Darren Balsley

Who is Darren Balsley?

Darren Balsley is the current pitching coach at Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres franchise. He was a minor-league pitcher before he decided to go into coaching. He went to Mount Carmel High School in San Diego and attended Palomar College. He has been in his current role since May 17, 2003. Under his tutelage, the Padres pitching has greatly improved, with the team ERA going from 4.87 in 2003 to a Major-League best 3.70 in 2007 to now a Major-League leading best again 3.07 ERA in 2010. Also, many pitchers have gone on to have some of the best years of their careers under his watch. These players include Heath Bell, Jake Peavy, Cla Meredith, Chris Young, Akinori Otsuka, and Kevin Cameron.

The Padres moved into cavernous Petco Park in 2004. One of the most extreme pitchers' parks in the league, this development bears much of the responsibility for the Padres pitchers' statistical improvement during Balsley's tenure.