Niebla, 49, has played a huge role in Cleveland’s ability to develop young starting pitchers, whether they were acquired in the draft or via trades.
In 2021 Cleveland lost Bieber, Plesac and Civale for various lengths of time due to injuries, but the club was able to have relatively unproven young talent fill the gaps thanks to the systems and philosophies that Niebla helped establish.
Niebla pitched for six seasons in the minors and was Mexico’s pitching coach when the team qualified for the Tokyo Olympics based on its performance in a regional tournament in 2019.
Mike Clevinger, acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline in 2020, spent the entire season recovering from a second elbow surgery, but could be ready to go for 2022.
The club features a boatload of stars and rising prospects including Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack.
San Diego has not hired a replacement yet for departed manager Jayce Tingler, but Padres executives decided not to wait to hire Niebla before having Tingler’s successor in place.
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