Justin Knoedler

Who is Justin Knoedler?

Justin Joseph Knoedler is a former Major League Baseball catcher.

Knoedler was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 41st round in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft out of Springfield High School but did not sign with them. He was also taken in the 13th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Once again, he did not sign and chose to play college ball at Miami University. He entered the draft again in 2001, being taken by the Giants again, this time as a higher overall pick. This time he signed a contract.

Knoedler began his professional career in 2001 as a pitcher for the Low-A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. He appeared in 13 games, all in relief, and had a 1-1 record with a 1.26 ERA. He did long relief, pitching 28⅔ innings with 38 strikeouts and only walked 9.

In 2002, Knoedler converted to catcher. He played for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns and in his first year as a catcher, he batted .257 with 5 home runs in 86 games. Knoedler was promoted to the High-A San Jose Giants in 2003. His batting average was the same from the previous year, but he doubled his home run total to 10.