LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 24: Pitching Coach Ruben Niebla #57 of San Diego Padres celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and securing a Post-Season bid at Dodger Stadium on September 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
When the Padres announced a two-year contract extension for manager Mike Shildt, they said they wanted to keep as much of the coaching staff together as possible. The biggest and most important piece is already in place.
San Diego has agreed to a multi-year extension with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, who is widely regarded as one of the best at his position in all of Major League Baseball. Niebla joined the Padres prior to the 2022 season and under his tutelage the San Diego staff has been nothing short of stellar.
Over the last three seasons the Padres have pitched to a collective 3.80 team ERA, making them one of the toughest teams in baseball to score runs on. Niebla, a native of Calexico, earns rave reviews from his players and has helped several pitchers have the best years of their careers, including relievers-turned-starters Michael King and Seth Lugo.
The rest of the coaching staff could be announced in the coming days and it's expected there will not be too many major changes. Coming off a 93-win season that ended one win shy of knocking the eventual World Series champion Dodgers out of the playoffs, why would you want to change anything?
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