Paddack ready to be workhorse: 'I feel amazing'

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-hander Chris Paddack is slated to be in the Twins¡¯ rotation to start the season, and he has high expectations for himself.

On Friday, Paddock went so far as to say he wants to make at least 35 starts and reach the 200-inning plateau. If either one happens, it will be a first: He has never started more than 26 games in a season, and his career high in innings is 140 2/3. Both stats occurred during his rookie season with the Padres in 2019.

Paddack is thinking big because he had a healthy offseason for the first time since becoming a professional baseball player. This offseason, he wasn't worried about coming off Tommy John surgery -- he had his second such operation in 2022 -- or dealing with the back issues that ended his 2024 season after July 14. With the exception of one week, Paddack threw a baseball or football every day.

One day, manager Rocco Baldelli and pitching coach Pete Maki were making the rounds and called Paddack. He told them he was in great shape and wished his good fortune had occurred back when he became a professional ballplayer in the Padres¡¯ organization.

"Man, I feel amazing,¡± Paddack said. ¡°But it sucks because I'm learning this in Year 7. I wish I took this in Year No. 1 in pro ball with the Padres. I'm excited. ¡­ I say this because I haven¡¯t met my expectations or been there when the team needed me the most. It is because my health ¡­ is holding me back from reaching my end goal during the season and the expectations that I have for myself.

¡°I didn't put down a baseball this offseason. I had one week off, and then I was throwing every day, whether it was a football, 60 feet every other day. I was moving the shoulder and elbow. I talked to the front office, our training staff. We all agreed [throwing often] might be something that will benefit Chris Paddack. ¡­ For me, maybe we just found the answer. We have a long way to go. We have all of spring to stay healthy and the six months of high intensity. But overall, man. I¡¯m excited. I just turned 29 years old [on Jan. 8]. I wish I would have learned this when I was 20. That might have saved me from going under the knife at least once.¡±

When he is healthy, Paddack has a ton of talent.

¡°We¡¯ll see ¡­ how he looks the first two times [on the mound this spring],¡± Baldelli said. ¡°I think he is going to be very ready. He is slated in the rotation as well. I¡¯m excited to watch him throw and see what he has been doing.¡±

Paddack needs to have a big year because he is a free agent after the season. He said he is comfortable being a member of the Twins, even though his three years in Minnesota have been riddled with injuries.

After the Padres traded him to Minnesota on April 22, 2022, Paddack had Tommy John surgery less than a month later. Even though he wasn¡¯t ready for the start of the ¡®23 season because of the surgery, Paddack was given a three-year, $12.5 million extension. He didn¡¯t return to action until late September.

Paddack was on the Opening Day roster to start the 2024 season, but he appeared in only 17 games because of arm fatigue and a bad back. When he was on the mound, Paddack held right-handed hitters to a .264 batting average and a .732 OPS, compared to .303 with an .802 OPS by left-handed hitters.

Now Paddack is ready to have his best season to date. He can¡¯t wait to face the best teams with stacked lineups from one to nine.

¡°If I'm being honest, I got tired of coming up short or not being able to be there for the guys when they need me most [during] the end of August, early September,¡± Paddack said. ¡°That crushes the mind because I want to be a part of those big moments. That's why we work our [butts] off all [offseason], to be there in those big moments.

¡°And when you're sitting on the sidelines ¡­ it hits you: ¡®Man, I wish I was out there. What can I do differently?¡¯ [Now], I'm comfortable. I need to get out of this place mentally because the mind, if it drifts, it's a very powerful tool.¡±