Throughout the autumn and winter months, I'll check in with various Phillies minor league players and inquire about how they try to maintain their baseball acumen during the long, drawn-out off-season. This edition features 12th round draft pick from 2010, right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Knigge. The Idaho native posted a 4-3 record with a 3.32 ERA while striking out 54 batters in 65 innings last season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.The 6-foot-2-inch 215-pound Knigge, who sports a fastball that regularly registered around 94 MPH during the 2011 season, took time recently to answer a couple questions regarding his routine during the off-season to stay in shape and more.
How have you been using your down time to stay active and avoid getting rusty?
The off-season is great. My day to day routine goes something like this...I wake up at five and I go workout (lift for an hour), go home, shower and get ready for work. Be at work by 8 a.m. and work till 5 p.m. After work I go home and change and head to the gym for my 3 mile run. I then head home. Shower again and then start winding down for the night.
I started training October 12th. Took some time off from throwing too, but I'm back at it. Gonna be ready for spring training.
So, you mentioned that you're working during the fall and winter months. Some players hold employment outside of the game, others don't. What can you tell me about the job you have when baseball is not in season?
Yeah, I work a job in the off-season. I work for "Goodwill Industries." I am a Participant Advisor. A long story short- I help people find jobs that have been laid off or are just having a hard time in life. I help them find jobs and help them become more marketable by setting up workshops to help them do things like build their resume, fill out applications, etc.
As always, I appreciate Tyler taking a few moments to answer some questions.
To see other posts in this series, click here and here. Also check back later this week as Tyler Knigge and several other Phillies minor league players offer their thoughts on their favorite things at Christmas, in our annual prospect holiday questionnaire.
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