Jonathan Schoop (BAL) - There's been a lot of things that have gone poorly for the Orioles this season, but one of the biggest disappointments has certainly been the regression in performance that we've seen from second baseman Jonathan Schoop. After a breakout 2017, Schoop has stumbled through the first half slashing .197/.242/.345 with just 8 home runs and 21 runs batted in, which is a far cry from the .293/.338/.503 mark with 32 home runs and 105 runs batted in that he managed over the course of the entire 2018 campaign. So what's changed? Despite nearly identical plate discipline to his career marks, Schoop has several concerning trends in his batted ball profile that seems to be the source of the majority of his troubles. Throughout his career, Schoop has battled inconsistency in his hard hit rate numbers posting the following totals since his rookie season in 2013: 42%, 26%, 36%, 27%, 36%, and this season at 25%. Not surprisingly, his best seasons have always been in the year where his hard hit rate was 36% or higher and down years when his hard hit rate was closer to 25-26%. In fact, from a pure statistical perspective, his 2018 campaign is trending very closing to his 2014 season. In that year, he finished with .209/.244/.354 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs. So what's wrong? It's always possible it's an injury, but more likely, this is just a situation where a player with consistently inconsistent results is having a down season. There are very few advanced metrics to suggest a turnaround is imminent and in fact, his recent numbers suggest even further downside. Schoop should have never been drafted as highly as he was going in the pre-season and unfortunately, it might be time to cut bait in most 12-team or shallower formats. Finding a worthy replacement may prove to be just as frustrating, however, as the entire second base and shortstop pools have been filled with under-achieving players.
Ryan Borucki (TOR) - Toronto Blue Jays rookie Ryan Borucki took another step forward on Monday afternoon as he put together a quality start against the Tigers. His final line read 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, and 8 K. His zero walks was especially a good sign after walking more batters (4) than he struck out (3) in his first career major league start. Before getting too excited about the strikeouts, you have to look at his minor league numbers and realize that today's outing was likely an aberration since he's currently posting an 18% strikeout rate at Triple-A. Given his heavy groundball tendencies, he's much more of a "put it in play and see what happens" kind of arm as opposed to a "blow it by you". However, in deep 15 team leagues, he could be worth a pickup if Aaron Sanchez continues to show little progress with the stiffness he's experiencing in his index finger.
Joe Jimenez (DET) - Shane Greene landed on the disabled with a strained right shoulder. The injury came completely out of the blue, but most concerning might be the fact that he wasn't sure what was wrong, but that he knew his velocity was down. Meanwhile, Joe Jimenez, the front runner to take over as closer in Detroit, blew his first career save opportunity by walking in the tying run. Nonetheless, are aren't many better options in the Tigers bullpen right now and the balls called on Jimenez were awfully close to strikes. We'd expect to see him out there for the next save chance. Jimenez has managed a much more impressive 27% strikeout rate this season, which is easily backed by his 14% SwStr%. He can get burned by the long ball (although he's maneuvered around it this year) given his high fly ball rate and 36% hard hit rate allowed. Jimenez is definitely the closer of the future in Detroit, it's just a matter of him actually executing in the ninth inning. Time will tell, but he's the short-term favorite.
Salvador Perez (KC) - Salvador Perez has been suffering through a near month-long slump that has now carried into July. Since June 5th, Perez has hit just .151/.170/.221 with just four extra base hits and an abysmal combination of a 26% strikeout rate and 1% walk rate. So is it all gloom and doom? Well, over that same time period, the catcher has managed a 37% hard hit rate with a 57% medium hit rate, meaning his .194 BABIP and 4% HR/FB rates both seem understated. As a result, Perez is a nice trade target in formats where his owners may be frustrated with his struggles.
Whit Merrifield (KC) - Whit Merrifield led off Monday's game against Corey Kluber with a home run. The blast was Merrifield's 5th of the season. The second baseman has been a productive stolen base threat for most of the season and has managed to contribute across all five of the fantasy categories, albeit not at an elite level at any of them. His solid 9% walk rate and 82% contact do help support his .361 OBP, but with a poor offense hitting after him, his runs scored numbers will continue to be low and his runs batted in numbers will be nearly non-existent. Second base has been a difficult area for fantasy owners this season, so Merrifield will continue to hold more value than if he played a different position, like outfield.
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Jonathan Schoop (BAL) - There's been a lot of things that have gone poorly for the Orioles this season, but one of the biggest disappointments has certainly been the regression in performance that we've seen from second baseman Jonathan Schoop. After a breakout 2017, Schoop has stumbled through the first half slashing .197/.242/.345 with just 8 home runs and 21 runs batted in, which is a far cry from the .293/.338/.503 mark with 32 home runs and 105 runs batted in that he managed over the course of the entire 2018 campaign. So what's changed? Despite nearly identical plate discipline to his career marks, Schoop has several concerning trends in his batted ball profile that seems to be the source of the majority of his troubles. Throughout his career, Schoop has battled inconsistency in his hard hit rate numbers posting the following totals since his rookie season in 2013: 42%, 26%, 36%, 27%, 36%, and this season at 25%. Not surprisingly, his best seasons have always been in the year where his hard hit rate was 36% or higher and down years when his hard hit rate was closer to 25-26%. In fact, from a pure statistical perspective, his 2018 campaign is trending very closing to his 2014 season. In that year, he finished with .209/.244/.354 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs. So what's wrong? It's always possible it's an injury, but more likely, this is just a situation where a player with consistently inconsistent results is having a down season. There are very few advanced metrics to suggest a turnaround is imminent and in fact, his recent numbers suggest even further downside. Schoop should have never been drafted as highly as he was going in the pre-season and unfortunately, it might be time to cut bait in most 12-team or shallower formats. Finding a worthy replacement may prove to be just as frustrating, however, as the entire second base and shortstop pools have been filled with under-achieving players.
