What Team Is Andrew Knapp?
Andrew Knapp is with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Andrew Knapp, a former catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, has found a new home.
The Cincinnati Reds revealed shortly before Major League Baseball owners locked out the players that they had signed Knapp to a minor-league deal that included an invitation to major league spring training.
After being outrighted off the 40-man roster in November, Knapp was one of six Phillies who chose free agency.
The Phillies selected Knapp in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft, and he played parts of five seasons with the team.
n 2018, he was the team’s opening day catcher, and in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he had a.404 on-base percentage.
However, after Knapp’s.429 OPS in 62 games last season, the Phillies chose to go elsewhere for a backup to three-time All-Star J.T. Realmuto.
Knapp’s contract does not include any guarantees, but he appears to have a good chance of making Cincinnati’s opening-day roster.
Tyler Stephenson is projected to take over as the team’s starting catcher in 2022 after the Reds traded starting catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Detroit Tigers earlier this offseason.
Knapp, who was predicted to be a starter for most clubs by Zack Wheeler in May, would likely begin camp as the favorite to win the backup catcher job.
Knapp was classified as a C/IF in the Reds’ press release, which could indicate that the 30-year-old is a candidate to play elsewhere on the diamond if the opportunity arises.
In 2021, Knapp had limited action at first base and second base.
Whatever the future holds for Knapp, he’ll always be able to boast that he took Jacob deGrom, one of the sport’s most dominant pitchers, deep into the 2020 season: