Indians Top 50: #6 Jason Knapp

Jason Knapp - Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 08/31/1990 - Height: 6'5" - Weight: 235 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2008	17	GCL Phils	R	3	1	2.61	7	6	31.0	26	9	1	12	38	.228	3.5	11.0	1.23
2009	18	Lakewood	A	2	7	4.01	17	17	85.1	63	38	3	39	111	.208	4.1	11.7	1.20
2009	18	Lake Co	A	0	0	5.40	4	4	11.2	10	7	0	8	12	.238	6.4	9.6	1.61
		Totals		5	8	3.80	28	27	128.0	99	54	4	59	161	.216	4.1	11.3	1.23

History:  Knapp was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2008 Draft out of North Hunterdon High School (NJ).  He signed with the Phillies for $600K.  The Indians acquired him as part of a four player package they received from the Phillies in the Cliff Lee trade.  Even though he was slowed for most of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury, he still finished 10th in the South Atlantic League in strikeouts (123).

Strengths & Opportunities:  Knapp is a very raw product that brings a lot of excitement because of his big size and strength in his arm.  He is a big physical, strong, young pitching prospect that has a powerful frame and arm that unleashes a blazing fastball that lights up a radar gun consistently at 93-95 MPH and has touched 99 MPH.  His fastball is plus-plus and because of his incredible arm strength and youth many people feel that as he matures he could hit a few MPH higher and potentially touch 100-101 MPH.   He is a really impressive power arm with a riding fastball that strikes a lot of guys out.  His secondary stuff - a curveball and changeup - is very raw.  He has flashed an above average 12-6 power curveball that has plus potential.  He shows a lot of confidence in his curveball and an ability to throw it for strikes and it has developed into a second swing-and-miss pitch for him.  He has made good strides with his average changeup and it also has plus potential.  He has a slider he used to throw that at some point he could unveil to hitters again as the command and control of his fastball and other secondary pitches improve.

Knapp has front of the rotation stuff and ability, now it is all about building his execution and command of all his pitches.  Everything is raw with him, be it his delivery, command, or his pitches, which makes him such a high risk high reward kind of pitcher because of the untapped talent and such huge upside which could go in either direction as he matures.  He is a 6'5" pitcher that is built like a rush linebacker and is an intimidating presence on the mound.  He has a powerful, very aggressive, big delivery and throws the ball from a low-three quarter arm slot.  He is a competitor who thrives on the competition and the excitement of being out on the mound.  He is very mature and professional for his age, and is extremely driven, disciplined, and very hardworking.  He is from a cold weather state (New Jersey), so should have no problems adapting and pitching in the cold in the Cleveland area.  What he turns into no one knows at this time, but he has the goods where he could end up as an elite power front of the rotation starter who eats innings, or he could end up as a guy who just has two excellent pitches and is a ninth inning closer.

After being acquired from the Phillies, Knapp did not pitch right away for the Indians as he was on the disabled list and still recovering from bicep tendonitis.  When the Indians acquired him they were not allowed to perform an MRI per MLB rules.  When completing a trade, all a team can do is request all of the medical information the former club has on file, everything from doctor notes, x-rays, or previous MRIs that were done prior to the trade and then take all that information and have their doctors look over the information.  In addition to the information given to them by the other club, a team can give the player a thorough physical evaluation.  After the physical and review of medical records, the doctors will either clear or not clear the player and based on that finding it is up to the front office to make a decision.  In the case of Knapp, he was cleared by team doctors as there were absolutely no red flags with his arm/shoulder, and the Indians were fine with that and okayed the trade.  The issue with his bicep and shoulder area is thought to be him as an 18-year old still growing into his body where he was adjusting to the torque required to throw the ball so hard and for so many innings.

Knapp eventually was cleared to play and made his Indians debut at Low-A Lake County on August 11th.  After a few appearances things still didn't feel right, so he was shutdown again and this time the Indians were allowed to perform an MRI.  Upon reviewing the MRI they found some bone chips in his shoulder ("loose bodies"), so on September 15th he had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder to remove the loose bodies.  The injury is not considered serious, though it is a cause for some alarm.  It will be interesting to see how he comes back from it and if anything else comes up.  He visited his doctor for a followup in January and his doctor felt he was doing extremely well in his rehab.  He is expected to participate in spring training on a return-to-throw program by throwing long toss, so the start of his season may be delayed somewhat, but the important thing is he is healthy, progressing well in his rehab, has had no setbacks to date, and should be fine to pitch a majority of the coming season.

The caveat with a guy like Knapp who looks good on paper is that projection often does not always translate.  He is only 19 years of age and is dripping with big league potential, but as often is the case though with very young pitchers projection can often not meet reality as time progresses.  He also needs to prove he can be durable and handle the workload of a starting pitcher as he has the stuff, the makeup, and the body to be a dominant starting pitcher for the Indians for many years, but injuries are always the great equalizer and an unpredictable factor that can sideline a career.  If he can avoid any serious injuries, the key to his success will be developing much better command of all his pitches, which for a pitcher like him is often the last thing that comes.  He needs to try to become as consistent as possible with his mechanics and the command should come after that.  His delivery is kind of awkward as he doesn't close his front shoulder when he plants on his front leg, which many people think could lead to more health concerns down the road.  Refining his delivery is a must and is something the Indians will obviously focus with him on improving.  As he refines his delivery and repeats it better, he has the potential to add velocity.  The development of at least one very good secondary pitch is vital, which will likely be the curveball, and his changeup still needs plenty of work.

Outlook:  Knapp was one of the biggest buzz players in the South Atlantic League last year as scouts talked a lot about him.  There is no doubt that he has front of the rotation stuff and ability, but now it is all about developing him as a pitcher.  He is still young and rough around the edges, but his electric arm is hard to ignore as guys that big who throw that hard do not grow on trees.  They are very valuable commodities.  He is a high upside arm that when picked up in a trade like the Indians did with him in the Lee deal can turn trades into lopsided ones down the road.  But Indians fans need a lot of patience as his development will take time, and he probably won't see time in Cleveland if things go well until sometime in late 2012 at the earliest.  Because he is coming back from shoulder surgery, the Indians will be very cautious with him this season so he likely will open the season in extended spring training and then be activated and sent to High-A Kinston or Low-A Lake County in mid-June.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

Jason Knapp MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

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