Blaine Anthony Knight (born June 28, 1996) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in the third round of the

2018 Major League Baseball draft The 2018 Major League Baseball draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In addition, compensation pi ...

Ameteur career

Knight attended and graduated from Bryant High School in

Bryant, Arkansas Bryant is a city in Saline County, Arkansas, United States and an affluent suburb of Little Rock. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 16,688. It is part of the Central Arkansas region. History European settlers establi ...

. In 2014, as a junior, he was 11–0 with a 0.49 ERA, helping lead Bryant to a state title. As a senior in 2015 he compiled a 6–2 record and 1.34 ERA while striking out 77 batters and walking only four in innings pitched. He was not drafted out of high school in the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

and enrolled at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

to play college baseball for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

. As a freshman at Arkansas in 2016, Knight made 18 appearances on the mound (seven starts), compiled a 2.98 ERA and struck out 46 batters in innings pitched for the Razorbacks. In 2017, as a sophomore, he was the Razorbacks number one starter, and in April was named to the midseason watch list for

Golden Spikes Award The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...

, an award given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States, after compiling a 5–1 record and 1.94 ERA in eight starts. Knight finished the season with an 8–4 record and 3.28 ERA in innings. After the season, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 29th round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

but did not sign and returned to Arkansas. In 2018, as a junior, Knight was named to the All-SEC Second Team, and to the College World Series All-Tournament Team. He finished his 2018 season with a 14-0 record and a 2.80 ERA over 19 starts.

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Knight was selected by the

in the third round (87th overall) in the

, and he signed for $1.1 million. He made his professional debut with the

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...

of the Low–A

New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

and spent the remainder of 2018 there, posting a 0-1 record with a 2.61 ERA in four starts. Knight began 2019 with the

Delmarva Shorebirds The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shor ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

and was their

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

starter. He was promoted to the

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for the "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team ...

of the High–A

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

after posting a 3-0 record with a 0.68 ERA and 33 strikeouts in five starts (26 innings pitched) with Delmarva. Over 18 games (17 starts) with Frederick, Knight went 1-12 with a 6.13 ERA, striking out 56 and walking 39 over innings. Knight did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to Aberdeen, new members of the

High-A East The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its hi ...

. He was promoted to the

Bowie Baysox The Chesapeake Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. From 1993 to 2024, th ...

of the Double-A Northeast in early June, and earned another promotion to the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

of the

Triple-A East The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (M ...

in mid-August. Over 22 games (13 starts) between the three clubs, Knight went 3-6 with a 5.40 ERA and 71 strikeouts over innings. He returned to Norfolk for the 2022 season. Over 34 games (seven starts), he went 4-4 with a 7.38 ERA and seventy strikeouts over 72 innings. Knight was released by the Orioles organization on March 26, 2023.

Philadelphia Phillies

On May 21, 2024, after a year of inactivity, Knight signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. In 8 games split between the Single–A

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 20 ...

and Triple–A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

, he struggled to an 8.44 ERA with 12 strikeouts across innings pitched. Knight was released by the Phillies organization on August 25.

Personal life

Knight and his wife, Rachel (a former catcher for the Arkansas Razorbacks softball team), married in 2019. Their first child, a son, was born in 2021.

References

External links

Arkansas Razorbacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Blaine 1996 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Arkansas Razorbacks baseball players Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Arkansas Bowie Baysox players Clearwater Threshers players Delmarva Shorebirds players Frederick Keys players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players 21st-century American sportsmen Minor league baseball players Norfolk Tides players