Twins' Chris Paddack: Working on cutter
Paddack has added a cutter to his arsenal and threw it four times in his spring debut Friday against the University of Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Paddack threw 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and a walk. "I've seen guys throw it, but I've never thrown it," Paddack said. "I'm trying to learn how to use it in certain counts, aggressive hitters, behind in the count, whatever that might be."
After making a full recovery from his May 2022 Tommy John surgery, Paddack returned to action for the Twins in late September and struck out eight while allowing three earned runs across five innings over two relief appearances. He then struck out six over 3.2 scoreless frames during Minnesota's postseason run. Adding another pitch to his repertoire could help him return to his 2019 form, when he had a 3.33 ERA and 26.9 percent strikeout rate over 140.2 innings for the Padres. While he's penciled in as the No. 4 starter, Paddack's innings may be limited in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery.
