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Baltimore Orioles: Best 2nd Basemen in the Last 30 Years

By Kristen Bentley

TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 23: Hanser Alberto #57 of the Baltimore Orioles tags out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays trying to stretch a double in the third inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on September 23, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 23: Hanser Alberto #57 of the Baltimore Orioles tags out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays trying to stretch a double in the third inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on September 23, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Orioles
BALTIMORE, MD – JULY 28: Jonathan Schoop #6 of the Baltimore Orioles tags out Kevin Kiermaier #39 of the Tampa Bay Rays trying stretch a single into a double in the first inning during a baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 28, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

When looking at the recent Orioles history, one man dominated second base during the 2010s. That man is Jonathan Schoop. He debuted with the Orioles in 2013 and the Curacao native put on a second-baseman clinic during his time with the team.

In 2018, the Orioles traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers and he wasn’t quite himself. Then, in 2019 he returned to form after being granted free agency and signing with the Minnesota Twins. He is scheduled to play second base for the Detroit Tigers in 2020.

He played for the Orioles between 2013 and the July trade deadline of 2018. While he was always a reliable player at second, his best year was 2017 when he earned a 6.3 WAR and played in his one-and-only All-Star Game.

During his career with the Orioles, he always had a positive WAR, adding up to 14.6 over the years. Defensively, he was always above average in range per nine. In 2016 and 2017, he was at the top of the pack with assists by a second baseman, and in 2017, he led the league in put-outs at second. In 2016, he had the third best fielding percentage as a second basemen.

Offensively, Schoop was a solid bat with the Orioles. His career slash with the Birds was .261/.296/.450. During his All-Star season, he hit .293/.338/.503. Schoop began the 2017 batting in the bottom half of the lineup, moving between six, seven, and eight. But, by mid-June, Buck Showalter changed the lineup for the remainder of the season, moving Manny Machado to the second spot and Schoop to the third hole. They stayed that way for the remainder of the season.

His 2017 season was so good that he was in discussion for an MVP award. While he didn’t win, he finished 12th in the voting. Jose Altuve won that season, followed by Aaron Judge and Jose Ramirez.

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