With the signing of second baseman Jonathan Schoop to a one year, $4.5 million contract, the Detroit Tigers have acquired one more piece of their infield puzzle for the 2021 season. Unfortunately, the move doesn’t quite complete their infield lineup, and they’re not even quite sure where Schoop fits, based on his post-signing comments about his positional versatility.
Schoop is a second baseman, by trade. He has played portions of 18 games at third base and 16 at shortstop in his career, but 97 percent of his innings have been played at the keystone position, where he started for the Tigers last year until a sprained wrist landed him on the injured list for the last two weeks of the season.