Chris Paddack

Christopher Joseph Paddack

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Cedar Park High School
• Debut March 31, 2019

• Born January 8, 1996 in Austin, TX USA

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Biographical Information

On July 17, 2019, rookie Chris Paddack made a bid to break the San Diego Padres' notorious streak of never having a pitcher throw a no-hitter in the half-century of the team's existence. Facing the Miami Marlins, his former organization, he did not give up a hit through the first 7 innings, before giving up a homer to Starlin Castro leading off the 8th. He ended up a 3-2 winner, giving up just the one hit and run in 8 innings of work.

Paddack was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 8th round in the 2015 amateur draft, but was traded to the Padres one year later in a deal for closer Fernando Rodney. he then missed then entire 2017 season with an arm injury. He came back strong in 2018, going a combined 7-3, 2.10 in 17 starts between the Class A Lake Elsinore Storm and AA San Antonio Missions. He was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the minor leagues heading into 2019, but most observers thought he would begin the season in the minors given his limited professional experience. However, he pitched so well in spring training that he made the opening day roster and proved to be one of the most consistent starting pitchers on the team. The Padres were careful not to overuse him, giving him frequent additional rest, including optioning him back to Class A for 10 days (where he did not pitch) in order to limit his workload. He ended his rookie season at 9-7, 3.33 in 26 starts, logging 140 2/3 innings.

Paddack was not as good in his sophomore season, 2020, even though the Padres were a much-improved team. He made 12 starts, going 4-5, 4.73. However, he got to start the Padres' first postseason game in over a decade as the two pitchers ahead of him on the depth chart, Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, were both injured. He had a tough go of it, though, as in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, he gave up 6 runs to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2 1/3 innings and was charged with the 7-4 loss. The Cardinals advanced to the Division Series in spite of his performance, but he did not get to pitch at that stage as the Padres were swept in three games by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2021, he went 7-7, 5.07 in 23 games, inclduding 22 starts. He suffered from inconsistency, as he logged just 108 1/3 innings, and in spite of a very good K/W ratio of 99/22.

Before the start of the 2022 season, the Padres had a surplus of starting pitchers, with the return of Mike Clevinger from Tommy John surgery and the acquisition of Sean Manaea just before the start of the season, the two joining a rotation that already included Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove, not to mention others. Chris was the odd man out and was involved in trade rumors from the time spring training opened. He finally was traded just before Opening Day, on April 7th, being sent to the Minnesota Twins alongside reliever Emilio Pagan in return for P Taylor Rogers and OF Brent Rooker. In his first season with the Twins, he went 1-2, 4.03 in 5 games, his season ending early when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery himself, his second time having the procedure. Still, the Twins continued to value his work, as the following January they re-signed him for three years at $12.5 million

Further Reading

• AJ Cassavell: "Paddack lives up to hype in MLB debut", mlb.com, March 31, 2019. [1]
• Do-Hyoung park: "On the mend, Paddack gets 3-year extension with Twins", mlb.com, January 18, 2023. [2]

Related Sites

• Chris Paddack on mlb.com