You become a desirable destination for many free agents when you win many World Series, as the Texas Rangers did in 2023. Former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp recently inked a minor league contract with the Rangers after having that rare chance to impress throughout the offseason.
Knapp was selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2013 MLB Entry Draft, and according to MLB Pipeline, he was formerly listed among the team’s Top 10 prospects in 2016. Knapp spent five years mainly as the Phillies’ backup catcher between 2017 and 2021; therefore, his career never truly took off.
Knapp batted in those five seasons, but his results were rather meager.214 in 309 games with a.636 OPS, 79 runs scored, 13 home runs, 30 doubles, 4 triples, 98 walks, and 262 strikeouts. In his time with the team, he only threw out nearly 20% of baserunners and had a -30 DRS with 18 mistakes, not exactly stellar defensive statistics.
After the 2021 season, the Phillies decided not to re-sign Knapp, and Garrett Stubbs eventually took over as the team’s backup in 2022. Since then, Knapp has played in the minor leagues for the whole 2023 season with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros organizations, with brief visits with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and San Francisco Giants in 2022.
Knapp’s primary role with the Rangers going forward will be to provide organizational depth at the catcher position. But after Mitch Garver left the team to negotiate a contract with the Seattle Mariners this winter, he may have a chance to compete for the backup catcher position with the Rangers if he accepts an invitation to attend their spring training camp.
All the same, we wish Knapp the best of luck in his attempt to rejoin the major leagues in the upcoming season.
Leave a Reply