The Detroit Tigers officially made the decision to re-sign 2B Jonathan Schoop to a one year deal worth $4.5 million for a second year in the Motor City.
Schoop, who signed a one-year deal with Detroit last offseason, ranked second on the team in 2020 with eight home runs while also batting .278 with 23 RBI.
During an interview to discuss the new deal, Schoop revealed that he discussed his versatility as a player with new manager A.J. Hinch, though he’ll be perfectly happy with remaining at second base if that’s where the team needs him.
“I just want to prove that I can play short, I can play third, I can play all over,” he said. “Wherever they need me. Even if they need me in the outfield, I’m ready for whatever.”
Schoop also stated that his wrist, which was injured in September and ended his season, had fully healed.
“We have a really good group here – we started to build something special last year and are going to take it to the next level in 2021,” Schoop explained shortly after the deal was announced. “This year I can’t wait to experience first-hand the energy that the wonderful Tigers’ fans bring to Comerica Park.”
“One of the other major factors in coming back to Detroit is the manager and the coaching staff. I’m excited to play for A.J. – he and I have already had great conversations about allowing me to showcase my defensive versatility a bit more this year. And Scott Coolbaugh was my hitting coach in Baltimore during my 2017 All-Star season. He is a great hitting coach and communicator, and knows how much damage I can do at the plate.”
In his eight career seasons in Major League Baseball, Schoop has hit a combined 259/.297/.450 in 846 games, with 157 doubles, 141 home runs and 415 total runs batted in.
– – Quotes via Jason Beck of MLB.com Link – –
