Knapp is the 166th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former La Crosse Logger, Andrew Knapp, made his Major League debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, April 6, 2017. Knapp is the 166th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Knapp, who played collegiately at California, played for the La Crosse Loggers in 2011. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
In 2011 with the Loggers, Knapp hit .400 with eight doubles, five home runs and 33 runs driven in.
Knapp started his Minor League career in 2013 with the Williamsport Crosscutter in the Short Season A New York-Penn League. Over 62 games he hit .253 and drove in 23 runs while hitting 20 doubles and four home runs.
He split the 2014 season between two teams. Knapp started the season in the Hi-A Florida State League with the Clearwater Threshers before being sent to the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Lo-A South Atlantic League. Over 98 games he hit a combined .260 with six home runs, four triples, 20 doubles and 32 runs driven in.
The 2015 season saw Knapp split time again between two teams. He began the season with the Reading Fightin Phils in the AA Eastern League and then after 55 games was sent back to Clearwater. Between the two teams he hit .308 with 13 home runs, five triples and 35 doubles. He also drove in 84 runs and walked 51 times.
For the 2016 season Knapp was promoted to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the AAA International League. For the season, he hit .266 with eight home runs, 24 doubles and 46 RBI. He also walked 37 times and stole two bases.
In his Major League debut against the Cincinnati Reds, Knapp started at catcher and went 0-2 at the plate with two walks.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
