Christopher Joseph Paddack (born January 8, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins.
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. During his 2019 season, 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 finished with a record of 9-7 and a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts. He struck out 153 in innings. Paddack was named the Opening day starter for the Padres in 2020. He finished 4–5 with a 4.73 ERA. Throughout the season, Paddack struggled with command as he allowed 14 home runs in just 59 innings.
On January 13, 2023, Paddack agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Twins, avoiding salary arbitration. Later that day, Paddack agreed to a three-year, $12.5 million contract extension with the Twins that bought out his two remaining arbitration-eligible years and what would have been his first year of free agency. On September 24, Paddack was activated from the injured list to make his return from Tommy John surgery. Paddack began the season in the Twins rotation to begin the 2024 season but suffered through another injury shortened season, appearing in only 17 games before a complete shutdown due to a forearm strain in August. Paddack was 5–3 with a 4.99 ERA and 79 strikeouts over innings pitched.
|
|