gold star for USAHOF

16. Joe Niekro

Far more than just Phil’s younger brother, Joe Niekro had the best seasons of his twenty-plus year career as a Houston Astro.  Niekro would post two consecutive 20 win seasons both of which saw him make the top five in NL Cy Young voting.  An All-Star in 1979, Niekro would have 144 wins and 1,178 strikeouts with the Astros.  The team would induct Niekro into their franchise Hall of Fame in 2019, the first year of its existence.