Former Philadelphia Phillies backstop catches on with World Series champs

When you become World Series champions like the Texas Rangers did in 2023, you become a favorable destination for many free agents. In the case of former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp, he had that distinct opportunity to catch on with the Rangers this offseason and recently signed a minor league contract with the ballclub.

Knapp was a former second-round pick of the Phillies in the 2013 MLB Entry Draft and was once even ranked within the Top 10 of Phillies prospects back in 2016, according to MLB Pipeline. However, Knapp’s career never really took off as he served primarily as the Phillies’ backup catcher over five years between 2017 and 2021.

In those five seasons, Knapp put up somewhat paltry numbers as he batted .214 with a .636 OPS, 79 runs scored, 30 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 62 RBI, 98 walks, and 262 strikeouts in 309 games played. He didn’t fare much better defensively, posting a -30 DRS with 18 errors, and threw out close to only 20 percent of the baserunners during his tenure with the ballclub.

Eventually, Knapp was not re-signed by the Phillies after the end of the 2021 season, as Garrett Stubbs ultimately took over the backup duties in 2022. Since then, Knapp has had pit stops with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and San Francisco Giants in 2022 and spent his entire 2023 season in the minors with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros organizations.

Now with the Rangers, Knapp will mainly serve as organizational depth at the catcher position. But with an invitation to join the Rangers’ Spring Training camp, he could have an outside shot at challenging for the team’s backup catcher spot after the departure of Mitch Garver, who recently signed on with the Seattle Mariners this current offseason.

Nevertheless, we wish Knapp all the best in his shot to return to the majors in the coming season.

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