Brewers Spotlight: LHP Brandon Knarr (Part 3)

In Part 1 of our conversation with Brewers pitching prospect Brandon Knarr, we discussed his youth, growing up in Pennsylvania and becoming a great high school player, going Division 1 and then heading to a top junior college. 

In Part 2, he joined another national powerhouse at the University of Tampa. Unfortunately, that talented squad saw their season cut short by a global pandemic. Speaking of 'cut short,' that 2020 draft was reduced to just five rounds. When he wasn't drafted, Knarr had several strong offers and discussed what made the Milwaukee Brewers the choice for him. 

In the third and final part of our conversation today, we simply tie up some loose ends to the conversation. 

Find out how Knarr feels about the plethora of analytics and technology at his fingertips in the Brewers system. Not only that, but how he is able to sift through it all and work with his coaches to find areas for improvement or consistency.

"I just enjoy baseball. So when you have baseball, and then you have more information about baseball, and that information is also about yourself, if ends up being a lot of fun."  Knarr continued, "Especially during the season, it's the constant of this is where we want this to be, this is where it performs best. You have to go out there and try it. You have to go out there and have the trust to try what you want to do. Maybe it's a usage on a pitch. Maybe it's a different grip. Maybe it's a different feel." 

Along that same vein, he has headed to the Florida Baseball ARMory where he received some tips and tricks that may look funny to some, but if it's helping, it's great! 

Knarr said, "It's only weird if it doesn't work. If it looks weird and it accomplishes what you want it to accomplish, then it doesn't matter."

The Brewers had a very nice 2020 draft season. They took Garrett Mitchell in the first round, and he contributed to the big-league club down the stretch. Joey Wiemer was a fourth-round pick and he reached Triple-A. Freddy Zamora (2nd) and Zavier Warren both reached Double-A by season's end. Warren has had a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League. Hayden Cantrelle was their fifth round pick. He was traded to Atlanta in the Alex Jackson trade, and later dealt to the Giants for reliever Luke Williams. 

Along with Knarr, right-handed pitcher TJ Shook and infielder Noah Campbell were also signed following the draft. They also reached Double-A by the end of this 2022 season. 

"It's surreal to think where everybody is, and how far we've all come. It's a very tight-knit group among these guys because we've played together for at least parts of two seasons." 

Certainly hope that you have enjoyed this three-part series of interviews with lefty Brandon Knarr. Please feel free to leave feedback on the series, or be sure to congratulate Knarr or ask him some questions. If you have other Brewers prospects you would like to see put under The Spotlight, let us know.