Jazz Chisholm Jr. to be MLB The Show 23 cover athlete. Plus more Miami Marlins notes

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is already a rising name in baseball. The Miami Marlins’ All-Star, who is moving from middle infield to center field to start the 2023 season, plays with a flair and persona that matches his combination of blazing speed and offensive production.

Chisholm’s rise took another step Monday, when it was announced he will be the cover athlete for MLB The Show 23. Chisholm, who turns 25 on Wednesday and is heading into his third MLB season, is the first Marlins player to grace the cover of the annually released video game.

Chisholm has been a sparkplug and a fan favorite since becoming a regular in the starting lineup in the 2021 season. He was in the midst of a breakout season in 2022, one that earned him All-Star honors for the first time in his career, before sustaining a season-ending stress fracture in his lower back. In 60 games played, he hit .254 with an .860 on-base-plus-slugging percentage to go along with 14 home runs, 45 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 39 runs scored.

Now, Chisholm will also begin to adapt to a new position. Chisholm is slated to be Miami’s starting center fielder in 2023 following the team’s acquisition of Luis Arraez, who will primarily play second base.

Alcantara, Ng receive awards

Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara and general manager Kim Ng both received awards as the Baseball Writers Association of America’s annual dinner Saturday in New York.

Alcantara was presented his National League Cy Young Award, while Ng was given the Arthur and Milton Richman “You Gotta Have Heart” award.

Alcantara is the first Marlins player to win the Cy Young Award, the third Dominican pitcher to get the honor and the 15th National League pitcher to win in unanimous fashion.

The 27-year-old right-handed pitcher got emotional at times during his brief speech in which he thanked just about everyone surrounding his career for helping him get to this point.

“So happy and blessed to be here,” Alcantara said.

Ng, MLB’s first female general manager, thanked all the organizations she worked with during her career — the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Marlins — and called the award “incredibly meaningful in so many ways.”

“The idea of having heart has been a theme throughout my career,” Ng said. “My journey has been long and a bit bumpy at times. But through all of it, I’ve always tried to keep others in mind that my bumps could some day lead to smoother sailing for others. Although there’s still work to do, I’m so heartened by the increased welcoming and inclusion of women in the many facets of our game.”

Prospect rankings

MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and The Athletic have all revealed their preseason Top 100 prospect lists, and five Marlins prospects were recognized by at least one of the three outlets.

One player was highly touted by all three: Right-handed pitcher Eury Perez, who is ranked No. 7 by Baseball America, No. 10 by The Athletic and No. 13 by MLB Pipeline.

Perez, who doesn’t turn 20 until April, struck out 106 of the 311 batters he faced while playing for the Double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and held opponents to a .233 batting average against. He’s 6-8, 220 pounds and has three above-average pitches with a fastball in the upper-90s, a mid-80s changeup and an upper-70s curveball. Perez has spent the offseason training with Marlins ace and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.

As for the other four...

▪ Right-handed pitcher Max Meyer, who made his MLB debut last season but lasted just 10 pitches into his second start before tearing the UCL in his right elbow and requiring Tommy John surgery, is the only other player appearing on multiple lists. MLB Pipeline ranks Meyer No. 67 while Baseball America has him at No. 90.

▪ Infielder Jacob Berry, Miami’s first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is No. 61 on MLB Pipeline’s ranking.

▪ Left-handed pitchers Dax Fulton and Jake Eder both solely show up on The Athletic’s list, with Fulton checking in at No. 78 and Eder at No. 97.

Perez, Berry and Fulton are all non-roster invitees to major league spring training. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 16. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 21.

Spring training game time change

The Marlins’ spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 11 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium will now start at 3:10 p.m. instead of 6:10 p.m.

March 11 is also the first day of World Baseball Classic competition at loanDepot park, a day that will feature Puerto Rico playing Nicaragua at noon and the Dominican Republic playing Venezuela at 7 p.m. The time change for the spring training game minimizes overlap between the Grapefruit League game and the Dominican Republic-Venezuela game.