Fantasy Baseball 2016 > Rankings > Second Base > Jonathan Schoop

#14 Jonathan Schoop: Fantasy Predictions for 2016

Jonathan Schoop puts up solid fantasy numbers when he plays, but that’s only when he plays. Schoop played in 137 games in 2014, then he only played in 86 games last season. In 2015, while he was in, he was awesome for fantasy owners, hitting .279 with 15 HR (he hit 16 in 2014 when he played 51 additional games by comparison) and 39 RBI. If you pace Schoop’s 2015 stats out to 162 games, you’re looking at 25-30 HR and 70-80 RBI which is great out of your second baseman.
 
Are there worries with Schoop? Absolutely. Aside from the injury bug that already plagues him at the young age of 24, we’re also concerned with his ridiculous lack of patience at the plate. We know you probably don’t count walks in your league, but you might count OPS – walks are a factor in OPS. More importantly, walks are a good indication of a batter’s discipline at the plate… and Schoop’s lack of walks is astonishing.
 
In 2014, Schoop walked just 13 times in 137 games, but he still managed to strike out 122 times. In 2015, the pace wasn’t much better with just 9 walks and 79 strikeouts in 86 games. Jonathan Schoop’s troubling walk to strikeout ratio tells us a few things:

Jonathan Schoop Fantasy Stats and Indicators

Year	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2014	22	137	455	48	95	18	0	16	45	2	0	13	122	.209	.244	0.354	0.598
2015	23	86	305	34	85	17	0	15	39	2	0	9	79	.279	.306	0.482	0.788

Jonathan Schoop is 24 with a lot of upside if he can just lay off a few more pitches.

Fantasy Statistical Indicators

*Power numbers are obvious - a huge help for fantasy teams at the second base position.
*His pace of just 16 walks per 162 games is ridiculously bad. 144 strikeouts per 162 games isn't good, either. This indicates he's prone to long slumps with next to zero production. It also indicates he relies on bad pitchers to throw hum meat instead of being able to hit good pitchers.
*Age 24: this indicates that all his offensive woes (patience at the plate) could diminish significantly over the next 2-3 years when he hits his prime.

1. He doesn’t have a solid grasp of the strike zone.
   
2. He doesn’t understand the benefit a batter has by getting three strikes – he swings at the first thing he thinks is a strike.
3. He’s prone to long slumps once pitchers figure out where the holes are in his swing.
4. He relies on pitchers to make mistakes rather than being able to hit tough pitches.

 
Schoop is one of those players that you might as well bench when he goes up against the best pitchers in the league. Look at his opposing pitchers and see how many home runs they give up. This will tell you, more or less, whether he’s a guy who makes mistakes to batters. If he is, Schoop may have a big day. If he’s not, just bench Schoop because he’ll likely be due for an 0-4 day with a couple of strikeouts.
 
One thing to note… Despite everything said above, Jonathan Schoop may actually end up being a top-5 second baseman by year’s end. If he works on his patience at the plate, his average goes up, his OPS goes up, his Runs scored go up an, of course, his HR and RBI go up. While we’re afraid of the inherent streakiness of a player like Schoop, the fantasy numbers are what they are. Don’t be afraid to draft him as a top-5 second baseman – he may just pay off.