The One Marlins Teammate Who Lifted Chris Paddack’s Spirits After Rough Outing
In this story:
Miami Marlins pitcher Chris Paddack didn’t have a great night on the mound against the Colorado Rockies.
In a night where it was supposed to feel good because he finally got a chance to pick for a team that drafted him 11 years ago, it turned out to be a disaster.
The silver lining about the whole situation is that one teammate gave him words of encouragement.
Marlins’ Big Time Player Advises Paddack After Rough Outing
Having a support system within the organization can have a lasting impact on a player. The 30-year-old right-hander didn’t have his best stuff on Monday night.
It certainly didn’t feel good to give up many runs and feel responsible for Miami's first loss of the season. Although the Marlins are still in first place in the NL East, Paddack wants to win, and his performance stung.
Sandy Alcantara, who is the ace of the rotation, approached Paddack in the dugout. Paddack, after the game, shared with the media what Alcantara said to him.
Sandy was like, “Hey man, you're here for a reason. We believe in you. I believe in you,” Paddack said.
“We had a conversation that I won't say on the air, but he has my back. it was cool to hear that from our ace. he noticed some thing that were a little different there in the third and fourth than there was in the first and second. So I read that, I came to the clubhouse, and I wrote that down in my journal from a guy who's been there at the top of the elite level. I think that's what I've learned throughout my career: no one's going to feel sorry for you at this level. its ecpected. It's what we signed up for.”
"He has my back and it was cool to hear that from our ace."
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) March 31, 2026
Chris Paddack on how Sandy Alcantara coached him up after getting taken out of the game, identifying some of the differences he saw between Paddack's first and second times through the White Sox lineup. pic.twitter.com/IZrN9mSJ5w
Paddack is strong-willed. He doesn't let bad performances get to him mentally. He's all about getting better and improving for his next start. Dwelling on the past is never the right approach for a big league player. Paddack knows he has a long way to go to build significant trust within the organization. They love having him in the clubhouse. He's a true professional. He needs to get better and find a way to lower his ERA.
Paddack is scheduled to make his next start against the New York Yankees on Sunday, April 5th. The Marlins will be on the road for that series. It won’t be an easy task. The Marlins will need to give Paddack enough run support if Paddack is pitching a great game.
After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.