X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Jonathan Schoop to Brewers - Fantasy Impact

The Milwaukee Brewers appear to be trying to build an infield of sluggers who had a good 2017. They recently acquired Mike Moustakas from the Royals, who is struggling to live up to his 2018 form, and now they have added former Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop. They both join Travis Shaw who also appears to be struggling to live up to the numbers he put forward last year. However, the Brewers will be hoping that during this seasons race for the NL Central that at least one of their power hitting infielders finds his form and helps propel what should be a really nice offense the rest of the season.

Having given up a decent amount of prospect value in acquiring this infield the Brewers will be looking to try and get Schoop and Moustakas in the lineup as much as possible. What will be interesting to see is how they do that without compromising Shaw's spot in the lineup. That means we could potentially see Schoop spend some time at shortstop, which in itself could be a nice bit of added fantasy flexibility.

The question is what does this move mean for Schoop and his fantasy value? Going from a team that likely will lose 100-games to a team fighting to make the playoffs should at least boost his potential to win games but what about his hitting numbers? Will we see an increase in value that fantasy owners are craving? Below is a deeper look into Schoop’s value as part of the Brewers lineup, along with the impact his departure will have on the Orioles' second base and his owners across different fantasy leagues in the short and long term.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Rest of Season Value

Schoop's 2018 season has been somewhat of a disappointment so far. After hitting 32 home runs with a .293 batting average in 2017, big things were expected in 2018. However, currently Schoop is struggling to fully live up to those expectations. It is hard to complain about his 17 home runs but his .240 batting average is one of the worst of his career so far. The question to ask though is how playing in a team that has be abject at best this season has affected him. When it feels like nothing you do will make a difference it can become easy for concentration to slip and mistakes to be made. He no longer has that excuse now. On the Brewers, he has been thrust into the middle of a playoff race and hopefully he ups his game accordingly.

In terms of power, I am not expecting a huge amount more from Schoop. His ISO of .201 is close enough to his .211 mark last season and Miller Park is similar enough to Camden Yards that I do not expect much to change on that front. What fantasy owners will be hoping for is an increase in the average and a boost in his runs and RBI numbers. In terms of runs and RBI, being part of the Brewers lineup should help those come at a faster rate than they did in Baltimore. Schoop should hit in the middle of a batting order that is fairly stacked. When Travis Shaw is in the lineup there will be hitters capable of doing damage occupying batting positions one through seven for the Brewers.

In terms of his batting average, which is 0.053 below last seasons .293 mark, what can change? Currently, his BABIP is .260, having been above .300 the last three season in Baltimore. Some of that can always be attributed to a little bad luck but there are some concerning numbers. So far this season Schoop's hard contact rate is down nearly 10% compared to last season, at 26.8% compared to 36.1%. In addition, his line drive rate is down at 17.3% compared to being above 19% the last three seasons. However, a major issue is his infield fly ball rate which has jumped from 16% last year to 20.8% this season. That kind of increase is always going to have an effect on a hitter's BABIP and drive down the average. Schoop needs to get back to driving the ball harder and trying to avoid those pop-up type plays if he is to get his batting average up where we have seen it previously in his career.

In general, the difference between playing for a contender and a poor team can make a big difference. It would be expected that in Milwaukee, hitting behind Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, that Schoop should come to the plate with hitters on base more regularly. That should hopefully make a difference to his approach at the plate, as he may look to clear the fences less and focus on getting the ball in play.

Overall, I would look to try and acquire Schoop now in fantasy leagues if possible. If his current owner is frustrated with the low average you may be able to get him at a relative bargain. Now that he is on a contender where he should come to the plate in moments that matter and often with men on base he can hopefully get that batting average up, while also increasing his runs and RBI on a much better team than he was on.

The Brewers infield

How the Brewers infield shakes out is somewhat of a concern. Travis Shaw has already been moved off third base by Mike Moustakas and now he could lose times at second base as well. Shaw does not have the flexibility to play shortstop so even in a utility role he is extremely limited. Shaw, who has 20 home runs this season, is hitting for just a .248 batting average this season. However, we have seen that he is a hitter whose form can go up and down.

As for the remainder of the infield, Orlando Arcia is possibly a big loser, if Schoop can play shortstop on a regular basis. However, for fantasy purposes Arcia has been a negative this season, slugging just .249 with a .196 batting average and three steals. Finally, this acquisition puts pressure on recently acquired Mike Moustakas, who is also hitting for just a .248 batting average this season. Having three slugging infielders in the form of Moustakas, Shaw and Schoop will allow Milwaukee to ride the hot hands, potentially leaving someone on the bench for prolonged stretches. Owning this infield in fantasy may have just become very frustrating.

 

Dynasty Value

If, as many suspect, we see Jonathan Schoop play some shortstop this season, then in the short-term his dynasty value gets a bump. Gaining the flexibility the extra position offers is always a bonus. In addition, with the up and down nature of the shortstop position, having someone who can hit for power eligible there is always a bonus. Schoop is currently contracted to play in Milwaukee through into the 2019 season, which if you are going to be traded away from Camden Yards is not a bad alternative. Baltimore and Milwaukee rank very closely in park factor for home runs and runs.

Looking more long-term, Schoop is just 26 and has demonstrated the ability to hit for power and, when it goes right, have a solid batting average. For someone whose fantasy value relies heavily on his power where he ends up after this contract is huge. If he can stay in Miller Park or find another power-friendly park then he can remain a valuable fantasy hitter for the next few years. However, if he ends up somewhere with negative home run factor relative to the league average then the potential for low batting average could be an issue. Hitting in Miller Park I fully expect to see Schoop's value peak in the next season and a half. At that point, if you are not a contending team in the short-term then you may never get an opportunity to flip him for more value than while he is a member of a relatively stacked Milwaukee Brewers offense.

 

What about the Orioles?

The second base situation for the Orioles makes pretty grim reading for fantasy owners. Currently, it appears as though the Orioles will proceed with a platoon involving Jace Peterson and Breyvic Valera at second base. Peterson is hitting .206 with three home runs and nine stolen bases and Valera is hitting .182 in his limited exposure so far. Neither is expected to provide much in terms of power and speed, based on their minor league numbers. Where there may be some value is if Jonathan Villar can get himself healthy and play regularly. Villar has the speed to be a menace on the base paths and steal a decent number of bases. However, for now he is stuck on the disabled list with a sprained thumb so is not worth adding in most leagues at this stage.

 

More 2018 MLB Advice and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Carson Whisenhunt36 mins ago

Shines In Latest Start
Brady House50 mins ago

Heating Up At Triple-A
Marcelo Mayer1 hour ago

Goes Deep, Posts Third-Straight Multi-Hit Game
Zac Veen1 hour ago

Hits First MLB Long Ball
Chandler Simpson1 hour ago

Swipes First MLB Bag On Sunday
Logan Henderson1 hour ago

Strikes Out Nine In MLB Debut
Javier Sanoja5 hours ago

Hits First MLB Homer
Jake Irvin5 hours ago

Punches Out Nine In Solid Performance
Tyler Mahle6 hours ago

Keeps The Good Times Rolling On Sunday
Jesús Luzardo6 hours ago

Jesus Luzardo Impresses Against Former Club
Max Fried6 hours ago

Flirts With No-No In Fourth Win
Brice Turang6 hours ago

Notches Three Steals, Scores Three Times On Sunday
Rhys Hoskins6 hours ago

Stays Hot, Delivers Combo Meal On Sunday
Austin Wynns6 hours ago

Collects Six Hits, Six RBI In Monster Game
Kerry Carpenter10 hours ago

Leaves Game With Hamstring Injury
Jeffrey Springs10 hours ago

Leaves Start With Hamstring Tightness
Noelvi Marte11 hours ago

Tallies Five Hits, Drives In Seven
Scott Blewett11 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Justin Martinez11 hours ago

Unavailable Due To Fatigue
Agustín Ramírez11 hours ago

Agustin Ramirez Headed To Majors
Luis Arraez12 hours ago

Carted Off In First Inning
Jayden Daniels13 hours ago

Focused On Improving In 2025
Isaiah Stewart13 hours ago

Iffy For Monday Night
Aaron Gordon14 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 2
Gabriel Vilardi14 hours ago

To Remain Out For Game 2
Logan Thompson14 hours ago

Could Be An Option Monday
Martin Fehérváry15 hours ago

Martin Fehervary Iffy For Game 1
Tanner Jeannot15 hours ago

Remains Week-To-Week, Out For Game 1
Zeev Buium15 hours ago

Makes NHL Debut In Playoff Opener
Anthony Stolarz15 hours ago

Makes First Career Postseason Start
Oliver Ekman-Larsson15 hours ago

Good To Go Sunday
20 hours ago

Washington Hosts Tre Harris
NFL20 hours ago

Will Johnson Visits With Seattle
NFL20 hours ago

Devon Key Sticking With Denver
Yegor Sharangovich23 hours ago

Recovering From Broken Foot
Rasmus Andersson23 hours ago

Played With Broken Fibula
Semyon Varlamov23 hours ago

Expects To Be Ready For Next Season
Owen Power24 hours ago

Avoids Surgery
Rasmus Ristolainen24 hours ago

May Miss Start Of Next Season
Evander Kane24 hours ago

Close To Being Cleared For Action
Kyle Connor24 hours ago

Caps Off Three-Point Effort With Game-Winner
Nathan MacKinnon1 day ago

Leads Avalanche To Game 1 Victory
Max Pacioretty2 days ago

Available For Playoffs
Jake McCabe2 days ago

Available For Sunday's Game 1
Oliver Bjorkstrand2 days ago

Will Not Play In Round 1
Matthew Tkachuk2 days ago

Logs Full Practice Saturday
Jonathan Drouin2 days ago

Available For Game 1
Miro Heiskanen2 days ago

Upgraded To Day-To-Day
Jaylen Brown2 days ago

Not Expected To Be Limited On Sunday
Irv Smith2 days ago

Houston Re-Signs Irv Smith Jr.
Ja Morant2 days ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams2 days ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis2 days ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.2 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince2 days ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL2 days ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart2 days ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson3 days ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura3 days ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves3 days ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL3 days ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić3 days ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James3 days ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard3 days ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL3 days ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant3 days ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen3 days ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL3 days ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin3 days ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam3 days ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton3 days ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham3 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
NFL3 days ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith3 days ago

Sticking With Texans
NFL3 days ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch3 days ago

Returning To Cardinals
Mark Andrews3 days ago

Could Be Traded Soon
NFL3 days ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
3 days ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Rome Odunze3 days ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL3 days ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook3 days ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Jake Tonges3 days ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos3 days ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Lucas Glover5 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger5 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka5 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele5 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy5 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry5 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris5 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland5 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns5 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala5 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai5 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre5 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge5 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap5 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley5 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick5 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay5 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth5 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa5 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa5 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF