Marcus Allen Knecht (born June 21, 1990) is a Canadian
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
who is currently a free agent. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
at
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
and
Connors State College
Connors State College is a public community college in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma.
History
The college was founded as an agricultural high school in 1908 and was quickly converted to a school of agriculture.
When Oklahoma became a state ...
. Knecht has also competed for the
Canadian national baseball team
The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada. Their manager is Ernie Whitt, a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Toronto ...
.
Career
Knecht attended
St. Michael's College School
St. Michael's College School, (also known as St. Michael's, St. Mike's, and SMCS), is an independent, Catholic school for young men in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Basilian Fathers, it is the largest school of its kind in Cana ...
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 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.
First round selections
;Key
Supplemental first ro ...
, the
Milwaukee Brewers selected Knecht, but he did not sign.
[ Knecht enrolled at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater to play ]college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
for the Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Col ...
baseball team in the Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
's (NCAA) Division I. He received only 12 at bats in 2009, which prompted him to transfer to Connors State College
Connors State College is a public community college in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma.
History
The college was founded as an agricultural high school in 1908 and was quickly converted to a school of agriculture.
When Oklahoma became a state ...
for 2010.
Toronto Blue Jays
Knecht was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
in the third round (113th overall) of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
First-round selections
The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pi ...
,[ with a compensation pick the Blue Jays received for failing to sign Jake Barrett the previous year. Knecht made his professional debut in 2010 with the ]Auburn Doubledays
The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL ...
of the Class-A Short Season New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
, 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.[ Prior to the 2011 season, '' Baseball America'' named Knecht the top power hitter in the Blue Jays' organization.] He was promoted to the Lansing Lugnuts
The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field.
The Midwest League came to Lans ...
of the Class-A Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
in 2011, where he batted .273/.377/.474 with 16 home runs and 86 RBI. Knecht played for the Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpar ...
in the Class-A Advanced Florida State League in 2012, hitting .210/.302/.389 in 126 games. 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
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...
and the High-A Fort Myers Miracle
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at H ...
, 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.
Québec Capitales
On April 20, 2016, Knecht signed with the Québec Capitales
The Québec Capitales (French: ''Les Capitales de Québec'') are a professional baseball team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Capitales have been members of the Frontier League since the 2020 season after a merger between the Can-Am Lea ...
of the Can-Am League
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization ...
. 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.
Toronto Maple Leafs
On April 9, 2018, Knecht signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
of the Intercounty Baseball League
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian amateur baseball league, comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario.
The league was formed in 1919 and ...
.' 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.
West Virginia Power
On May 27, 2021, Knecht signed with the West Virginia Power
The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The ...
of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 25 games for the Power, Knecht slashed .083/.227/.111 with no home runs and 1 RBI before being released on July 9.
International career
Knecht has played for the Canadian national baseball team. He played in the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship,[ being named to the tournament All-Star team. He participated in the ]2011 Baseball World Cup
The 2011 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 39th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through the ...
, where Canada won the bronze medal, and the 2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...
, where Canada won the gold medal.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knecht, Marcus
1990 births
Living people
Auburn Doubledays players
Baseball outfielders
Baseball players from Toronto
Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games
Canberra Cavalry players
Canada national baseball team players
Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Dunedin Blue Jays players
Fort Myers Miracle players
Lansing Lugnuts players
Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players
Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada
Pan American Games medalists in baseball
Québec Capitales players
Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
West Virginia Power players
Canadian expatriate baseball players in Australia