As he received less playing time in 2007, he began to mentor younger teammates, which helped him transition into a coaching career.

Mottola attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, graduating in 1989.

[4] As a sophomore, Mottola was named the American South Conference's Player of the Week on April 3, 1991, after batting .542 with one home run and eight RBIs in six games.

[7] Professional scouts considered him a first round prospect, due to his intelligence, size, ability to hit for power, his strong throwing arm, running speed, instincts and polish.

[12] Playing a full season for the first time in 1993, he batted .280 for the Winston-Salem Spirits with 21 home runs and led the Class-A Advanced Carolina League with 91 RBIs.

Despite his minor league success, Mottola's path to the Reds was blocked by outfielders Reggie Sanders, Curtis Goodwin, Eric Davis, Vince Coleman, Mike Kelly, Steve Gibraltar and Eric Anthony, all of whom the Reds had in spring training that season.

[13] General manager Jim Bowden commented that Mottola needed more minor league seasoning before he would be promoted to the Reds.

[10][11] After he spent the 1997 season in the minors, the Reds traded Mottola to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later in April 1998.

[2][16] After the 2000 season, the Blue Jays traded Mottola to the Florida Marlins for a player to be named later or cash.

He began the 2003 season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization, playing for the Class-AAA Durham Bulls, but was released.

[17] Mottola signed with the Orioles for the 2004 season, splitting his time between MLB and the Class-AAA Ottawa Lynx.

During his final seasons, Mottola began to play less and serve as a mentor to younger players, making for a transition into a coaching career.

On October 6, 2008, Mottola was announced as the Blue Jays roving minor league hitting instructor for the 2009 season.

[8] On November 24, 2012, Mottola was promoted to be the Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach for the 2013 season.