Saturday, February 6, 2016

Fantasy Focus: 2016 Breakout Second Baseman- Jonathan Schoop

Jonathan Schoop, 2B.  DOB:  10/16/1991.  6'2", 210 lbs.  Organization:  Orioles

2015:  .279/.306/.482, 15 HR, 2.8 BB%, 24.6 K%, BABIP= .329, 321 PA.

I last year's auction draft, I overpaid for Dee Gordon at $29.  He was worth every penny of that, but if I want him again this year, I'm going to have to pay a lot more than that.  So, I'm thinking about shifting gears away from Gordon's elite SB production to a guy who just might give me over 30 HR's from a position that does not generally produce anything close to that kind of power.  Jonathan Schoop is a big, power hitting 2B in the mold of Jeff Kent or Dan Uggla.  He hit 16 HR's in his rookie campaign in 2014 albeit with an ugly BA of .209.  Last year, he clubbed 3 dingers in the first 9 games of the season, then hurt his knee on a takeout slide.  He did not return until mid-season, but hit .287 the rest of the way.

The guy is a free swinger with minuscule walk rates, but OBP is not a category in most fantasy formats.  His BABIP was not insanely high last year, so there is a fairly good chance that his BA will hold up and the power is obviously there.  An injury free season would yield close to 30 dingers and this kid is still on the upward trajectory of his career, and a fairly steep one at that!  While other managers are overpaying for Dee Gordon, Jose Altuve and Robinson Cano, sit back and grab this guy later in the draft, but don't wait too long!

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