Chris Paddack #59

Padres fans began calling Paddack “the Sherriff” in Spring Training 2019 as an ode to his Texas roots and his cowboy hat and boots he wears on start days. The nickname took off when the Austin, Tex. native made his debut with the Padres by starting Game 4 of the '19 season. Padres fans began wearing cowboy hats to his starts and badges with “Paddack’s Possea22aqqq” inscribed on them. He had 40+ family members and friends in attendance for his ML debut, and they too donned cowboy hats and boots in lieu of Paddack jerseys, which weren’t yet available... Had the word “Relentless” stitched on his glove. In an article in 2019, Paddack said “For me, it’s just a reminder — what I’m doing, why I’m doing what I’m doing. If I catch myself with a lack of focus, that’s just a focal point for me.”... Paddack got a lion with blue eyes and the outline of the state of Texas tattooed on his left forearm following the '19 season, and also has the number “236” tattooed on his right ribcage, referencing the number the Marlins selected him overall in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. It serves as a reminder of how many players were taken before him... His pre-game rituals include eating an entire pizza the night before his start... Roots for Texas A&M athletics... If he was not a professional baseball player, he would enjoy giving guided hunts... His favorite TV show is The 100.

2020

Made his 1st career Opening Day start on July 24 at vs. ARI, tossing 6.0-shutout innings of 4-hit ball in SD's 7-2 victory... With former SD rookie Eric Lauer getting the Opening Day nod in '19, it became just the 2nd time in 100 years a team started either a rookie or a 2nd-year pitcher on Opening Day in back-to-back seasons (also: '96-'97 Royals with Catfish Hunter in '96 & Jim Nash in '97)... From his debut season in 2019 through 2020, he posted a 69.8 1st pitch strike percentage, which led the majors (min. 700 batters faced)...it raned ahead of Madison Bumgarner (69.2%), Max Scherzer (68.9%) and Clayton Kershaw (67.8%)... Posted 58 strikeouts to 12 walks for a 4.83 SO/BB ratio... among all ML pitchers who made at least 12 starts, his 4.83 SO/BB ratio ranked 10th in the majors and 5th in the National League... 4 of his 12 free passes came vs. right-handed batters, tied for the 5th-fewest in the majors (min. 100 RHH batters faced)... Began the season 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA through his 1st 4 starts...went 2-4 with a 5.70 ERA through his final 8 starts... With no runners on base, opponents hit .296 (40-135)... when runners did get on base, he limited the opposition to a .213 clip (20-94)... Allowed 14 home runs, T-3rd most in the majors...3 came on the 1st pitch and 4 came with 2 strikes... Paddack made his 35th career start on Sept. 5 vs. OAK... with 201 career strikeouts through his first 35 starts, Paddack became the 7th Padre in club history to record 200+ strikeouts through his first 35 career starts.

POSTSEASON: Made his 1st career postseason start and appearance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series vs. STL, allowing 6 runs and 8 hits in 2.1 IP in SD's 7-4 defeat.

2016

Acquired by SD from MIA in exchange for Fernando Rodney, June 30.

2015

Signed by MIA as an eighth-round selection in the First-Year Player Draft, June 10.