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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/3/2021

Winter Work Fueling Success For Knaak

Sam Warren     
Photo: Aidan Knaak (Knaak family)
Throughout the winter offseason, Aidan Knaak had one goal on his mind: an invite to the 2021 Perfect Game Jr. National Showcase. To do so, he knew he had to work.
 
Knaak, a right-handed pitcher in the 2023 class, believes he’s always had command of his arsenal of four pitches. The Fort Myers, Fla. native put out a stellar performance at the 2020 National Underclass Showcase-Main Event in December, locating his stuff and shutting down some of the top bats in his class. However, Knaak’s fastball topped out at 84 mph and sat in the low-80s. To get his invite, Knaak began to grind to build velocity.
 
“Velocity has been a big part of this offseason for me,” Knaak said. “Locating has never really been an issue, but I needed to get some extra velo behind my pitches.”
 
On his quest for more miles per hour, Knaak, who ranks on the High Follow list by Perfect Game, started to go to Randy Sullivan’s Florida Baseball ARMory. The ARMory, which specializes in young pitchers building velocity on their fastballs, trains many of the Gulf Coast’s top talents, along with major leaguers such as Jake Odorizzi, Jamison Taillon and Justin Verlander. At the ARMory, Knaak got into weightlifting, focusing on deadlift and split squats to build power behind his delivery. In doing so, Knaak says he has put on 10-15 pounds in the past five months.
 
On top of his budding strength, Knaak has also continued to grow. Knaak’s father, Robert, says that the 16-year-old has gained two inches over the last few months. He now stands at 5-foot-11 and has filled more into his frame, weighing in at 170 pounds.
 
“He’s always been a good pitcher in terms of his delivery and off-speed stuff,” Robert said. “But the work he’s put in with the ARMory has really taken his game to the next level.”
 
As the summer season began, Aidan was determined to display his new skills. Participating in the 2021 Sunshine East Showcase, his fastball climbed as high as 89 mph and now sat in the high-80s. Knaak was named to the Showcase’s Top Prospect List amongst many of the region’s highest talents for his performance. Going into his first competitive tournament of the summer, the 2021 PG 16u East Memorial Day Classic, Knaak focused on building off his strong showing.
 
“I was feeling good and feeling confident,” Knaak said. “I was locating well and starting to break hitters down and just focused on doing that.”
 
At the East Memorial Day Classic, Knaak looked as dominant as he’d ever been. Playing for the Florida Burn 2023, Knaak started the team’s first game on Saturday, May 29, against Victus Elite Fl. He only threw two innings but fanned six batters, recording every out via strikeout and only allowing one hit and no walks in the process. Knaak then took the bump against the X Team 2023 in the tournament’s quarterfinals and continued his command of opposing batters. Hurling five shutout innings, Knaak struck out six more batters, allowing just one hit and one walk, with a fastball ranging from 85-89 mph. Despite the Burn losing in the championship game, Knaak took home MV-Pitcher honors, which he was truly honored to receive.
 
“I felt like my hard work paid off,” Knaak said. “I worked really hard over the past five months, and I was starting to get recognized for it.”
 
While Knaak’s increased velocity has undoubtedly enhanced his performance on the mound, he contributes a lot of his success to his off-speed pitches. Knaak throws a curveball, slider and changeup, which all range from the low- to mid-70s. However, Knaak made use of this past year’s shutdown to develop a new pitch, a splitter, which he says was a critical factor in putting away hitters last weekend at the East Memorial.
 
“I had a lot of free time during quarantine, so I decided to develop this new pitch,” Knaak said. “I was already able to locate my other pitches, so I was like, ‘why not have another pitch?’ I think it gives me a bigger advantage over hitters too.”
 
Despite his new notoriety, Knaak is currently uncommitted. However, with the NCAA baseball recruiting period opening up on June 8, college coaches will likely come seeking Knaak’s elite velocity and breaking ball.
 
Since setting those goals in December, Knaak has receiving an invite to the 2021 Jr. National Showcase, which takes place at the East Cobb Complex in Marietta, Ga., from June 12-16, where he will get a chance to be seen by more programs and scouts.
 
“We’re really excited about him getting to play against good competition,” Robert said. “It will be really good for him to compete against elite talent.”
 
Knowing the recent precedent he’s set in Perfect Game events, Aidan wants to continue to make a name for himself and showcase his growing abilities.
 
“Playing in the [East Memorial Day] Classic was a great experience,” Knaak said. “Pitching well in an event like that, I now need to really prove to myself and everyone else that I can continue to do what I know I can do.”
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