "You can’t be a team leader when you’ve got guys that’s been in the clubhouse that’s been in there nine or 10 years even though they suck. They’ve been there for nine or 10 years and the team calls them the team captain. But they’re not a good captain, they’re not a good person, you’re not even a good athlete at this point. You’re just here and you’re bringing down the young guys that are supposed to be good."

Not exactly mincing words!

Miami Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. singles against the Washington Nationals in the second inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Feb. 25. (Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports)

Jazz Chisholm Contradicted By Former Marlins Executive 

Chisholm's criticisms were almost immediately contradicted by former Marlins team president Dave Samson. Samson appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show and defended Rojas, saying he's "one of the best people" he's met.

"In the hundreds if not thousands of players that I’ve had in my career, Miguel Rojas is one of the best people that I’ve come across," Samson said in response to Chisholm. "So for (Chisholm) to say that Miguel Rojas is a bad person is incredibly disingenuous."

He went on say that Chisholm has accomplished "nothing" in the league, and that he was only on the cover of MLB The Show 23 because "Uncle Derek [Jeter]" requested it as a favor.

It seems likely that Chisholm responded poorly to Rojas and potentially other veterans treating him like a rookie. Considering expectations around him and his debut, Chisholm may have not taken well to it, leading to conflict. Chisholm may have wanted to be given star treatment, something veterans weren't willing to provide.

Samson though, has a point. Chisholm has yet to play more than 124 games. He was outstanding over 60 games in 2022, racking up 2.5 WAR. But his 2023 season was disappointing, with just a 103 wRC+ over 97 games and a .304 on base percentage. In MLB, and really in all sports, if you want to be treated like a star you have to play like one. Chisholm, with just 6 WAR in 300 games, hasn't yet.