Chris Paddack Is Gandalf The Grey

Speaking about Alonso, Paddack told reporters, “He’s a great player, no doubt. Does he deserve (the Rookie of the Month honor)? Absolutely. But I’m coming for him. We’ll see Monday who the top dog is.” 

Paddack continued, “There’s not a lot of things that irritate me. I think I do a pretty good job of using that Rookie of the Month as energy or different other stats that I know that I bring to the table that I don’t get credit for. I want to continue to stay humble, but that’s one thing that kind of got me, because my whole life, my whole career, I’ve kind of been the underdog. And I love that. I think that’s why I’m successful, is because nothing’s handed to me. I’ve got to work for everything.”

Alonso was asked about Paddack’s comments and responded with his own little jab, saying, “Well, there’s this old saying: If you don’t like it, play better.” 

Nowhere To Go But Down

The “Monday” Chris Paddack was referring to was his next scheduled start, at home against Pete Alonso’s Mets. To his credit, the 23-year-old right-hander delivered, throwing 7.2 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11, including Pete Alonso twice. After that, though? Things got a little tricky for the rookie. 

He was far from bad the rest of the season after this bizarre feud over a National League Rookie of the Month award. But the magic of March and April was gone. He put up a 3.76 ERA across his next 20 starts. Paddack finished 2019 going 9-7 with a 3.33 ERA and 126 ERA+ in 140.2 innings. Alonso, on the other hand, set a Major League record for home runs by a rookie, with 53, and received 29 of 30 first place NL Rookie of the Year votes. Paddack did not receive any ROY votes, despite his solid season. 

Unfortunately for Chris Paddack, 2019 marked the end of his run as an above-average pitcher. That aforementioned start against the Mets saw him hitting 98 MPH on his fastball. That arrow isn’t in his quiver anymore. Chris Paddack now finds himself blocking deserving candidates for a Miami Marlins rotation spot, and “blocking” might be an understatement. Consider him Gandalf The Grey at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, roaring “YOUUU SHALL NOT PASSS!” at the mighty Balrog. That’s the type of obstruction Chris Paddack represents for Triple-A Marlins pitchers like Braxton Garrett and Robby Snelling. 

Figured Out

5.13 ERA. 88 ERA+. That’s what Chris Paddack has done in the 97 games and 465 innings he’s thrown since 2019. He had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and a forearm strain in 2024. He managed to toss 158 innings for the Twins last year, going 5-12 with a 5.35 ERA. The Marlins, heaven knows why, decided to ink him to a one-year, four-million-dollar deal in February, and he slotted right into the rotation on Opening Day. He is now 0-4 with a 6.11 ERA. 

The recent Tucker Carlson SNL impression by Jeremy Culhane has been making the rounds on social media due to its accuracy, and the main soundbite works here: “What are we doing? What’s going on?”

Whatever Chris Paddack was, he is not anymore. This is not a serviceable Major League starting pitcher, and he hasn’t been for a while now. Braxton Garrett, who is 28 and has a career 111 ERA+, has allowed FOUR hits in 23.1 Triple-A innings this year, allowing just two runs (0.77 ERA). Robby Snelling, one of the best left-handed prospects in baseball, is rocking a 2.25 ERA on the same team as Garrett, and has punched out 35 batters in 24 innings. The Marlins sit at 13-16 a year after surprising many by going 79-83; they are fully capable of contending for a playoff spot with the addition of a power bat at the trade deadline. 

Oh, and putting an end to this Chris Paddack The Grey nonsense.

End Of My Chris Paddack Rant

Enough is enough. Four million bucks should not be an amount of money so great as to restrict management from making good decisions. Robby Snelling and Braxton Garrett have nothing left to prove in Triple-A, especially Garrett, who has already shown his mettle at the Major League level. Release Paddack, make him a swingman/spot starter, it doesn’t matter. But trotting him out there every fifth day is a sign to fans that you’re just punting on a game once per week. For a team so desperate to increase attendance figures and be taken seriously by fans in South Florida, this is not the way to go. Put your best players on the field. 

As Gandalf himself said, “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair.” Keeping Chris Paddack in the Miami Marlins rotation? That’s not fair at all.