Aidan Knaak

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #31 prospect in 2026 draft
  School: Clemson. Drafted: Never Drafted
  
  Age At Draft: 21.8
  
  Knaak has been a steady presence in the top-five Tigers’ rotation this year, pitching his way to a 3.76 ERA with 48 strikeouts across 38.1 innings. He has a physical lower half that he utilizes well in his powerful delivery, in which really drives down the mound. Knaak’s fastball—a pitch he has plus control of—has been up to 95, but his high-70s changeup is his best offering. It gets almost 14 mph of separation off his heater and flashes big-time late tumbling life. It is a true swing-and-miss pitch that so far has a miss rate north of 50%. Knaak rounds out his arsenal with a low-80s curveball—that he also has an advanced feel for—that routinely flashes big depth and sharp, downward teeth. When all is said and done, you could be looking at an arm—who on top of being a polished strike-thrower—has three plus pitches in his arsenal.
• Ranked #308 prospect in 2023 draft
  School: Bishop Verot HS, Fort Myers, Fla. Source: HS
  
  Commit/Drafted: Clemson
  Age At Draft: 18.8
  Knaak is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound righthander with a solid three-pitch mix led by a fastball trending in the right direction. During the 2022 summer at the Area Code Games, Knaak threw his fastball in the 89-91 mph range and touched 93, but this spring he showed more velocity and was one of the best pitchers at the 2023 MLB Draft Combine high school game. There, Knaak struck out the side and showed a fastball that sat 92-95 mph and touched 96 in one inning, with bat-missing life at the top of the zone thanks to 20 inches of induced vertical break. Knaak also flashed two solid secondaries: the first a 79-81 mph changeup with significant velocity separation from his fastball and the second a 12-to-6 curveball in the low 80s with impressive spin that he spotted beneath the zone. Knaak throws with a compact arm action and three-quarter slot. He’s committed to Clemson.