Schoop! There it Is; Twins Make a Move
Not even 24 hours after I criticized the Twins for missing out on top pitching targets on the free agent markets, the Twins make their first big move off the offseason. Welcome aboard Johathan Schoop!
Schoop to #MNTwins, one year, $7.5M, plus incentives, per source. Physical is complete.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 6, 2018
The Twins had a void to fill at second base after trading Brian Dozier to the Dodgers, and with Nick Gordon a year away from being ready the Twins needed to figure out something for that spot for 2019. What does Schoop bring to the table? Well for one, he’s pretty good defensively compared to Dozier (who we all thought was an above average defensive second baseman, but apparently we were wrong)
#Twins finalizing one-year deal with free-agent 2B Jonathan Schoop for more than $7M, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 6, 2018
So Schoop will be able to field the position which will help out the pitching staff.
Secondly, he can rake and he’s young:
Jonathan Schoop picked a big spot to hit his 1st home run in a #Brewers uni! #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/7DfRAP4A0C
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 22, 2018
His overall numbers in 2018 weren’t the best (he hit .233 combined between Baltimore and Milwaukee) but a midseason injury and a switch from the AL to NL are not factors that usually have a positive impact on offensive performance (unless you are Manny Ramirez and the LA Dodgers).
The last 2 years he hit a COMBINED 57 home runs and drove in 187 runs, as a second baseman. Those numbers aren’t supposed to exist at that position. Is he on that same level today? No but I believe he’s better than what he showed with the Brewers. Schoop is only 27 so there are still some productive years left in him. As a 1 year deal to keep the seat warm for Nick Gordon, I actually really like the signing.
Hopefully it means the Twins were listening and are ready to get the ball rolling because there is more to be done. Here are Schoop’s numbers so far in his career:
Seth Toupal @sethtoups
Minnesota Sports Fan
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