Lance Niekro
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2003-2007)
Lance Niekro was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2007 for the San Francisco Giants, a span of 5 seasons. In 195 career games, he hit .246 with 123 hits, 17 home runs, and 79 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 210 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2003-09-05
- Last Game
- 2007-05-02
Full name: Lance Joseph Niekro
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 195 | 499 | 61 | 123 | 26 | 5 | 17 | 79 | 0 | 29 | 91 | .246 | .288 | .421 | .709 | -528 |
Career AVG .246 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 7.5% below league average.
Career OBP .288 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 13.8% below league average.
Career SLG .421 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .709 vs. league average .758 across their career seasons — 6.5% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | SFN | NL | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2005 | SFN | NL | 113 | 278 | 32 | 70 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 46 | 0 | 17 | 53 | .252 | .264 (-5%) | .330 (-11%) | .418 (+10%) | .749 (+1%) | -83.6 |
| 2006 | SFN | NL | 66 | 199 | 27 | 49 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 31 | 0 | 11 | 32 | .246 | .269 (-9%) | .336 (-15%) | .431 (-10%) | .768 (-12%) | -444.2 |
| 2007 | SFN | NL | 11 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 195 | 499 | 61 | 123 | 26 | 5 | 17 | 79 | 0 | 29 | 91 | .246 | — | — | — | — | -528 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (195 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 103 | 261 | 30 | 63 | 8 | 49 | .241 |
| Away | 92 | 238 | 31 | 60 | 9 | 30 | .252 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-05-02 | SFG | COL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007-05-01 | SFG | COL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2007-04-29 | SFG | AZ | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007-04-25 | SFG | LAD | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2007-04-21 | SFG | AZ | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007-04-18 | SFG | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007-04-13 | SFG | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007-04-10 | SFG | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007-04-07 | SFG | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007-04-05 | SFG | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 138 |
| Designated Hitter | 1 |
Salary History
Lance Niekro's recorded salaries total $1,035,000 over 3 seasons, 2004 to 2007. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Niekro's career ran from 2003 to 2007. No salary is recorded for 2003 and 2005.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | SFN | NL | $390,000 |
| 2006 | SFN | NL | $345,000 |
| 2004 | SFN | NL | $300,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $1,035,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Southern College | Lakeland | FL | 1998, 1999, 2000 |
Lance Niekro: the record in brief
According to the bio, Lance Niekro debuted on September 5, 2003 and played a final game on May 2, 2007. Niekro spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the San Francisco Giants. Niekro, a first baseman by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 210 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Niekro was born on January 29, 1979, in Winter Haven, FL, USA. Lance Niekro was the playing name; the full given name is Lance Joseph.
Niekro collected 123 hits in 499 at bats across 195 games, good for a .246 batting average, adding 17 home runs and 79 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .288 clip and slugging .421, Niekro finished with a .709 OPS. Over the seasons Niekro played, league hitters batted .267; the .246 career figure is 7.5% below that. In OPS terms, Niekro's .709 stands 6.5% below the league's .758. No season beat the 12 home runs Niekro hit in 2005. No season topped the 70 hits of 2005. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .252 in 2005, did not top the league's .264.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lance Niekro
- What years did Lance Niekro play?
- Lance Niekro played in Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2007.
- Was Lance Niekro a pitcher?
- No. Lance Niekro was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Lance Niekro hit?
- Lance Niekro hit 17 career home runs with 123 hits.
- What teams did Lance Niekro play for?
- Lance Niekro played for one team, the San Francisco Giants (2003, 2005–2007).
- What were Lance Niekro's career stats?
- In 195 games, Lance Niekro had 123 hits, 17 home runs, 79 RBI, and 61 runs, with a .246 batting average.
- How much did Lance Niekro earn in his career?
- Lance Niekro's recorded salaries total $1,035,000 over 3 seasons, 2004 to 2007. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Niekro's career ran from 2003 to 2007. No salary is recorded for 2003 and 2005.
- What was Lance Niekro's salary?
- Lance Niekro's last recorded salary was $390,000, in 2007. His highest recorded salary was $390,000, in 2007, and his lowest was $300,000, in 2004. The Salary History table lists each season from 2004 to 2007.
- What position did Lance Niekro play?
- Lance Niekro played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lance Niekro and how much did he weigh?
- Lance Niekro was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 210 pounds.
- How many home runs did Lance Niekro hit each season?
- Lance Niekro's home runs by season: 0 in 2003, 12 in 2005, 5 in 2006, and 0 in 2007. His most in one season was 12, in 2005.
- What was Lance Niekro's career batting average?
- Lance Niekro batted .246 over his career, with 123 hits in 499 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lance Niekro have?
- Lance Niekro drove in 79 runs in his career.
- Is Lance Niekro in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lance Niekro has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.