A long-time major leaguer Andrew Knapp announced his resignation as a player on his Instagram page. “I have dedicated my life completely to this game, and the game has blessed me a lot,” he said. “Baseball has given me relationships that I will have for the rest of my life. It teaches you how to fail and how to persevere. It taught me to be confident but humble. It taught me that people will remember you more because of who you are than what kind of player you were.” He then went on to thank the many people who helped him along the way, including his agent, colleagues and family members.
Knapp, now 33, was once a remarkable prospect. Little league son Mike Knappthe younger Knapp showed enough promise as a junior to be drafted by the Athletics out of high school, selected in the 41st round in 2010. But Knapp decided to go to Berkeley instead, becoming a full-time catcher who hit both sides of the plate. That led to the Phillies taking him in the second round of the 2013 draft and signing Knapp for a bonus of just over $1MM.
His development was slowed slightly by Tommy John surgery, which he required late in 2013, but he still put up strong offensive numbers. He slashed .280/.355/.435 in 1,173 minor league plate appearances from 2013 to 2015, production that resulted in a 132 wRC+. That offense, especially as a switch-hitter, gave Knapp hope for helium. Entering 2016, Baseball America ranked him just behind the top 100, ranking him at #96.
Unfortunately, his big league offense did not match his production on the farm. He showed little power in his 2017 debut, producing a .257/.368/.368 line. His 27.5% strikeout rate was a little high but he also drew feet at a solid 15.2% clip. The overall production resulted in a wRC+ of 94, which is slightly below average overall but respectable for catching.
However, he could not maintain that level of performance. He appeared in at least 33 games for the Phils in five straight seasons from 2017 to 2021 but produced a combined slash line of .214/.314/.322 during that span, resulting in a 72 wRC+. His 11.9% walk rate was a strong mark but his 31.7% strikeout rate was very high. That included a massive .278/.404/.444 showing in 2020, though that was a small sample of 89 plate appearances and he crashed back to earth with a .152/.215/.214 line in 2021.
Knapp’s glove work has not been particularly well regarded, with outlets such as Baseball Prospectus and Statcast giving him negative grades for his fielding, blocking and throwing. As a hope, it was hoped that his offense might make up for it, though it never really happened.
The Phils decided to move on after that difficult game for Knapp in 2021, signing him off the roster, which began a phase of his career journey. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds through 2022 but did not make the club’s camp. That led to him joining the Pirates, Mariners and Giants, though he pitched in 16 major league games between those three teams that year. In 2023, the minor league deals with the Tigers and Astros did not return to the major leagues. In 2024, he was with the Rangers in the minor leagues at the end of June. After his release, he received a major league contract with the Giants, but was assigned less than a week after pitching in three games. He was delisted and elected to free agency at the end of the season.
Now Knapp has decided to hang up his spikes and move on to the next phase of his life. His retirement statement did not reveal his career plans, although he has previously expressed his desire to become a manager one day, so he may start doing so now. He retired with 158 hits in 756 at-bats, including 31 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs. He scored 83 runs and drove in 66. We at MLBTR congratulate Knapp on a major league career and wish him the best in whatever comes next.
