Pitching coach Ruben Niebla joined the San Diego Padres workers in 2021, even earlier than the group employed supervisor Bob Melvin. It’s an uncommon transfer to rent the coach earlier than the supervisor, however with Niebla’s popularity, it was warranted. Our personal Ben Fadden addressed the hiring of Niebla in a publish right here on Gaslamp Ball shortly earlier than the announcement was official.
His credentials have been spectacular. He was the minor league pitching coordinator within the Cleveland group from 2013 to 2019, assistant main league pitching coach for the 2020 season, and was employed because the Padres’ main league pitching coach in October of 2021. He was with the Cleveland group for 21 seasons.
Padres beat author AJ Cassavell wrote about his intense however private instructing strategies with an knowledgeable means to relay info to his pitchers. The Padres made it clear that they felt this was a possibility to signal somebody whose ability they extremely valued.
“He’s had actual experiences, over 20 years, teaching in a corporation, mainly going from rookie ball to the large leagues,” Padres common supervisor A.J. Preller stated. “He’s acquired a monitor file. He’s acquired data. And he’s been round one of the crucial profitable pitching packages within the recreation. And, then, from a character standpoint, he was simply any individual that match for us.”
After Niebla took over as pitching coordinator in 2013, Cleveland’s organizational 3.74 ERA was the very best within the American League. From 2022-2024, the Padres’ 3.80 ERA and 56.9 fWAR is third to solely Philadelphia and Atlanta within the Nationwide League.
Recognized for his means to construct robust relationships along with his pitchers and his bilingual expertise, which foster higher communication amongst his workers, Niebla additionally has constructed a popularity for efficiently changing relievers into starters. Each Seth Lugo (2022) and Michael King (2024) have efficiently transitioned into beginning below Niebla’s steerage.
On February 6, 2024, simply shortly earlier than the beginning of spring coaching, the Padres introduced the opening of the bio-mechanics lab developed in affiliation with Level Loma Nazarene College and their affiliate professor of Kinesiology, Arnel Aquinaldo. In an interview with Ben and Woods on 97.3 The Fan, Niebla mentioned some great benefits of the lab.
Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of particular person pitchers utilizing state-of-the-art expertise, the info obtained permits the group to develop coaching plans that information the pitcher to develop his expertise and try to keep away from damage. The unique define is to make use of the lab for a pitcher a minimum of thrice per yr: earlier than the season, across the center of the season, and after the season to proceed to measure and develop correct approach.
Niebla additionally identified that GM AJ Preller has consulted his coaches and people concerned with utilizing the lab to guage and help with participant acquisition.
In an article written for The Athletic in February 2024, Dennis Lin cited that the lab was unofficially opened in October of 2023 with a number of Padres pitchers getting baseline evaluations to start accumulating knowledge. Niebla works with Aquinaldo and a number of graduate college students of the college to conduct the evaluations and the info is obtainable for evaluation by the Padres sports activities science group. They’ll then convert the info into baseball-specific phrases. Niebla is uniquely suited to this line of analysis on account of his earlier training in kinesiology and sports activities science throughout his scholar days at Azusa Pacific School.
The information helps with correcting errors in approach, figuring out ‘purple flag’ issues, and has been used to assist develop the plans that helped convert Michael King right into a starter. There has even been some experimenting with utilizing the lab for place gamers as properly.
In late March of 2023, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote in regards to the different facet of Ruben Niebla’s success. As a bilingual coach, he is ready to talk immediately along with his pitchers and catchers in whichever language they communicate. He’s the one who interprets between the gamers for mound visits throughout video games. Acee attributes his third language, analytics, mixed along with his “old-school” method to teaching, as the rationale for his success. Former Padres nearer Josh Hader stated it this manner: “He retains it easy.”
A number of pitchers have credited Niebla with introducing new pitches or new grips into their repertoire. Combining teaching ability, human psychology, technical experience, and expertise has enabled Niebla to construct his popularity in baseball. Giving him the benefit of the state-of-the-art bio-mechanics lab simply furthers the influence he could make.
Preller has an extra weapon to his arsenal when trying so as to add free-agent pitchers to the Padres roster. Citing the popularity and benefits of working with Niebla and exhibiting off their lab could be particularly useful in attracting rehabbing pitchers or these attempting to relaunch careers which have been interrupted by damage or failed mechanics.
It’s no shock that the Padres locked Ruben Niebla up for an extra three years previous to this season. On the Padres current FanFest, supervisor Mike Shildt appeared giddy when relaying that he and Niebla have contracts which might be similar of their size, each having been prolonged by the 2027 season.
There is no such thing as a doubt that the Padres struck gold by bringing a neighborhood man dwelling, giving him multiple-year contracts to offer him with safety, and offering a partnership with a neighborhood college for a bio-mechanical lab that does nothing however present the coach and the group with superior instruments for the good thing about the pitching workers.
It is going to be thrilling to see what Ruben and his group will be capable to do with the following pitchers attempting to revive their careers or flip relievers into starters.
