New York Yankees Star Infielder Being Done In by Some Horrendous Luck at the Plate

A New York Yankees slugger should have some positive regression coming his way in the luck department.

Apr 22, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) reacts after he was hit by a foul ball in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | David Richard-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have the luxury of building their lineup around all-world slugger Aaron Judge, who is capable of carrying an offense by himself.

He is off to another historic start in 2025 despite no longer having Juan Soto ahead of him in the lineup and some of the team’s supporting cast falling woefully short of expectations over the first few weeks of the season.

The Yankees currently have four starters, catcher Austin Wells, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., shortstop Anthony Volpe and center fielder Cody Bellinger hitting under .200. But, that hasn’t stopped them from being one of the most prolific offenses in baseball.

While their batting averages may not be very high, when those four players are making contact, they are doing damage with extra-base hits.

Of course, the team would like to see them do it on a more consistent basis, but sometimes there are factors at play beyond their control.

Take Chisholm for example.

His slash line of .165/.280/.418 leaves a lot to be desired. But he has already hit seven home runs with two doubles, recording 15 RBI, which is tied for the second most on the team with Volpe, behind the American League-leading 26 that Judge has produced.

Chisholm has stolen six bases as well, creating a lot of offense despite the underwhelming slash line.

However, some of that can be attributed to horrendous luck.

On the season, he has a batting average on balls in play of .154, well below the league average of .292. Any positive regression in that area will result in his slash line jumping back up to the numbers New York knows that he is capable of achieving.

As shared by Yankees Apple on X, that bounceback could be on the horizon because predictive stats are very favorable for the slugging second baseman.

He has an xwOBA of .347, which hints that his level of performance on the field isn’t being reflected by his numbers. Chisholm is hitting a lot better than his slash line would indicate; he just hasn’t been on the receiving end of good luck.

🗣️ Jazz Chisholm Jr. has a .347 xwOBA and his BABIP is .154. If you’re looking for a Yankee whose luck is about to turn, here’s your guy. #RepBx pic.twitter.com/9Oey8cSxU6

— Yankees Apple 🍎 (@yankeesapple) April 24, 2025

There are some very positive ratios and metrics in the early going that provide optimism as well.

Chisholm is showing patience at the plate unlike he has previously with an impressive 11.2% walk rate. His career high for a single season to this point is 8.7% during his All-Star campaign with the Miami Marlins in 2022.

He is also putting the ball in the air with more frequency this year than ever before, with a fly ball rate of 39.0%. His previous career high was 34.7%, which came, you guessed it, during his All-Star season.

A 32.2% ground ball rate would also be the lowest of his career, as all his ratios are in line with a player who is going to produce some prodigious power numbers. He is already doing that with an impressive 6.5% home run rate, which is more than double the league average of 3.1%.

It feels like only a matter of time until Chisholm’s luck changes, his numbers take off and he is right in the discussion for his second trip to the All-Star game.