Multi-Time Cy Young Pitcher Has High Praise for Padres' Pitching Coach
The San Diego Padres’ starting rotation will look very different than it did when the 2023 season ended. Gone are multiple veteran arms, and in are a few new pieces that have high upsides. One of those is right-hander Michael King.
King was acquired by the Padres in their trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees this offseason. King is looking forward to his first year in San Diego but made a note to speak with a former Cy Young winner about everything.
He spoke with retired pitcher Corey Kluber, who praised Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla. This helped ease any doubts that King was having about joining the Padres’ organization.
“My first call about Ruben was with Corey Kluber. He told me he would not have two Cy Youngs without Ruben. Immediately, that makes me really confident going into it.”
King said that he spoke with Niebla about innings and that he assured him they would make sure he was OK to pitch. He recalled a conversation the two had about them making sure he was strong enough to be pitching effectively come the late months of the season.
“The Yankees are very — I don’t know if analytical is the right word or if scientific is the right word or if statistical is the right word — but they wanted to be very cautious with guys that go ‘X’ amount over the innings count they had the year before. And I didn’t want that.”
San Diego is very excited about the possibilities for King, and he was one of the main pieces in the Soto deal. If he can perform well, the Padres might be able to get themselves back into the postseason this year.
