The Sheriff Returns: Padres pitcher Chris Paddack will never forget his Cedar Park roots
Photo Credit: San Diego Padres
Originally published Feb. 12, 2020, in the Hill Country News.
Connie Cochran was a little anxious when he decided to give the ball to an unproven sophomore in a key district rivalry game. Then-senior Ryan Johnson may have felt a few nerves, too, when his coach told him he'd be calling the game from the dugout.
The only player that wasn't nervous was the pitcher himself, making his first varsity start against the biggest rival in the district: Chris Paddack.
"I didn't ever really sense crazy nerves," said Shawn Spradling, who was behind the plate that afternoon. "You could tell it was a tense moment, but I had never seen someone work as hard up to that point, so there wasn't any room to be nervous."
Sometime during the fifth inning, Cochran turned to Johnson and asked if his scorebook was correct. Johnson didn't say a word.
The rest is history, as Paddack threw the first of his six no-hitters at Cedar Park, and went on to have one of the greatest high school careers with the Timberwolves. So good that he had his No. 29 high school jersey retired before this season.
"What I hope (his jersey) will represent is what hard work, dedication to your craft and unselfishness looks like," said Cochran, who was the head coach at Cedar Park for nine years. "He's an inspiration. He has a calmness and a genuineness that comes through every time he speaks.
"He represents everything you'd want in someone to represent a program. I knew he was going to be special, and he has continued to grow in that craft and become stronger. He pushes himself, and that's why he's going to continue to rise as a professional."
Paddock's ascent through the ranks of baseball has been a quick one.
After getting drafted by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round in 2015, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2016. Early that season, he had Tommy John surgery, which forced him to miss the rest of the 2016 and all of 2017.
Tommy John surgery is a reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament, a surgical procedure common among collegiate and pro baseball players.
He returned with a vengeance in 2018, splitting time between High-A and Double-A. And last season, he was on the Padres' opening-day roster and spent the majority of the season in the big leagues.
With all the early success that Paddack has had, Cedar Park will always be home.
"This is where it all started," Paddack said. "There are so many good memories I had here at Cedar Park High School, whether it was baseball or just hanging out with friends on the weekend. I'll never forget where I came from."
New Kid on the Mound
Paddack started his baseball career as a catcher. As a tall kid, he looked up to Joe Mauer and tried to emulate his game as a tall catcher. Part of it was just about trying to stay positive because it's hard to be a tall catcher in the big leagues.
During his sophomore year, Paddack looked up to Johnson, who continues to be his best friend to this day.
Johnson took notice and, at one point, asked the coaches who the young kid getting in extra work in the batting cage was.
"I saw a work ethic in him before I even knew who he was," Johnson said. "I never gave him just one certain piece of advice. We created a bond where we trusted each other. It was cultivated over time. He came to work every single day, knew what he needed to execute and did it at full speed."
Johnson was committed to Vanderbilt, and Paddack wanted to pick his brain and learn everything he could about baseball.
Cochran made Paddack the starting catcher on the varsity squad as a sophomore since there were three college-bound pitchers in the Cedar Park rotation, including Johnson. But when one of them went down with tendonitis, Cochran told the then-sophomore early in the week to prepare for a start on Saturday.
"There wasn't any hesitation or long pause," Cochran said.
The no-hitter against Vista Ridge was just the start, as Paddack finished his high school career with a 29-2 record. His senior year, Paddack finished 13-0 with more than 300 strikeouts and a 0.48 ERA.
"Never dwell, and never look at the negative side of things," Paddack said. "Always look at the positive side of things. There's way more to life than just baseball. But for me, that's kind of all I knew, and I took that and ran with it."
Relentless
Paddack thought he was going to be drafted on the first day of the MLB draft in 2015, and after falling to the Marlins on day two, he debated whether to stay committed to Texas A&M. Miami sweetened the deal by giving him third-round money, and he began his professional career later that year.
In June 2016, Paddack was traded to San Diego for three-time All-Star Fernando Rodney. Just one month later, he was diagnosed with a torn UCL and had Tommy John surgery, missing the rest of 2016 and all of the 2017 season.
"It was probably one of the hardest times of my life," he said. "Monday through Sunday doing the same stuff, and 22 months of rehab away from your family. I learned a lot about myself, knowing there is so much more to this game than I realized."
During his rehab, Paddack - who admitted he's not a book reader - poured through Tim S. Grover's book Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, which provides a glimpse into the mindsets of some of the most successful athletes like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
Paddack has ‘Relentless' stitched onto his glove as a reminder.
"I knew there was no excuse, and I was going to do everything I could to come back better," he said. "Every time I'm having a rough day or a tough outing on the mound, I look down at my glove and know that I've been through a lot worse."
What are you doing on Sunday?
As the regular season approached last season, Paddack finished with an impressive 3-1 record and 1.76 ERA in five games during his first invitation to San Diego's spring training.
He was nearing his pitch count in his last start when Padres manager Andy Green walked out and the infield huddled up around the pitcher's mound. Green turned to All-Star first baseman Eric Hosmer and asked, "What are you doing on Sunday?" to which Hosmer replied, "Playing in the field behind this guy."
Paddack was officially a big leaguer.
"I reflected on all the hard work and that I was going to be a big leaguer and live my childhood dream," Paddack said. "When I crossed over that chalk line, it was just tears of joy. The worst part of it was that they knew about it for two weeks!"
Look Good, Play Good
Paddack has a style that can only be described as stereotypically Texan.
Even at his jersey retirement, he was dressed up with a cowboy hat and cowboy boots with a giant belt buckle and paisley tie with a pewter tie clip.
Pete Zamora, a pitching coach for the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, was once asked why Paddack always dresses like he's going to a funeral. Zamora said he does dress for a funeral - the other team's funeral.
"I'm never going to forget where I came from," Paddack said. "I want to represent Texas the best I can. A lot of people say I do it for the attention, but I do it because when I look at myself in the mirror on my start day, I know I'm ready.
"Plus, if I pitch bad and someone sees me in public, at least I look sharp."
Paddack will never forget his Texas roots, and his friends and family will never forget about him in Cedar Park, as his name will hang in the outfield at the Timberwolves' baseball diamond forever.
None of his teammates will forget some of the memories they made. After the Timberwolves were eliminated from the playoffs one year, Paddack grabbed a bunch of dirty practice balls, signed them and gave them to his teammates saying they might be worth something one day.
If he continues at his current pace, he just might be right.
"His talent was born through hard work," Cochran said. "He didn't wake up one morning and become this superstar. It was a process, and he understood how it worked. It took time and commitment and work, and he bought into that."