M-Braves pitcher is the son of former Atlanta Braves pitcher, nephew of MLB Hall of Famer

PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – When J.J. Niekro signed with the Atlanta Braves organization back in 2021, it was a happy moment for the entire Niekro family.

“Everyone in my family was really excited, because the Braves run really deep in our family, and if I had to pick one organization to play for, it would always be the Atlanta Braves,” he said.

Niekro isn’t the first in his family to join the Braves organization. His father, Joe, pitched for Atlanta in 1973 and 1974, his brother, Lance, pitched for the GCL Braves of the Gulf Coast League, and his uncle is MLB Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched for the Braves from 1966-1983.

“It was really a blessing to sign with [the Braves] as a free agent,” J.J. Niekro said. “My uncle is actually in the Hall of Fame with the Braves as well, so he had a really, really great career with them, and it’s awesome to see his name and his number retired over the locker room in different areas around our Spring Training complex, our big league field, and here in Mississippi.”

Growing up with a big-leaguer father and brother, and Hall-of-Fame uncle, many might’ve assumed J.J. would also become a baseball player, but he said there never was pressure to take that path.

“That’s the one thing, they never put any pressure on me, which is really nice,” he said. “I know some people, when there’s a profession in the family, you always have to be a baseball player, be a lawyer, be a doctor. But, my dad, my uncle, my mom, everyone in my family just wanted me to be the best person I could be, so that was really, really nice. I’ve had that question asked a lot, and everyone always says my uncle was a Hall of Fame player, but he wanted to be known as a Hall of Fame person more often. So, I just try to be a Hall of Fame person, and the best person I can be, and that’s something they really instilled in me.”

However, he did follow in his family’s footsteps and become a baseball player, and is now trying to be the next Niekro playing in Major League Baseball.

“Baseball is in the blood, so it’s really fun to be a representative of the Braves organization, and kind of live on the legacy of my dad and my uncle, who both passed away,” J.J. Niekro said. “My dad, when I was younger, died from a brain aneurysm, he was the one who really put a baseball in my hand to begin with; and then my uncle Phil was the one who kind of became a dad to me after that happened. So, it’s a dream come true to represent the Braves.”

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