Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LAD | RHP | 13 | 45 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 55/50 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Anthony Franco
Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/R
Acquired: 2020 Draft - Round 2
RuleV: 2023
Physical Description: Listed at 6'2", 220 pounds. Slightly larger than average build; tree trunk thighs; strong forearms. Already 23 years old, not much room for physical projection.
Delivery & Mechanics: Average athlete. Low-effort delivery. Three quarters arm slot; gets down mound well. Slight leg lift, followed by slight closing of front hip, somewhat rigid in motion, explosive more than smooth.
Fastball: 89-92 mph as a junior, Knack had a velocity spike as a senior; topped out at 97 during final season at East Tennessee State. Trackman data suggest plus vertical life on the fastball. Up to 19 inches of vertical break with some horizontal run. Fastball was down at the Alternative Site sitting more 91-94 mph. Grade: 55
Curveball: Curveball is inconsistent but has flashed huge raw spin (3000+ rpm). Improving spin efficiency to actualize raw spin into movement figures to be the development priority in pro ball; notably, that's an area in which the Dodgers have had success in recent years. Grade: 55
Slider: Flashed mid-80s breaking ball with two-plane shape. Used to miss bats and drive weak contact, some consider it Knack's best secondary weapon. Heavily used during the Alternative Site appearances. Gyro spin pitch with lower IVB and around eight inches of sweep. Grade: 50
Changeup: Shows some feel for creating arm-side fade on changeup. Sells it with arm speed, similar shape to his fastball with a 10 mph separation. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Has a history of throwing a high volume of strikes. Only issued 17 walks in 122 innings over two seasons at ETSU; just one walk in 25 innings as a senior. Control: 55 | Command: 50
Overall: Knack is one of the hardest players in the system to get a read on. Not extensively scouted at ETSU, he jumped onto the draft radar by putting up an absurd 51:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25 innings as a senior. Along the way, his velocity spiked into the low-mid 90s and his pitch metrics demonstrated untapped potential on the curve. The reported data on Knack from the alternate training site were less inspiring: a 92-94 mph fastball with limited curveball usage. Teams are split on the reliability of that kind of data, though; Knack's four-month layoff between the college baseball shutdown and draft day would explain a temporary downtick in stuff regardless. At his best, he's shown a pair of above-average pitches, the ability to throw strikes, and promising pitch metrics that suggest the potential for more.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Spot Starter - Low Leverage Relief
Risk: High
