Pitching coach Ruben Niebla joined the San Diego Padres staff in 2021, even before the team hired manager Bob Melvin. It is an unusual move to hire the coach before the manager, but with Niebla’s reputation, it was warranted. Our own Ben Fadden addressed the hiring of Niebla in a post here on Gaslamp Ball shortly before the announcement was official.
His credentials were impressive. He was the minor league pitching coordinator in the Cleveland organization from 2013 to 2019, assistant major league pitching coach for the 2020 season, and was hired as the Padres’ major league pitching coach in October of 2021.