The Mariners faced a significant void at catcher this offseason, and the answer might just be a player who's mastered the art of stepping in for the indispensable.
We all know how utterly phenomenal Cal Raleigh's historic 2025 season was. It's etched in baseball lore! But while he was busy chasing an almost unimaginable sixty home runs, the sheer volume of work he shouldered behind the plate is staggering. Since 2022, Cal has caught more games than any other catcher in baseball – a whopping 499 games! His 4149 innings and 457 starts in that same period are second only to J.T. Realmuto. Add in his 38 games as Seattle's designated hitter last year, and Cal blew past the 700 plate appearance mark, a feat almost unheard of for a catcher.
Catching is notoriously brutal on the body. In today's game, many teams embrace a balanced platoon to keep their catchers fresh, rather than sticking to the old-school starter/backup dynamic. But when your MVP runner-up and the new face of your franchise is behind the plate almost every single day, the role of the second-string catcher naturally takes a backseat in terms of priority.
Enter Andrew Knizner, a player intimately familiar with the role of the irreplaceable's understudy. Drafted in the 7th round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016, Knizner made his MLB debut in early June 2019, stepping in after franchise icon Yadier Molina suffered a thumb injury. Though he was sent back down after just two games, fate intervened again when Yadi's thumb flared up once more. Knizner returned, playing in eleven games and even hitting his first big league homer before heading back to Triple-A Memphis, only to be recalled again with September roster expansion.
Initially, Knizner found himself buried behind the established, albeit aging, duo of Molina and Matt Wieters. In 2019-20, he saw limited action, with only 75 plate appearances over 26 games. However, after Wieters retired following the 2020 season, the backup catcher position opened up for the Cardinals. Knizner seized this opportunity, spending the entire 2021 season on the Major League roster, playing in 63 games and accumulating 185 plate appearances. While the offensive numbers weren't spectacular – a 48 wRC+ and a low BABIP of .223 – a double-digit walk rate hinted at untapped potential.
With Molina entering his final year in 2022 and missing significant time due to knee inflammation, Knizner found himself in a crucial, albeit challenging, position. He started 78 games behind the plate, effectively becoming St. Louis's primary catcher. His 77 wRC+ was a notable improvement, a nearly 30-point jump from his previous performance. While his defensive metrics for framing and pop time remained average, he excelled as a blocker. St. Louis decided to keep him on board, even after signing Willson Contreras as Molina's long-term successor.
Knizner's best offensive season came in 2023, where he finally showcased some power, hitting ten home runs and posting a 92 wRC+ over 241 plate appearances. This power surge, however, came at the cost of declining strikeout and walk rates. The Cardinals ultimately non-tendered him that winter. He quickly landed with the Texas Rangers as Jonah Heim's backup, but his 2024 performance was a step back. After the Rangers acquired Carson Kelly, Texas designated him for assignment in August. He finished the year in the Diamondbacks' organization before signing a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals.
His tenure with the Nationals was brief. Despite a strong start in Triple-A Rochester, he was released in mid-May. The San Francisco Giants quickly signed him, promoting him to the big league roster in early June, where he remained for the rest of the season. Playing behind the exceptional defender Patrick Bailey, Knizner appeared in just 33 games for San Francisco. His offensive line of .221/.299/.299 and 73 wRC+ were consistent with his career averages, but a significant shift had occurred in his plate discipline. Through 2024, Knizner struck out at a 23% clip, which, while not terrible, was higher than ideal for a hitter lacking significant power. But here's where it gets truly interesting: In 2025, he slashed his strikeout rate in half to just 11.4%, while maintaining his walk rates. He also demonstrated a knack for clutch hitting, accumulating a +.163 WPA, with a game-winning triple against his former team on September 27th being a prime example.
And this is the part most people miss: While the sample size of 88 plate appearances in 2025 is small, and his chase rate didn't dramatically change, any player who can fundamentally alter their approach at the plate to such a degree is worth watching. His defensive metrics also saw improvement, particularly in framing. However, with the impending ABS challenge system, the long-term impact of these defensive gains remains to be seen.
The Mariners inked Knizner to a one-year, $1 million deal in mid-December, a modest contract just above the league minimum. Although Seattle added a third catcher, Jhonny Pereda, in late January, Knizner's lack of minor league options and his 323 games of MLB experience make him the likely choice to be the backup for "Big Dumper" (Cal Raleigh) when the season begins. Expectations for him, both offensively and defensively, will naturally be tempered – as they are for most backup catchers. But if he can prove that his improved contact ability is sustainable, he could once again be a valuable replacement for the irreplaceable, and more importantly, give Cal Raleigh's knees some much-needed respite.
What do you think? Is Andrew Knizner's 2025 turnaround a sign of sustained improvement, or just a small sample size fluke? Let us know in the comments below!
