Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the 2025 season talking about 50 home runs, 50 stolen bases and a contract worth about $350 million over 10 years. Two weeks into the year, he is stuck in a far rougher place: through 56 plate appearances, he was 9-for-52 with a.173/.232/.250 line, six stolen bases, no home runs and 17 strikeouts.
The 28-year-old said the reason is simple. “It’s cold. It’s literally all it is,” he said when asked about the slow start. Chisholm said his swing still feels good, but cold weather has made it harder to stay loose during games. “When you step into that cold weather and you stand there a couple of innings, your body starts to freeze,” he said. “It’s hard to function when you can’t feel the bat.”
That explanation comes with a number that cuts against it. Chisholm said he was batting.180 through his first 12 games and had a.460 slugging percentage, but he had not yet driven a ball over the fence in 2025. He also struck out 17 times in 56 plate appearances, a rate that leaves little room for comfort while the batting average keeps sliding.
Cold weather has not only affected Chisholm. Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger were also playing in the same conditions, and postseason baseball often comes with the same kind of weather. That matters because Chisholm’s career October record is thin and unsteady: across 24 playoff games, he owns a.170/.247/.295 slash line.
Chisholm said he was not trying to hide behind the temperature, and that he had made the same point last year. “I’m not using that as an excuse. I said the same thing last year,” he said. Still, he made clear that he believes his bat heats up with the air around him. “As soon as the weather heats up, I heat up,” he said. “That’s what it is.”
For now, the numbers are doing the talking. Chisholm came in chasing a superstar season and a star-level payday. Instead, he is waiting for the weather to change before his line at the plate changes with it.
