Cal catcher Andrew Knapp has been drafted in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
Knapp, who recorded a .350 batting average, eight home runs and 41 RBI this past season, was the anchor of the Cal baseball team that slumped its way to a 23-31 record. The junior, who was a 2013 Pre-season All-American before the season started, finished with a First-team All-Pac-12 selection.
Behind high schoolers Reese McGuire and Nick Ciuffo, Knapp was the third catcher drafted in this year’s MLB Draft. Knapp’s selection was the third consecutive year in which a Cal player was drafted in the second round. (Pitcher Erik Johnson in 2011, second baseman Tony Renda in 2012)
According to a scout report on MLB.com, Knapp has “the chance to hit for average and power” but “has a lot of work to do defensively behind the plate.”
Knapp is also a third-generation UC Berkeley student, following his father’s footsteps to play for the Cal baseball team. To read more on Knapp’s relationship with his father, read “Dream Catcher”, a feature written by Michael Rosen.
Contact Seung Y. Lee at [email protected]