Retired Philadelphia Phillies backstop joins World Series champions.
When a team wins the World Series, as the Texas Rangers did in 2023, it becomes a desirable destination for many free agents. Former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp had the option to play with the Rangers this offseason and just signed a minor league contract with the team.
Knapp was a former Phillies second-round choice in the 2013 MLB Entry Draft and was formerly considered among the Top 10 Phillies prospects in 2016, according to MLB Pipeline. However, Knapp’s career never truly took off as he largely remained as the Phillies’ backup catcher between 2017 and 2021.
Knapp hit in those five seasons for rather meager figures.In 309 games, he batted 214 times with a.636 OPS, 79 runs scored, 30 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 62 RBI, 98 walks, and 262 strikeouts. He didn’t fare much better defensively, compiling a -30 DRS with 18 mistakes and striking out less than 20% of baserunners during his time with the team.