Lance Joseph Niekro (born January 28, 1979) is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
player, nephew of Hall of Famer
Phil NiekroPhilip Henry Niekro is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
, and son of former player
Joe NiekroJoseph Franklin Niekro was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of first baseman Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio. He batted and threw right-handed...
. Niekro attended
Florida Southern CollegeFlorida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida. It was selected by U.S...
, and was drafted by the
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California who currently play in the National League West Division. One of the oldest baseball teams, the Giants hold the honor of having won the most games of any team in the history of baseball...
in the second round of the
2000 Major League Baseball Draft-First Round Selections:-Compensation picks:- Background :The Florida Marlins made Adrian Gonzalez of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft...
.
Niekro began his professional career as a
third basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, but moved to first base in the minor leagues due to injury. Like his father and uncle, Niekro can throw a
knuckleballA knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
, and was first allowed to pitch professionally for the
Fresno GrizzliesThe Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
in August .
Lance Joseph Niekro (born January 28, 1979) is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
player, nephew of Hall of Famer
Phil NiekroPhilip Henry Niekro is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
, and son of former player
Joe NiekroJoseph Franklin Niekro was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of first baseman Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio. He batted and threw right-handed...
. Niekro attended
Florida Southern CollegeFlorida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida. It was selected by U.S...
, and was drafted by the
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California who currently play in the National League West Division. One of the oldest baseball teams, the Giants hold the honor of having won the most games of any team in the history of baseball...
in the second round of the
2000 Major League Baseball Draft-First Round Selections:-Compensation picks:- Background :The Florida Marlins made Adrian Gonzalez of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft...
.
Niekro began his professional career as a
third basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, but moved to first base in the minor leagues due to injury. Like his father and uncle, Niekro can throw a
knuckleballA knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
, and was first allowed to pitch professionally for the
Fresno GrizzliesThe Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
in August . Starting in , he will convert full-time to pitching.
Niekro first reached the major leagues in , but only had five at-bats. He saw more substantial playing time in , when he split time with
J. T. SnowJack Thomas "J. T." Snow, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. He played all but two games in his career as a first baseman, and played nine of his 13½ seasons with the San Francisco Giants...
at first base and played in 113 games, finishing the season with a .252
batting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
, 12
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s, and 46
RBIRuns batted in or RBI is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play...
in 278 at-bats.
Following the 2005 season, Snow and the Giants parted ways. As a result, Niekro was given his shot as the everyday first baseman, but was sent back down to the minors. During the season, his replacements were
Mark SweeneyMark Patrick Sweeney is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He is best known for his skill as a pinch hitter, where he is second on the all-time list for pinch hits.-High school years:...
,
Travis IshikawaTravis Takashi Ishikawa is a first baseman for the San Francisco Giants. His father is Japanese and his mother is Caucasian. He is married with a son and a daughter...
,
Chad SantosChad Roque Santos is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed....
, and
Shea HillenbrandShea Matthew Hillenbrand is a professional baseball player who last played for the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League....
.
On May 4, , the Giants designated Niekro for assignment and recalled
Scott MunterScott Michael Munter is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies organization. He attended St. James/Seton grade school and Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska...
from Triple-A Fresno. He was later optioned to Fresno when no other team claimed him. He became a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
after the season.
On January 10, , the
Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros is a major league baseball team located in Houston, Texas. The Astros are a member of the Central Division. From 2000 to the present, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park . The Astros joined MLB under the name Colt .45s along with the New York Mets in...
signed Niekro to a minor league contract with an invitation to
spring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to audition for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. He was released on May 2, 2008 and retired, getting a job with a telecommunications company.
On December 18, 2008, Niekro decided to make a comeback as a knuckleball pitcher and was signed by the Atlanta Braves to a minor league contract.
See also
External links