Former Padres Reliever Returns to San Diego, This Time as a Coach

Sam Garcia | Oct 13, 2024

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San Diego State announced on Tuesday the baseball team added former Padres reliever Mark Melancon to the coaching staff as the pitching development coordinator. He joins head coach Shaun Cole, assistant coaches Julius McDougal, Tony Tarasco, and Max Foxcroft, and baseball chief of staff Brian Shusba. 

“Our program is very fortunate and thrilled to have Mark join our coaching staff,” Cole said in a press release from San Diego State. “He will assist in all aspects of our pitching development, bringing his unmatched experience as an elite pitcher. Most importantly, Mark is also a great person and a role model. He finished his degree while rehabilitating with the New York Yankees. This speaks highly about his work ethic, discipline, and desire to be great beyond the baseball field. He’s going to impact our program, coaches, and student-athletes on and off the field.”

Melancon, 39, played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues before retiring from baseball in 2023 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Wheat Ridge, Colorado native dealt with a subscapularis strain that kept him off the mound for the majority of the season. Melancon went on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno in Sept. 2023. But, there was not enough progress to justify adding him to the Diamondbacks postseason roster so he never returned to MLB for his final season.

“It’s exciting to be part of a staff that has great experience and a clear vision on what needs to happen to be successful at the highest level,” Melancon said in San Diego State's press release. “I’m eager to help these players compete for a national championship and hopefully move on to the next level.”

As an Arizona alumni, Melancon has experience at the collegiate level. In his freshman season, he made 29 appearances, setting a freshman record for single-season appearances, and contributed to Arizona's appearance in the NCAA Men's College World Series.

Throughout his career, Melancon played for several different MLB teams, including the Padres, Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, and Atlanta Braves. He logged a 2.94 career ERA across 732 appearances.

Melancon is a four-time NL All-Star. He was recognized as the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year in 2015 with the Pirates after setting a team-record 51 saves. In the same year, he broke the Pirates record for most saves in the first half of the season (29) and finished eighth in NL CY Young voting. In 2021, he was the NL Pitcher of the Month in April and won the Padres Darrel Akerfelds Bullpen Award.