Robert Frank Knoop ( ; born October 18, 1938) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

second baseman and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. In his nine-year MLB career, he appeared in 1,153

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

as a member of the Los Angeles / California Angels (1964–69),

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(1969–70) and

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

(1971–72). He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed .

Biography

Nicknamed " Nureyev" by sportswriters for his exciting and acrobatic fielding plays, Knoop played a deep second base, with exceptional range and a strong arm. He turned the

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Lea ...

well along with

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Jim Fregosi, to give the Angels outstanding keystone defense. In , the pair both won the

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in b ...

award at their respective positions—the second of three Gold Gloves Knoop would capture from 1966–68; he was the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

's starting second baseman in the

1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 37th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 12, 19 ...

, and went hitless in two

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s. As a hitter, he had his best season during , with career-highs of 17

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, 72 RBI, 54 runs and 11 triples. Knoop was born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

to parents Frank and Mabel Knoop. His father was a German immigrant while his mother was a descendant of Swiss and Norwegian immigrants. After attending

Montebello High School Founded in 1909, Montebello High School is a public high school which is part of the Montebello Unified School District, and has an enrollment of approximately 2,600 students in grades 9-12. Its campus is located in Montebello, California, a subur ...

Montebello, California Montebello (Italian for "Beautiful Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located just east of East Los Angeles and southwest of San Gabriel Valley. It is an independent city. east of downtown Los Angeles. It i ...

, he was signed by the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

in 1956. The Angels obtained him via the Rule 5 draft, by the rules of which he was required to remain on the 1964 major-league roster. He in fact played in every game that season and remained the Angels' regular second baseman for the next five and a half years, winning the club's MVP award four times in the span, a mark tied by

Garret Anderson Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California / Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angele ...

and

Mike Trout Michael Nelson Trout (born August 7, 1991) is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Trout is a ten-time MLB All-Star, three-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MV ...

. Knoop was sent to the White Sox in mid-1969 and then was traded to the Royals in 1971. With Kansas City, he played mostly as a backup for Cookie Rojas. In his career Knoop batted .236, with 56

s, 331 RBIs, 337 runs, 856 hits, 129

doubles Men's doubles, Women's doubles or Mixed doubles are sports having two players per side, including; * Beach volleyball * Doubles badminton * Doubles curling * Footvolley * Doubles pickleball * Doubles squash * Doubles table tennis * Doubles te ...

, 29 triples, and 16

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

in 1153 games. After retiring, Knoop worked for over 40 years as a minor league and major league

, scout and adviser, including stints with the

(1977–78), Angels (1979–96 and 2013–18),

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

(2000) and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

(2008–12). In 1994 Knoop served as manager of the Angels for two games, posting a 1–1 record. In February 2019, Knoop retired from Major League Baseball, after a career that lasted 53 years.

References

External links

Page at ''AngelFire''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knoop, Bobby 1938 births Living people American League All-Stars American people of German descent American people of Norwegian descent American people of Swiss descent Austin Senators players Baseball coaches from Iowa Baseball players from Iowa California Angels players California Angels coaches Cedar Rapids Braves players Chicago White Sox coaches Chicago White Sox players Colorado Rockies scouts Gold Glove Award winners Hawaii Islanders players Kansas City Royals players Los Angeles Angels players Los Angeles Angels coaches Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball second basemen Toronto Blue Jays coaches San Diego Padres (minor league) players Sportspeople from Montebello, California Sportspeople from Sioux City, Iowa Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Vancouver Mounties players

Biography

See also

References

External links