Phillies Prospect Andrew Knapp Working on Defense
One of the Philadelphia Phillies top prospects is a catcher whose bat is advanced, and who is now working to improve his defense.
For years now, Carlos Ruiz has been a rock behind the plate for the Fightin’ Phils. “Chooch” became a part of Phillies lore with a strong performance in the 2008 World Series, including the biggest little hit ever in their Game 3 victory.
He has been praised by future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay multiple times for his outstanding game calling.
Last season, Ruiz tied an MLB record for most no-hitters ever caught with four when he handled Cole Hamels‘ final Phillies start.
He has been an important piece for this team for years, but 2016 is likely his last season with the Phillies. And while Cameron Rupp has done a nice job the last couple of seasons behind the dish, he projects as more of a backup catcher rather than a starter.
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The most physically demanding position on the field, it’s not easy to find elite all-around catchers today. Names like Yadier Molina and Buster Posey come to mind when one thinks of superstar, home-grown franchise catchers.
But again, those types of players are quite rare in today’s game. The Phillies are fortunate to have two promising catching prospects in their high minors who they hope can fill the big shoes left by Chooch, and possibly even reach the levels of Posey and Molina.
One of those is AA Reading catcher Jorge Alfaro, one of the team’s top five overall prospects. The other was the Paul Owens Award winner last year as the top producing position player in the club’s minor league system. That player is now AAA Lehigh Valley’s catcher, Andrew Knapp.
Knapp was the Phillies’ 2nd Round pick in the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of California-Berkeley.
He 24 years old, listed at 6’1″ and 195 lbs, and is currently listed as the Phillies #9 prospect on MLB.com.
Knapp had a breakout offensive season last year at Double A Reading in taking that Owens Award, batting .360/.419/.631 in 55 games with 11 homers, 56 RBIs, and 21 doubles.
This year, Knapp was promoted to AAA Lehigh Valley, where he struggled early. Knapp has picked up the pace recently, however, and over the last month has a .274 average. He also now how has six homers and 22 RBI in 42 games played for the IronPigs.
While there was little doubt that Knapp’s bat would come around, his defense behind the plate is still very much a work in progress.
He already has 5 errors and 7 passed balls on the season, with a pedestrian 29% caught stealing rate against opposing base runners.
Knapp will need to improve is over defensive game before he receives a call to The Show. In an interview with CSN Philly, IronPigs manager Dave Brundage had high praise for the amount of hard work Knapp has put in on his defense:
"“His receiving has improved immensely. I think he’s getting more comfortable, and that’s the confidence level, where he’s just unsure of himself. Blocking balls, he’s been better. Some of the tougher blocks to his right and things like that is what he’s been working on. His throwing to second base is a work in progress, and it’s not for lack of work ethic, he’s out here every day working on it.”"
If Knapp can figure things out defensively, he has the ability to be an All-star caliber catcher for the Phillies for years to come.
The end of the Carlos Ruiz era will be a lot easier for fans to digest if Knapp can live up to his potential and step in as the next great Phillies backstop, following in the footsteps of Wall of Famers like Bob Boone, Darren Daulton, and Mike Lieberthal.