Contreras Achieves His Dream New Seattle Pitching Coach Returns To The Big Leagues

Nardi Contreras is still in there pitching after 16 years teaching in the minor leagues, but now he’s in the majors again.

Contreras, hired by the Seattle Mariners shortly after the 1996 season to replace Bobby Cuellar, got his major league playing start with the Chicago White Sox, but groin problems forced him into retirement in 1981.

That led to his years as a pitching instructor in the minors until he was hired by the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks less than 10 months ago, shortly after Buck Showalter was hired as manager. Contreras was on the New York Yankees staff when Showalter was manager in 1995.

Now Contreras, 45, has become the first member of the Diamondbacks staff to be hired by another organization, though he has nothing but good things to say about the Arizona club.

“That organization has quality people from the top all the way to the clubhouse guy,” he said. “It is an organization that should jell very quickly. They have some good, young pitchers.”

Diamondbacks general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. couldn’t say enough good things about Contreras, either.

“He’s a good instructor as far as the mechanics are concerned,” Garagiola said. “He’s simply someone you’d like for your young players to be around.”

Contreras said “it was kind of emotional to leave” the Diamondbacks, but that “when an opportunity like this comes along, you have to take it.”

“It’s exciting,” he said late last week as position players were arriving for spring training in this complex that the Mariners share with the San Diego Padres.

“For every pitching coach, this is their dream, to get to the major leagues. And now I’m here,” he said.

Like Mariners manager Lou Piniella, Contreras was raised and still resides in the Tampa, Fla., area. He even had watched Piniella play in high school and on through the pros. They live within a few miles of each other and met at church.

“We both can get animated and we both have the same type of fire, the desire to succeed,” Contreras said. “I think we will work well together.

“The best thing about it is knowing my staff won’t have to face the Mariners’ hitting lineup.”