He continued to hit well, batting .318 with 105 RBI, but the Astros had Alan Ashby and Luis Pujols ahead of him, and Knicely's defense was not up to par.

Finally, in 1982, Knicely would break camp with the big club, making the roster out of spring training as a right-handed hitter off the bench for the Astros.

The following spring, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for a pair of prospects, reliever Bill Dawley and outfielder Tony Walker.

With Johnny Bench winding down his career as a third baseman, the Reds employed three catchers that season, and Knicely was the third, behind Dann Bilardello and Alex Treviño.

For his efforts, he won The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award and was given another chance by the Reds that September.

The Reds, tired of Bilardello's lack of hitting ability, sent the light-hitting catcher to the minors and brought Knicely back to the majors to split time behind the plate with Dave Van Gorder.

Knicely responded by setting career bests in most categories, including a .253 batting average, 5 home runs, and 26 RBI.

He was called up to the majors in June to play first base as part of an attempt to fill in for the injured Jack Clark.