Baltimore Orioles: Jonathan Schoop Has A New Home

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 21: Jonathan Schoop
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 21: Jonathan Schoop /
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Former Baltimore Orioles infielder Jonathan Schoop has signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Since there has been nothing of note coming out of Birdland since the Rule 5 draft and news surrounding the Baltimore Orioles is sure to be non-existent for a few more weeks, that leaves us with nothing else to talk about except checking in on some of our former favorites.

Just a few days ago, former reliever/opener/whatever the Orioles felt like doing with him that day pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres, joining Manny Machado, Ryan Flaherty, Zach Davies, Bobby Dickerson, and Wayne Kirby in California

Now, former Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop has signed a one-year deal worth $6.1 million with the Detroit Tigers, joining fellow Minnesota Twins teammate C.J Cron who also signed with the Tigers for the exact same deal.

Originally signed as an international free agent, Schoop worked his way through the Orioles farm system and became a fan favorite during his six seasons in Birdland. Playing in 635 games, Schoop slashed .261/.296/.450 with 106 home runs, 126 doubles, and was worth 11.6 bWAR.

Without a doubt, his best season was his 2017 All-Star campaign that saw him hit .293 with a .338 OBP, 32 home runs, and 105 runs driven in, all career-highs.

He would be traded to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the 2018 sell-off in Birdland, netting the Orioles infielder Jonathan Villar, former top pitching prospect Luis Ortiz, and a young lottery ticket in infielder Jean Carmona. Villar is now in Miami, Ortiz has proven he will never contribute at the major league level, and Carmona is still 19, but has struggled to stay on the field and is still in rookie ball. Nothing much came out of this trade for either team.

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Schoop hit .202 with just four home runs and a .577 OPS across 46 games with Milwaukee, failing to earn much playing time during the playoffs that season before leaving the team via free agency.

Schoop had a bit of a bounce-back year in 2019 with Minnesota. Appearing in 121 games, Schoop hit 23 home runs with 23 doubles and a .777 OPS, posting a 1.6 bWAR campaign, his best since that 2017 All-Star run with the Orioles.

The 28-year-old infielder now joins the only team in the major leagues that posted a worse record than the Baltimore Orioles last season, the Detroit Tigers. However, while the Orioles continue to clear house and try their hardest to reach a maximum of 40 wins next season (yeah, yeah, trust the process stuff), the Tigers are at least giving their fans someone to watch while they lose another 100 games.

Next. Memorable Orioles Trades With NL Central Teams. dark

Good for the Tigers and congratulations to Jonathan Schoop. I hope he finds his stroke in Detroit and becomes a hot trade chip at the deadline.