Christian Knapczyk-University of Louisville-3/11/22

Christian Knapczyk

Date: 3/11/22

Age at Draft (2023): 21.7

This was my first time seeing Christian Knapczyk, a sophomore middle infielder from the University of Louisville, who is draft eligible in 2023. Unfortunately, it was snowing so the conditions were not ideal. Physically, Knapczyk currently stands at 5’9” 165. There’s some room to grow, but his body looks nearly filled out and would expect him to be around 175-180 in pro ball. On the intangible side, Knapczyk stands out for his leadership abilities, both on the field and during warmups.

Any conversation about Knapczyk starts with his bat. Knapczyk has a great feel for hitting, with the ability to put the barrel on the ball at any part of the zone. It comes at the expense of power, where due to a combination of physical strength and flat bat path he has nearly zero power. However, his confidence at the plate and his bat to ball skills are solidly plus, which gives me less concern. I put a 60 on his hit since it feels a bit aggressive to put a 70 after seeing just 2 at bats, but Christian has an impressive feel for contact and I might need to revisit this grade after seeing him more.

Defensively, he will be able to stick at shortstop, though more of a run of the mill defender rather than a plus glove. Solid range and actions, with an above average arm that gives him more defensive utility than this average player type typically has. With his plus-plus running ability, I would be interested to see how he would do in center field, especially since his arm can handle it.

Overall, in my short viewing Knapczyk looked very good and should be a high priority follow this upcoming summer and the 2023 spring season. His power is heavily capped and thus puts a lot of pressure on his bat, but he is a natural hitter and should be able to transition nicely into professional baseball. Will be able to play multiple positions in the infield, giving him extra value. Field general at short and provides great leadership ability. There is a lot to like here, and while I tend to be bearish on this player archetype (SEC/ACC hit tool “grinder”), Knapczyk is a clear cut above.

Role: Leadoff hitter, super utility infielder

Round: 2-3

Tool Breakdown:

Tool	Present	Future
Hit	35	60
Power	20	30
-Raw Power	30	30
Run	70	70
Throw	55	55
Defense	40	50