Marcus Knecht

Marcus Knecht
Knecht batting for the Lansing Lugnuts
Toronto Maple Leafs – No. 24
Outfielder
Born: (1990-06-21) June 21, 1990 (age 34)
Toronto, Ontario
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Canada
Baseball World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Panama City Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2011 Guadalajara Team

Marcus Allen Knecht (born June 21, 1990) is a Canadian professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball at Oklahoma State University and Connors State College. Knecht has also competed for the Canadian national baseball team.

Career

Knecht attended St. Michael's College School in Toronto and played youth baseball with the North York Baseball Association in Toronto. He represented the Province of Ontario in the Canadian Championships. In the 23rd round (698th overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Knecht, but he did not sign.[1] Knecht enrolled at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater to play college baseball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team in the Big 12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. He received only 12 at bats in 2009, which prompted him to transfer to Connors State College for 2010.[2][3]

Toronto Blue Jays

Knecht was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round (113th overall) of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft,[1][3] with a compensation pick the Blue Jays received for failing to sign Jake Barrett the previous year.[4] Knecht made his professional debut in 2010 with the Auburn Doubledays of the Class-A Short Season New York–Penn League, and slashed .268/.345/.437 with 5 home runs and 34 RBI. Knecht was voted the Canadian Baseball Network player of the year in 2010.[3] Prior to the 2011 season, Baseball America named Knecht the top power hitter in the Blue Jays' organization.[2] He was promoted to the Lansing Lugnuts of the Single–A Midwest League in 2011, where he batted .273/.377/.474 with 16 home runs and 86 RBI. Knecht played for the Dunedin Blue Jays in the High–A Florida State League in 2012, hitting .210/.302/.389 in 126 games.[5] He remained in Dunedin in 2013, and batted .239/.297/.382 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. In 107 games for Dunedin in 2014, Knecht posted a .250/.328/.388 batting line with 7 home runs and 52 RBI. On March 31, 2015, Knecht was released by the Blue Jays organization.

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins signed Knecht to a minor-league contract on April 3, 2015. He split the season between the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and the High-A Fort Myers Miracle, accumulating a .221/.320/.310 batting line with 2 home runs and 48 RBI. He was released by the Twins organization on March 28, 2016.[6]

Québec Capitales

On April 20, 2016, Knecht signed with the Québec Capitales of the Can-Am League.[7] In 2016, Knecht slashed .259/.342/.413 with 8 home runs and 49 RBI in 94 games. The next year with the Capitales, he batted .242/.349/.366 with 5 home runs and 43 RBI in 85 games. He was released by Québec on February 21, 2018.[8]

Toronto Maple Leafs

On April 9, 2018, Knecht signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League.[9]' In 2018, he batted .231 with 5 home runs and 18 RBI for Toronto, and improved his performance in 2019, slashing .326 with 8 home runs and 27 RBI.[10]

West Virginia Power

On May 27, 2021, Knecht signed with the West Virginia Power of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[11] In 25 games for the Power, Knecht slashed .083/.227/.111 with no home runs and 1 RBI before being released on July 9.[12]

Toronto Maple Leafs (second stint)

On April 7, 2024, after two years of inactivity, Knecht signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League.[13]

International career

Knecht has played for the Canadian national baseball team. He played in the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship,[1] being named to the tournament All-Star team. He participated in the 2011 Baseball World Cup,[14] where Canada won the bronze medal, and the 2011 Pan American Games, where Canada won the gold medal.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Blue Jays select Toronto native Marcus Knecht on Day". TheRecord. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Griffin, Richard (February 25, 2011). "Griffin: Jays in search of Knecht big thing". thestar.com. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c nurun.com (December 30, 2010). "And the winners are... - The Sudbury Star - Ontario, CA". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  4. ^ "Jays select homegrown talent with Day 2 pick | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  5. ^ "Blue Jays outfield prospect Jake Marisnick seeks steady climb through organization". Toronto.bluejays.mlb.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  6. ^ "Marcus Knecht Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  7. ^ "Marcus Knecht avec les Capitales de Québec". rds.ca (in French). April 20, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "Can-Am League Transactions". canamleague.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  9. ^ "Leafs Sign Former Blue Jays Minor Leaguer Marcus Knecht | Intercounty Baseball League". theibl.ca. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  10. ^ "Marcus Knecht - Intercounty Baseball League - player".
  11. ^ "Atlantic League Professional Baseball: Transactions".
  12. ^ "Atlantic League Professional Baseball: Transactions".
  13. ^ "2024 Transactions". theibl.ca. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  14. ^ "Canada advances at IBAF World Cup". sportsnet.ca. October 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  15. ^ nurun.com (January 30, 2012). "Canada golden on baseball's world stage | Bob Elliott | Columnists | Sports | London Free Press". Lfpress.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2013.