Former Knights Slugger Signs with Twins…
The 2014 season was an important one for the Charlotte Knights franchise. After 25 years in Fort Mill, the Knights moved across state lines to Uptown Charlotte to begin a new era of professional baseball in the Queen City. The team opened BB&T Ballpark officially on April 11, 2014.
One of the players that stood out during the team’s inaugural season at BB&T Ballpark was Andy Wilkins. That season, Wilkins hit an impressive .293 with 30 home runs and 85 RBIs for the Knights. His 30-home run output ranks as the eighth-best mark in Knights single-season history.
Wilkins, who recorded the first double and first RBI in BB&T Ballpark history (4/11/14), earned five awards in 2014. He earned two IL Batter of the Week Awards, the IL Player of the Month Award for July, an IL Post Season All-Star nod, and the Charlotte Knights Community Award, which was presented to him in an on-field ceremony at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday, August 24.
While the 2014 campaign was his first full in Triple-A, he did appear in 58 games with the Knights in 2013. That year, he hit .265 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs.
Wilkins, who was originally a fifth round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2010 draft, recently signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. Wilkins, 29, appeared in 61 games with Double-A Chattanooga last season (Twins) and hit .254 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs.
Over the course of eight minor league seasons, Wilkins has appeared in 833 games and owns a career .267 batting average with 135 home runs and 541 RBIs. He made his major league debut with the White Sox on August 31, 2014 and appeared in 17 games with the South Siders that season.
