Michael King Credits Padres' Ruben Niebla for Incredible Turnaround

King has found his groove as the season winds down.

Sep 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King couldn't ask for a better pitching coach than Ruben Niebla.

King spoke with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune about Niebla, and credited him for his incredible turnaround this season.

“I know I’ve said it a bunch,” King said. “Ruben and I worked on mechanics a lot throughout the first half. … I would much rather dominate from Day 1. There were a lot of games there that I did not like playing baseball just because it wasn’t fun. It was me trying to find myself out there, which you never want to be competing against yourself. So there was a stress there that I absolutely hated.”

King has been one of the league's hottest pitchers lately, riding a streak of eight quality starts for his Padres.

His outing on Thursday was another stellar one. King earned his 12th win of the season by allowing just two runs in six innings of work against the Colorado Rockies.

King recorded six strikeouts to earn his fourth consecutive win.

What Makes Ruben Niebla So Valuable to the Padres?

San Diego hired Niebla in October 2021 ahead of the 2022 season. Many love the work Niebla has done, especially King.

This past offseason, the 31-year-old said Niebla helped him get past a slew of injuries he suffered in 2025.

“I think it's a couple of things. I think our biomechanics are great. They optimize health and performance instead of just trying to get the most velo or stuff that you possibly can,” King said. “And to me, Ruben was huge with confidence. Coming off an injury, you're almost thinking every time out there, like, am I still hurt? Can I still do this? And Ruben just brings out the best in terms of your confidence level while you're out there pitching. So, I think a combination of those two things is lethal for a pitcher.”

Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller credited Niebla with getting injured players back on track.

“From Ruben and the mechanical side of things, with the [PLNU Biomechanics] lab, how all that dynamic works. It gives us some faith that, yeah, we can take … I don't know about risk, but we take some shots with some guys coming back from injury and hopefully have some upside," Preller said.

Before the Padres landed on Craig Stammen as their manager, Niebla was a finalist for the job. However, the team made a point to ensure they were keeping him in the organization after hiring Stammen.

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