Bobby Knoop

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox baseball biography Robert Frank Knoop (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>Los Angeles Angels 2015 Spring Training Roster. Retrieved June 3, 2020</ref> born October 18, 1938) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman and coach. In his nine-year MLB career, he appeared in 1,153 games as a member of the Los Angeles / California Angels (1964–69), Chicago White Sox (1969–70) and Kansas City Royals (1971–72). He threw and batted right-handed, stood Template:Convert tall and weighed Template:Convert.

Early life

Knoop was born on October 18, 1938, in Sioux City, Iowa<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to parents Frank and Mabel Knoop. His father was a German immigrant while his mother was a descendant of Swiss and Norwegian immigrants.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Frank lived to be 101.<ref name=":1" /> The family moved to Montebello, California when he was young, and he attended Montebello High School, where he starred in baseball, football and basketball. He also played American Legion baseball.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Baseball career

Knoop was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.<ref name=":1" />

Minor league player

He played for ten different minor league teams between 1956 and 1963, his best year being in 1963 with the Hawaiin Islanders of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he had a .283 batting average, with 20 homeruns, 72 runs scored, 67 RBI, and a .965 fielding percentage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Major league player

Nicknamed "Nureyev" by sportswriters for his exciting and acrobatic fielding plays, Knoop played a deep second base, with exceptional range and a strong arm. In another version, Knoop says the nickname derived from not only his acrobatic skills at second base, but a fabricated story he told the writers that his mother had made him take ballet lessons.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In December 1963, the Los Angeles Angels obtained him via the Rule 5 draft, by the rules of which he was required to remain on the 1964 major-league roster.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Angels were already familiar with Knoop because the Islanders were their Triple-A affiliate, not Milwaukee's. The Angels were particularly impressed with his defensive ability, manager Bill Rigney considering Knoop as good defensively as any second baseman in the American League (AL), including Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson (who won five consecutive AL Gold Glove awards at second base, 1961-65).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6" />

Knoop played in every game in 1964, and remained the Angels' regular second baseman for the next five and a half years (the name changing to California Angels in 1965), winning the club's MVP award four times in the span, a mark tied by Garret Anderson and Mike Trout.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> In 1966, he led all AL second basemen in fielding percentage (.981), with Richardson second (.980).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He turned the double play well along with shortstop Jim Fregosi, to give the Angels outstanding keystone defense. Fregosi was his roommate and closest friend in baseball, as well as a teammate.<ref name=":1" /> In Template:Mlby, the pair both won the Gold Glove award at their respective positions—the second of three Gold Gloves Knoop would capture from 1966 to 1968.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was the American League's starting second baseman in the 1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and went hitless in two at bats.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a hitter, he had his best season during Template:Mlby, with career-highs of 17 home runs, 72 RBI, 54 runs and 11 triples.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Knoop was sent to the White Sox in mid-1969 for Sandy Alomar Sr. and Bob Priddy<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and then was traded to the Royals in 1971,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where he also rejoined former Angels third baseman Paul Schaal.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Knoop played his final two years with Kansas City,<ref name=":2" /> mostly as a backup for Cookie Rojas.<ref name=":5" />

In his career, Knoop batted .236, with 56 home runs, 331 RBIs, 337 runs, 856 hits, 129 doubles, 29 triples, and 16 stolen bases in 1153 games.<ref name=":2" /> In addition to leading all AL second baseman in fielding percentage in 1966, he was fifth in 1964,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> second in 1967,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> fourth in 1968 and 1969,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and third in 1970.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is tied for the record of most double plays in a game by a second basemen, six, held with Alfonso Soriano and Bill Doran, which Knoop did on May 1, 1966.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is also tied for the record of most putouts in a game by a second baseman, twelve, being the most recent person to accomplish this on August 30, 1966 (through the 2024 season).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Coaching

After retiring, Knoop worked for over 40 years as a minor league and major league coach, scout and adviser, including stints with the Chicago White Sox (1977–78, assistant coach), California Angels (1979–96 as first base and third base coach), Toronto Blue Jays (2000, as first base coach) and Colorado Rockies (2008–12, 2008 as pro scout and 2009 as senior advisor for player development), and Los Angeles Angels (2014–18 as infield coach or infield instructor).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1997 and 1998, he was head coach at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.<ref name=":4" /> In 1994, Knoop served as manager of the Angels for two games, posting a 1–1 record.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In February 2019, Knoop retired from Major League Baseball, after a career that lasted 53 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Honors

He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2013.<ref name=":1" /> Knoop was inducted into the Orange County, California Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
• List of Gold Glove middle infield duos

External links

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