Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Jr. should be National League's All-Star second baseman

MIAMI — To seriously compete in the National League East race, the Miami Marlins must take care of business against their division rivals.

So far, they’ve done so. After taking two of three from the Washington Nationals, the Marlins are 10-3 against the NL East. Miami is being tested this weekend against the Atlanta Braves at loanDepot park.

The Marlins entered the weekend in third place in the East with a 17-20 record.

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These are The Palm Beach Post’s five takeaways from the Marlins based on this past week:

Jazz Chisholm Jr. deserves to start in All-Star Game

Doubt Jazz Chisholm Jr. at your own risk.

Remember, the Marlins started off batting their highly confident 24-year-old infielder ninth because they felt he hadn’t earned the right to bat higher in the order? Not only is Chisholm now leading off but he has also been the best second baseman in the National League.

Bluntly, Chisholm should be the NL’s starting second baseman in the All-Star Game on July 19. Chisholm’s FanGraphs WAR is 1.9, best among NL second baseman. Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals was second at 1.7, as of Thursday.

Chisholm is batting .304 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and a 169 wRC+, a metric that quantifies a player’s total offensive value measured by runs. The MLB average is 100.

Of all the fancy numbers, a simple stat to keep an eye on with Chisholm is strikeout percentage. It’s 22.7%, compared with 28.6% in 2021. If he keeps it under 25%, he will be fine.

Chisholm’s combination of speed and power, coupled with the fun he has playing the game, makes him the Marlins’ most “must-see” player.

Max Meyer lands on minor league IL

Tuesday was not Max Meyer’s day. Now we know why.

Meyer has been placed on the minor league injury list due to ulnar nerve irritation. The 23-year-old right-hander will miss at least one start for Triple-A Jacksonville.

The belief internally is that the injury is not considered serious. That answers some of why Meyer was rocked for eight runs in 3 1/3 innings in his start on Tuesday, a loss to Durham, which is part of the Tampa Bay Rays’ system. Meyer’s fastball was 94-97 mph, and he had trouble throwing it for quality strikes. He walked a season-high four and struck out one.

The Marlins, obviously, will monitor one of their top prospects closely. That’s now back-to-back rough starts for Meyer, who was tagged for six runs in five innings in his previous outing against Nashville, a Milwaukee Brewers’ farm club.

Miguel Rojas starting to step up

Manager Don Mattingly a few days ago noted shortstop Miguel Rojas is the least of his worries. Slow start aside, Mattingly is banking on Rojas’ track record.

The 33-year-old has been a team leader and fan favorite. He’s also signed for two years, $10 million through 2023. Rojas is showing signs of heating up. In his past 15 games, over a 51 at-bats sampling, he’s hitting .275.

Entering Friday's game, he was hitting.214. Still, Rojas is a .263 career hitter. He’s providing quality at-bats. Over the long season, his stats should wind up around where he normally finishes.

Fewer options without Joey Wendle

Make no mistake, the Marlins miss Joey Wendle.

The versatility the veteran infielder brings gives Mattingly options at third base, shortstop and second base. Wendle has been on the injured list with a right hamstring strain since May 13, retroactive to May 12.

His loss is being felt. A left-handed hitter who has the reputation of rising to the occasion, Wendle is hitting .304 with an OPS of .824 OPS. Without him, Mattingly is limited with left-handed hitting options.

For one game, Lewin Diaz was promoted from Triple-A. But he didn’t play and was sent back to Jacksonville the next day. Utility player Erik Gonzalez, a right-handed hitter, has been filling a bench utility role.

Finding a role for Cody Poteet

Jesus Luzardo’s left forearm injury has created an opportunity for Poteet, a late-bloomer who is putting things together in long relief/spot start situations.

Poteet, 27, stepped up on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. In his first start of the year, he threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, one walk with four strikeouts.

For the season, he has given up one earned run in 21 innings. Poteet is a reminder that you never know when a prospect will emerge.

The Marlins drafted Poteet in the fourth round in 2015, and he logged 30 2/3 innings with a 4.99 ERA in 2021. Hitters are batting .158 off his mid-90s mph fastball, and .069 against his change-up. He’s making a strong case for more starts.

Joe Frisaro covered the Marlins from 2002 to 2020 for mlb.com. He is the founder of ManOn2nd Baseball. Follow him @ManOn2nd and his podcast on the Five Reasons Sports YouTube Channel.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Marlins Jazz Chisholm Jr. should be National League All-Star