Kevin Goldstein just updated his Future Shock Blog with information on the progress of a number of minor leaguers so far this season. He focused first on Delmarva Shorebird Jonathan Schoop. The article is subscription only, but here is what he had to say about Schoop:
In a system very low on prospects, Schoop entered the year as the No. 6 prospect following an impressive showing in the Appy League, but he was slid from shortstop to third base (where his tools profile better) to accommodate 2010 first-round pick Manny Machado, and suddenly the Orioles have one of the more impressive left sides of an infield in Low-A. A 19-year-old native a Curacao, Schoop has good defensive fundamentals, a plus arm and burgeoning power, and is now hitting .326/.396/.605 in 11 games while become one of my better non-Top 101 sleepers of the early season.
It's a long way from low A to the majors, but given the lack of positional prospects in the O's system it's great to hear such praise for Schoop, who was rated the #7 Orioles prospect by John Sickels, who sees him as a breakout candidate.
Orioles-Nation.com ranked Schoop as the organization's #8 prospect, and reached out to MLB Bonus Baby's Ed Hickey, to get detailed information on his swing for the Schoop's scouting report. It's interesting stuff. Hopefully we'll continue to hear good things out of Delmarva regarding the SS turned 3B.