Scouting Report: Paddack earned the nickname "The Executioner"at Lake Elsinore for his ruthless precision in eliminating opponents. He sits 91-94 mph and reaches 97 on his lively fastball with carry, dialing it up and down with pristine command in all four quadrants of the strike zone. He pairs his plus fastball with an 82-84 mph changeup that is one of the best in the minors. He sells it with identical arm speed before it falls off the table with late depth at the bottom of the strike zone, getting both swings and misses and called strikes on both sides of the plate. Paddack's fastball, changeup and control are all plus or better, but his loopy 72-76 mph curveball is firmly below-average. He uses it less than 10 percent of the time, knowing it's extremely hittable the few times it lands in the strike zone.
The Future: The list of successful big league righthanders without a breaking ball is a short one. Paddack will debut in 2019 and try to show he's an exception.