Christopher Joseph Paddack (born January 8, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his debut in 2019 with the San Diego Padres.
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 also occasionally goes by the nickname “Sheriff.”
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 (seven starts). He started 2016 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
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.
On April 7, 2022, the Padres traded Paddack, Emilio Pagán, and a player to be named later to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Taylor Rogers, Brent Rooker, and cash considerations.
On May 10, 2022, Paddack was put on the 10-day injury list due to a right elbow strain. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery on May 18, ending his season.
Paddack has never divulged any information about his parents, he is a very private person who likes to keep his personal life away from media attention.