Andrew Knapp, who spent the first five of his seven major league seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, announced his retirement on Instagram Sunday. “Every ball players [sic] career has to come to an end at some point and now is my time to hang em up,” Knapp posted on Twitter. “God has blessed me with an amazing career and I feel so grateful to have gotten to play for as long as I have.” Knapp, 33, was the Phillies’ second-round selection in the 2013 draft out of UC Berkeley. The Northern California native hit.209/.309/.312 in 328 career games (2017-24) for the Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and San Francisco Giants. In 2024, Knapp played his last three major league games with
San Francisco went 1-for-6 with two strikeouts. “I’ve wanted to be a professional baseball player since I can remember,” Knapp posted on Instagram. “I have some of my earliest memories at the ballpark and in the clubhouses with my father and his teammates.” I dedicated my entire life to the game, and it blessed me with so much.Baseball has given me relationships that will last the rest of my life. It has taught me how to fail and continue. It has taught me to be confident yet humble. It has taught me that people will remember you more for the person you are than the player you were.”
Among those who commented on Knapp’s tweet was his former Philadelphia manager, Gabe Kapler, who is now the Miami Marlins’ deputy general manager. Kapler tweeted, “Stellar career, @theknappyboy5!” “Congratulations.” Throughout his career with the Phillies, Knapp was never the primary catcher. He was the backup to Cameron Rupp, Jorge Alfaro, and J.T. Realmuto, as well as a vital bench weapon and switch-hitter. Knapp’s finest statistical season was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he slashed.278/.404/.444 in 33 games, and his 0.8 Wins Above Replacement (according to Baseball Reference) established his career high.
Andrew Knapp, the son of journeyman minor league catcher Mike Knapp, has spent the last two years with the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers but has yet to participate in a major league game. On July 1, 2018, Knapp pinch-hit for pitcher Nick Pivetta and hit a walk-off home run in the 13th inning, leading the Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. It was the first walk-off home run by a Phillies player in over two years.
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