LAKELAND, Fla. — Former Detroit Tigers infielder Jonathan Schoop was expected to be a key member of the Dutch team for next month’s World Baseball Classic.
Instead, he remains in detention in his home country of Curaçao, according to multiple reports from the Caribbean island.
Schoop, 34, was taken into custody last month in connection with a firearms investigation after police searched his home, according to DeporteAwe, Curacao.Nu and other island media outlets.
On Feb. 5, a judge ordered Schoop to remain in custody for an additional week. Then, on Thursday, the court extended his pre-trial detention for 60 more days, according to NoticiaCla.
NoticiaCla described the legal meaning of such an extension under Curaçao law as follows: “Extension of pre-trial detention by sixty days means that the magistrate finds it necessary that the suspect remain detained while criminal investigation continues. This only happens if the Public Prosecutor’s Office can make a plausible case that there are reasons to continue detention, such as risk that the investigation may be influenced, evidence may disappear or suspects may coordinate among themselves. An extension says nothing about guilt or innocence. It is not a conviction, but a procedural decision to allow the investigation to be completed. During this period, the prosecutor can continue to gather evidence, hear suspects and analyze investigation results. After the sixty days, it will be necessary to reassess whether pre-trial detention will be extended, suspended or terminated. The Public Prosecutor’s Office may also decide to bring the case before a judge or, if evidence is insufficient, release the suspect.”
Schoop last played in the major leagues with the Tigers in 2023. Over the past two seasons, he has been a regular for Union Laguna in the Mexican League and has remained active in international competition.
Curaçao, with a population of roughly 180,000, is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It governs itself internally but shares defense, foreign policy and nationality with the European nation.
Because residents hold Dutch nationality, athletes from Curaçao and the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao) are eligible to represent the Netherlands in international competition. In baseball in particular, players from Curaçao frequently compete on Dutch national teams, including in the World Baseball Classic.
Schoop was well known on the island even before reaching the big leagues, thanks to his heroics in the Little League World Series.
He joined the Tigers one-year, $6.1 million contract and was a Gold Glove finalist at second base during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He later signed a two-year, $15 million extension but struggled offensively beginning in 2022, hitting .204 with a .559 OPS in 661 plate appearances.
Schoop was widely regarded as a friendly and popular presence in the Tigers clubhouse, and teammates praised him when he was released amid continued struggles in 2023.
Schoop spent six years with the Baltimore Orioles before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018. He spent 2019 with the Minnesota Twins before joining the Tigers.