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Cal Poly Pomona Athletics Hall of Fame

Mark Wiley HOF

Mark Wiley

  • Class
    1970
  • Induction
    2016
  • Sport(s)
    Baseball
As one of the most successful pitchers in Cal Poly Pomona baseball history, Mark Wiley will be honored as a member of the CPP 2016 Hall of Fame class.
 
"I was so excited to get the call from Brian Swanson about being inducted into the Hall of Fame," said Wiley. "I felt humbled because I have so many friends that are deserving of this honor as well. My family is also excited about the induction and to share in that special night coming up in February."
 
A San Diego native, Wiley graduated from Helix High School in La Mesa. During his time as a student-athlete at Cal Poly Pomona between 1968 and 1970, Wiley had numerous accolades.

In his final season with the Broncos in 1970, Wiley led the nation with 15 wins and 170 strikeouts. His performance during that season earned him a spot on the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) First Team.

His 170 strikeouts still stands as CPP's single-season record and during a game against Stanford that year, he struck out 17 batters to match the program record.
 
"Cal Poly Pomona was the perfect place for me," Wiley said. "Learning from Coach Scolinos was the best part of my experience. He was so selfless and even though I wasn't a highly sought-after player coming out of high school, Coach Scolinos pushed me to work hard."
 
In the 1968 season, the squad earned a 27-18-1 overall tally. In 1969, Wiley's time on the bump earned him a team-leading 2.08 earned run average as the team finished at 26-21. During his final season in 1970, he guided the Green and Gold to a 31-24 mark.
 
As the second round and 46th overall pick in the 1970 draft, Wiley was the highest-ever draftee in Broncos' baseball history – a title that he still holds to this day. 
 
Wiley has spent 47 seasons around the game of professional baseball, including 20 as a player and minor league coach, 17 as a major league pitching coach, and 10 thus far in the front office.
 
After getting drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1970, Wiley spent 11 years playing the game, including two seasons in the majors where he appeared with Minnesota, San Diego, and Toronto. His major league debut was on June 17, 1975 with the Twins. In that game, Wiley appeared for 2.2 innings of relief.  Then on July 1 in his first Major League start, he had a complete game win against the Angels.
 
Once completing his playing days, Wiley turned to the coaching side of the game. His managing debut came in the Orioles' Southern League affiliate, the Charlotte O's in 1981. That season, he led the team to an overall 74-69 record.
 
He continued coaching with Baltimore's minor league affiliates for the next six seasons before making the jump up to the 1987 major league staff, where he coached under Cal Ripken Sr. After that, the Cal Poly Pomona alum became the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians.
 
With Wiley on staff, the Indians' pitching rotation drastically improved. From the worst ERA in the American League in 1987, Wiley's tutelage improved the Indians to the fifth-best ERA in the AL in 1989. In 1992, Wiley accepted a position as the Indians' Special Assignment Scout. He spent three years in that position before returning to coaching in 1995, once again as Cleveland's pitching coach. During the next four years, the Indians appeared in playoffs, won two ERA titles and two American League Pennants.
 
Beyond his years as a coach, he settled into a front office position with the Colorado Rockies. He currently works as the Director of Pitching Operations for the Rockies and has been doing so since 2012.
 
Wiley credits a lot of his philosophies and ideals to the teachings of Coach John Scolinos.

"Now having been a coach for many years, I can say that 90 percent of my philosophy comes from what I learned from John. At the core of those teachings is the fact that coaching is about the players, not about yourself. Coach Scolinos was as much of a legend to baseball as John Wooden is to basketball."


Mark Wiley HOF Induction
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