Andrew Knizner

Andrew Knizner
St. Louis Cardinals
Catcher
Born: (1995-02-03) February 3, 1995
Glen Allen, Virginia
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Andrew Robert Knizner (born February 3, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Career

Knizner attended Hanover High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia.[1] During his senior year, he was captain of the school's baseball team while batting .453 with five home runs, leading Hanover to a Virginia Class AAA state championship.[2] After graduating, he attended North Carolina State University where he played college baseball for the NC State Wolfpack.[3] Prior to his sophomore season, he switched from third base to catcher.[4][5] As a junior, he batted .292 with six home runs and 30 RBIs, along with compiling a .991 fielding percentage and throwing out 16 of 37 base runners attempting to steal.[6] After his junior year, Knizner was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft.[7]

Knizner signed with St. Louis and made his professional debut with the Johnson City Cardinals and posted a .319 batting average with six home runs and 42 runs batted in (RBIs) in 53 games. He was named to the Appalachian League postseason All-Star team.[8] He started 2017 with the Peoria Chiefs and was the starting catcher in the Midwest League All-Star Game.[9] In June, he was promoted to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, skipping the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals.[10][11] Knizner finished 2017 with a combined .302 batting average with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 95 total games between the two clubs, including a .324 batting average in 51 games with Springfield.[12] After the season, the Cardinals assigned Knizner to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League (AFL).[13] He was named the AFL Hitter of the Week the first week of the season after tallying eight hits, two home runs, and five RBIs in 17 at-bats.[14], and was selected to participate in the Fall Stars Game. Knizner finished the 2017 AFL batting .358 with three home runs, 12 RBIs, and a .940 OPS in 17 games. Knizner was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training.[15]

Knizner began 2018 with Springfield and after batting .333/.412/.467 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 27 games, he was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds.[16] However, he returned to Springfield on June 9 in order to make room for Carson Kelly on the Memphis roster.[17] In July, he was selected to represent the Cardinals in the 2018 All-Star Futures Game.[18] In 94 games played between Springfield and Memphis, Knizner slashed .313/.368/.430 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs.[19]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.richmond.com/sports/professional/baseball/for-hanover-grad-andrew-knizner-futures-game-appearance-a-tribute/article_25009b2d-68c4-5f7e-b0eb-451d11162050.html
  2. ↑ http://gopack.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=475
  3. ↑ "Knizner and Casey set on ACC path | Sports". richmond.com. August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ "NC State catcher adjusts to life behind the plate". Charlotte Observer. May 1, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ Nick Friar Contributing Writer. "Wareham Gatemen: Andrew Knizner is taking his second position change in three years in stride - Sports - southcoasttoday.com - New Bedford, MA". southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  6. ↑ http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/baseball/former-hanover-standout-knizner-among-state-players-picked-in-mlb/article_f06d8fd4-a3c6-5561-bd63-93d6ba72b982.html
  7. ↑ http://www.richmond.com/st-louis-cardinals-draft-andrew-knizner/image_f93ed2be-35d2-11e6-935e-777d1063e8dc.html
  8. ↑ http://www.milb.com/content/page.jsp?ymd=20061113&content_id=41751914&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_l120&sid=l120
  9. ↑ https://www.milb.com/peoria/news/chiefs-land-five-on-all-star-team/c-234930452
  10. ↑ Dave Eminian. "Chiefs catcher Knizner a hit despite 4-0 loss to Cubs - Sports - Journal Star - Peoria, IL". Pjstar.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  11. ↑ Forde, Mitchell (August 13, 2017). "Class AA catcher Knizner just keeps getting better | St. Louis Cardinals". stltoday.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Andrew Knizner Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  13. ↑ Goold, Derrick. "Elite prospects Alcantara, Hicks among eight young Cards headed to AFL". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ Joshua Clark. "Cardinals' Knizner named AFL Hitter of the Week". MLB.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Cardinals invite 23 non-roster players to Spring Training". Viva El Birdos. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  16. ↑ https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/cardinals-andrew-knizner-called-up-to-triple-a/
  17. ↑ http://thecardinalnation.com/cardinals-return-knizner-to-springfield/
  18. ↑ https://www.mlb.com/news/andrew-knizner-luis-ortiz-join-futures-game/c-285140620
  19. ↑ "Andrew Knizner Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.