The New York Yankees are mostly running it back in 2026, but with how great the team was at times in 2025, it’s not a bad thing. Returning players improving on their 2025 seasons isn’t far-fetched, especially for this Yankees roster.
One player who could have an even better season in 2026 than he did last year is Jazz Chisholm Jr. The two-time All-Star is coming off his best season, where he hit 31 home runs and stole 31 bases.
While a good season, Chisholm doesn’t want to stop there. As Chris Kirschner of The Athletic shared, Chisholm has a lofty goal to reach Shohei Ohtani in MLB history, joining him as just the second player to ever reach 50 homers and 50 stolen bases.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. wants to be second Shohei Ohtani in MLB HR-SB history
“After 30-30, he isn’t aiming for 40-40. He wants more,” Kirschner writes. “Chisholm’s sights are set on the 50-50 club, occupied by only Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.”
This is an incredible goal for Chisholm. Reaching either 50 home runs or 50 stolen bases in a single season is an incredible accomplishment.
Doing both in the same season is nearly impossible. In the well over 100 years of MLB history, only Ohtani has ever done both in the same season.
But the Yankees’ star second baseman has full confidence in himself to do that in 2026. Confronted with the reality of such a goal, with Ohtani being the only player to ever accomplish this feat, Chisholm confidently said, “You’re looking at the second one.”
Chisholm’s best season in the Majors, his 31-31 season in 2025, is still 19 home runs and 19 stolen bases away from matching Ohtani in MLB history.
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That 31-home-run total is a career high, while his 2024 total of 40 stolen bases is the most he’s had in a single season.
Reaching 30-30 is still a great year, but to add on another 20 homers and stolen bases to reach 50 on the season in both categories is a huge undertaking.
It’s an unrealistic goal for Chisholm, but he has the confidence and the talent to at least make this more interesting than most other players making such a statement.
This is a contract year for Chisholm, and a historic season like the one he’s going after would surely guarantee he lands a massive contract this offseason.
More likely than not, he’ll fall well short of this goal. But his confidence and aspirations are the exact kind of mentality that the Yankees need in 2026 from their returning players.
