Miami Marlins: 3 MLB playoff stories to watch that will shape 2024

Will Jazz Chisholm be the star he's billed to be? 

For most baseball fans, it's all about Jazz when it comes to the Miami Marlins.

Cover athlete of MLB The Show, which has only been made clear probably about 1,000 times this offseason during commercial breaks. Charismatic leader. Spark plug on the field. Jazz carries the mantle of young superstar and ambassador for the game as effortlessly as he sprints from first to second base.

All that remains is for him to, well to borrow from the parlance of a certain video game, unlock legend mode and produce on the field like the superstar he aspires to be.

This will be the biggest stage yet Chisholm has played on, and all eyes will be upon him. That includes the Marlins front office, who will be hoping for a final answer to their Jazz question/problem. Is he a true, 1A star capable of carrying an offense? Or is he just a really exciting complementary player? He's already a top tier personality ... but he also hasn't been a Top 5 player in terms of WAR for the Marlins in 2023. That's curious territory to be sure for a face of the franchise to find themselves.

For my money, I would expect fireworks this week. Should he provide them over the course of these playoffs, the Marlins can move into the offseason confident that they can focus on filling holes, building up depth, and possibly taking their shot at offering Jazz an extension. If Jazz comes up short though, all the questions would remain. Chief among them, does Miami really have a superstar caliber hitter or not? It might sound like that's putting a lot on what could just be two additional games of playing time, but the clock is ticking on the organization being able to afford a long-term Jazz deal if is who he believes himself to be.

In short, just about anything could be on the table for the Marlins over the next year in regards to Jazz' future in South Florida. Much like one or two other players I could mention...