Jonathan Schoop - Prospect Profile

A few things you might not have known about Orioles minor league prospect Jonathan Schoop:

• He was born on October 6, 1991 in Willemstad, Curacao; he was only 18 years old last season (2010).
• Willemstad is exactly 1937 miles from Baltimore, MD.
• He's listed at 6'1", and anywhere between 180-190 lbs.
• Played on the 2003 Little League World Series Caribbean Champion. He was a SS then too, and was listed at 5'1", and 89 lbs. No, this is not relevant. But that's never stopped me before.
• As a foreign-born player, he was signed rather than drafted, on August 20th, 2008.
• Didn't have a great pro debut in '09, posting a .239/.320/.291 line in the Dominican Rookie league. His walk rate was solid, though, and he showed some speed with 11 steals.
• He improved significantly in 2010, showing the ability to hit for average and power. His final line was .290/.350/.453 in 240 plate appearances.
• Ranked 10th on the Baseball America Orioles prospect list, 7th by John Sickels, and 6th by both FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus.
• Per FanGraphs:

"Schoop was one of the biggest movers in the organization in 2010 in terms of prospect value. Just 18 in 2010, he hit .316/.372/.459 in 148 rookie ball at-bats during his first taste of pro ball. Even more impressively, he maintained a strikeout rate of just 10.5 K%, while also showing solid patience (8.1%). He spent time at two more levels (advanced rookie ball and high-A) but did not hit as well. Schoop has a very quickly bat and a long stride at the plate, which generates a lot of line-drive power. He does get out in front of the ball a little too much at times. As he fills out, it should create more over-the-fence potential. In the field, he shows very nice glove work but his transfer from glove to hand is not always the smoothest. With a strong spring, the shortstop could open 2011 in low-A ball."

• Per John Sickels: "Grade C+: Not sure why, but this one stands out to me as a breakout candidate."

Just FYI... There's a great scouting report on Schoop, available on Orioles-Nation; it's from this past July (2010). They include pictures, video, a swing breakdown, you name it... great stuff.