High School and College Born in
Winter Haven, Florida, Niekro graduated from
George W. Jenkins High School in
Lakeland, Florida, and attended
Florida Southern College. While in high school, he had transitioned from being a
knuckleball pitcher to a
position player, playing
third base at Florida Southern. In 1999 and 2000, he played
collegiate summer baseball for the
Orleans Cardinals of the
Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), and was named league
MVP in 1999. He was inducted into the
CCBL Hall of Fame in 2006.
San Francisco Giants Niekro was selected by the
San Francisco Giants in the second round of the
2000 Major League Baseball draft. He began his professional career as a
third baseman, but moved to
first base in the minor leagues due to injury. 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. Snow at first base and played in 113 games, finishing the season with a .252
batting average, 12
home runs, and 46
RBI 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 Sweeney,
Travis Ishikawa,
Chad Santos and
Shea Hillenbrand. On May 4, , the Giants designated Niekro for assignment and recalled
Scott Munter from Triple-A Fresno. He was later optioned to the Fresno Grizzlies when no other team claimed him. He became a
free agent after the season. Like his father and uncle, Niekro can throw a
knuckleball, and was first allowed to pitch professionally for the Grizzlies in August 2007.
Houston Astros On January 10, , the
Houston Astros signed Niekro to a minor league contract with an invitation to
spring training. He was released on May 2, 2008 and retired, getting a job with a telecommunications company.
Atlanta Braves 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. He pitched one season in the Braves' system, appearing in 14 games for the
Gulf Coast League Braves in before becoming a free agent at the end of the year.
Coaching career In , Niekro was named an assistant coach at Florida Southern. On May 9, 2012, Niekro succeeded Pete Meyer as the head coach of the Florida Southern Moccasins, a program that has produced the most NCAA Championships in Division II play (9). ==See also==