PEORIA, Ariz. — Ruben Niebla was preceded as Padres pitching coach by Larry Rothschild, who had been coaching in the major leagues for more than three decades when he was hired.
Rothschild was preceded by Darren Balsley, who coached Padres pitchers for 17 seasons.
That's generally how it went in Major League Baseball for a long time. And that helps explain why Niebla is in his first season as a major league team's lead pitching coach.
