Houston Astros: Top 30 players in franchise history
By T.A. Mock
12. Joe Niekro, P, 1975 – 1985
Joe Niekro never really reached ace status as an Astro but he holds the title of winningest pitcher in team history. The knuckleballer struggled prior to making his way to Houston but he quickly made the Astrodome his playground.
He won 20+ games in back to back seasons and had back to back top 5 Cy Young finishes. He had a career 3.22 ERA with the Astros and was a solid, steady pitcher for the Astros that was one of the most consistent pitchers in team history.
His first three years in Houston were spent as a reliever, which is peculiar for a knuckleballer but Niekro was pretty fairly effective as a reliever and it earned him a spot int he rotation in 1978. In seven of his eight seasons as a starter, he pitched well over 200 innings, the lone exception was in 1981 when he missed a chunk of the season due to injury.
Niekro will forever remain in Astros lore due to his erratic but exact knuckleball and the high level of consistency he displayed year in and year out. He didn’t do any one thing especially well but he was solid and consistent and one of the best pitchers in team history.