Chuck Knoblauch

Born in Houston, Texas, Knoblauch came from a baseball family, as his uncle Eddie Knoblauch and father Ray Knoblauch played and managed in the minor leagues between the late 1930s and mid-1950s. Knoblauch played for the Bellaire High School baseball team, which also produced current major-leaguer Chris Young (outfielder) and many former major leaguers, including Jose Cruz, Jr.. Knoblauch missed his senior season (1986) due to a broken leg, but he cheered from the bench as the team won the state championship.\n', ' Chuck was drafted in the 18th round of the 1986 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, but did not sign. Then, Knoblauch went on to play college baseball for Texas A&M University in College Station, where he was a second team All-American. He later played on the 1989 team that finished the season with 58 wins, the highest total in school history. In 1988, Knoblauch played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), and in 2001 was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.\n', ' Knoblauch was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round of the 1989 MLB draft. Knoblauch won the American League Rookie of the Year award and a World Series ring as a member of the 1991 Minnesota Twins. In Game 7 of the World Series, Knoblauch attempted to deceive Lonnie Smith by appearing to start a double play on a Terry Pendleton double (causing Smith to get only to 3rd base when he might have scored for the Atlanta Braves). Smith claimed that he lost track of the ball, and that Knoblauch\'s decoy was not a factor.\n', '