Chris Paddack

He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and signed.[7] 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 (seven starts). He started 2016 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.[8]

On June 30, 2016, the Marlins traded Paddack to the San Diego Padres for Fernando Rodney.[9] 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.[10] In nine starts between Greensboro and Fort Wayne, he posted a 2–0 record and 0.85 ERA along with 71 strikeouts.[11] 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.[12] The Padres added him to their 40-man roster after the season.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15] He was recalled on June 22.[16] In 2019, Paddack finished with a record of 9-7 and a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts. He struck out 153 in ​140 ²⁄₃ innings. Paddack was named the Opening day starter for the Padres in 2020. Throughout the season, Paddack struggled with command as he allowed 14 home runs in just 59 innings.