Cougars' Chisholm homers on three-hit night

After missing most of last season with a torn meniscus, Jasrado Chisholm has had more than a few adjustments to make. Along with recovering from the injury, playing in the cold has been a work in progress for the native of the Bahamas.
The D-backs' third-ranked prospect generated some heat on Tuesday night, going 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored and helping Class A Kane County to a 3-1 win over Quad Cities at Modern Woodmen Park.

Gameday box score
It was Chisholm's first three-hit game since Opening Day last season. He went on to play 28 more games with the Cougars before injuring his right knee on May 13. 
"It felt amazing being out on the field and helping the team again," he said. "To get a 'W' tonight, I really had fun out there. I just try to have fun and always be the best I can be every night."
Getting his timing down at Spring Training in Arizona, then heading north with Kane County has been a challenge as he battles the knee and cold to get his body back in tune. 

"You have to make a big adjustment to it," Chisholm said. "You have to learn how your body reacts in the cold. I learned last year, some people slow down in the cold or you can speed up. I speed up and have to do my best to slow myself down in games that are cold. It's really hard to play in the cold and I really respect everyone who can do it."
Against the River Bandits, the left-handed hitter reached on a bunt single in the second inning and came around to score on a groundout by Yoel Yanqui. It was part of a two-run outburst that put Kane County ahead for good.
Chisholm provided insurance in the fifth with a leadoff blast to right field off reliever Carlos Sanabria, his first homer since April 10, 2017. His third hit came in the seventh, when he lined a single to right.
"It kind of motivates me," he said of the gap between home runs. "It's time for the tide to turn and make it so that doesn't happen again."
The 20-year-old shortstop led D-backs Minor Leaguers in homers during Spring Training after crushing nine in 62 games in 2016, his debut season with Rookie-level Missoula. 
While Chisholm said he recognizes his label as a power hitter, it's not his only focus at the plate. The second-year Midwest League player is keeping his attention on pitch selection and how to make hard contact on whatever comes his way.
"The Diamondbacks have always told me I don't have to think like I'm going to be a power hitter," he said. "Going into games, sometimes you go a little big, especially coming here. This year, I've realized I've played here and I've yet to hit a fastball well. I've been hitting the off-speed pitches -- like tonight my home run was on the off-speed pitch."
Coming back from the knee injury has altered his approach. Chisholm said he had to slow down and focus on getting back to basics.
"The timing and getting my legs back under me made Spring Training kind of tough," he said. "That was mostly it, just the timing. Going out now in the freezling cold out there, finding timing to be square with the ball, it's kind of tough every night. Going out there and doing what I did tonight felt awesome."
Now that he's gotten his feet under him with a three-hit game, Chisholm is ready to make noise in the Midwest League. And the support he's gotten from the D-backs front office has eased the pressure he may feel as a highly ranked prospect.
"Sometimes my aggression heats up, so it looks like I'm really trying to hit home runs. But at the same time, I'm only trying to make hard contact," he said. "The game is about trying to find the holes and make contact, so that's what I want to do."
Luis Silverio drove in the other run for Kane County, singling home Stephen Smith in the third. Luis Alejandro Basabe collected two hits from the ninth spot in the lineup.
Breckin Williams (1-0), Matt Brill and Abraham Almonte combined on 5 1/3 innings of hitless relief, with Almonte recording his second save.