Lance Niekro

Lance William Niekro (born January 29, 1979) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player. Niekro appeared with the San Francisco Giants in several seasons between 2003 and 2007. He served as an assistant coach at Florida Southern College and was elevated to the head coach position on May 9, 2012. He is the nephew of former MLB pitcher Phil Niekro and son of former MLB pitcher Joe Niekro.

Career

Niekro was drafted out of Florida Southern 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 2003, but only had five at bats. He saw more substantial playing time in 2005, 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 2006 season, his replacements were Mark Sweeney, Travis Ishikawa, Chad Santos and Shea Hillenbrand.