Former Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp signs minor-league deal with Rangers

The Texas Rangers announced the signings of seven players to minor-league contracts this afternoon. Former Phillies backstop Andrew Knapp was among them.

Knapp, once a top prospect in the Phillies’ farm system, played parts of five seasons in Philadelphia after debuting in 2017. For the most part, the switch-hitter was a backup catcher, never appearing in more than 85 games in a single season and only appearing in 309 overall between 2017 and 2021.

At the dish, Knapp slashed .214/.314/.322 with the Phillies, with his best offensive season coming in the shortened 2020 campaign as he posted an .849 OPS in just 89 plate appearances.

Defensively, Knapp consistently graded out as below-average in terms of defensive runs saved with the Phillies. Runners typically enjoyed attempting to steal bases with Knapp behind the dish. He recorded a below-league-average mark at throwing would-be base stealers out four times with Philadelphia.

Knapp hit the free-agent market after the 2021 season and has signed multiple minor-league deals since. His last appearance in the majors came in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants, a year in which he also played games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners.

Knapp spent 2023 as a member of both the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros organizations. He played in a total of 93 Triple-A games between his two stops this past season, posting a .705 OPS in 385 plate appearances. The 32-year-old elected free agency last month.

As part of his deal with Texas, Knapp also received an invite to Major League Spring Training.