Chris Paddack


Christopher Joseph Paddack is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. During his 2019 season with the Padres, he earned the nickname "Paddack Attack" for his first-pitch strike-heavy approach and relentless assault on opposing hitters with his fastball and changeup combination. Paddack also occasionally goes by the nickname "Sheriff."

Career

Paddack attended Cedar Park High School in Cedar Park, Texas. He committed to play college baseball for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Miami Marlins

He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and signed. He made his professional debut that year with the Gulf Coast Marlins where he went 4–3 with a 2.18 ERA in 11 games. He started 2016 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

San Diego Padres

On June 30, 2016, the Marlins traded Paddack to the San Diego Padres for Fernando Rodney. He was then assigned to the Fort Wayne TinCaps. On July 30, 2016, Paddack was diagnosed with a torn UCL. He underwent Tommy John surgery on August 15 and missed the rest of the 2016 season. In nine starts between Greensboro and Fort Wayne, he posted a 2–0 record and 0.85 ERA along with 71 strikeouts. The surgery forced Paddack to also miss all of 2017.
Paddack returned to the mound in 2018 with the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm. With the Storm, he pitched to a 2.24 ERA in 52 innings before being promoted to the AA San Antonio Missions. He was even better for the Missions, pitching to a 1.91 ERA in 38 innings before reaching his innings limit and being shut down for the remainder of the season. The Padres added him to their 40-man roster after the season.
Paddack was invited to spring training by the Padres in 2019 and dominated, pitching to a 3-1 record and a 1.76 ERA in 5 games, earning him a spot on the team's opening day rotation. On March 31, 2019, he made his major league debut with a start versus the San Francisco Giants. He allowed one run over five innings and recorded seven strikeouts. On June 12, 2019, he was optioned to Lake Elsinore as a way to lessen his amount of innings pitched. He was recalled on June 22. In 2019, Paddack finished with a record of 9-7 in 26 starts. He struck out 153 in innings.