THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: From the Cape to Chicago, Paddack still having fun on the mound

Three summers ago, Liam Paddack was just playing baseball with his friends.

Sure, the end goal never changed.

But once the level of competition changed for the former Coeur d’Alene High star, so did Paddack onto a path toward the major leagues.

THREE YEARS ago, Paddack was preparing for games with the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen as a left-handed pitcher.

On Tuesday, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Paddack was selected in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Chicago White Sox, 529th overall.

“I really didn’t put a timeline on it,” said Paddack of his path to the big leagues. “At that time, I was just having fun with my friends and playing baseball. I was having an absolute blast.”

Paddack, a 2021 Coeur d'Alene High graduate, played two years at the Community Colleges of Spokane before transferring to Gonzaga for his junior season.

Paddack played in 2022 for Port Angeles of the West Coast League, a summer collegiate wood-bat league, before spending the last two years with the Chatham (Mass.) Anglers of the Cape Cod League. 

“Going from the competition in junior college to the Cape Cod League was like going to the moon,” Paddack said. “It’s amazing how much you can get away with on the mound that you can’t in the Cape. And a ton of guys got drafted from the Cape this year. Having that really prepared me for where I’m at now. I feel like I’m prepared and have a good idea of what to expect. It was quite the jump in competition.”

This past spring, Paddack led Gonzaga in strikeouts (77), innings pitched (65), starts (12) and opposing batting average (.235), and finished sixth in the West Coast Conference in strikeouts and seventh in opposing batting average.

“I absolutely loved my time at Gonzaga,” Paddack said. “It was a tight-knit group of guys.”

Due to renovations, the Bulldogs used the visitors' locker room during the season.

“It was fun in there, even though it wasn’t built for a team our size,” Paddack said. “I’m definitely going to miss it. My college experience was really, really fun. I had three different years with guys I spent time with.”

PADDACK KNEW there was some interest heading into this week’s draft, but wasn’t sure on what kind of outcome he’d have at first.

The White Sox, for one, watched him pitch against UCLA this season.

“In the fall, a few scouts had reached out and I had some Zoom calls,” Paddack said. “As the year progressed, I really didn’t know what level of attention you’d have to have to get to be drafted. But only one team needed to see you and like you. It was not necessarily expected, but I’m just really happy that it happened.”

Paddack was in the bullpen working out before Chatham’s game against Falmouth (Mass.) when he got the call he’d been selected. 

Paddack’s next scheduled start was slated for Friday at Hyannis (Mass.), when he instead reported for rookie ball with the White Sox in Arizona.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Paddack said. “I called my mom and had a ton of different calls. Everyone started rushing over when I got the news and they were giving me bear hugs.”

Paddack recalled Kyle Manzardo, the former Lake City High and Washington State star, and his selection in 2021 by Tampa Bay. Manzardo, now in the Cleveland Guardians organization, made his major league debut in May.

“I was roommates with (Kyle’s younger brother) Marcus (Manzardo) at Spokane Falls for a year,” Paddack said. “When Kyle got drafted, that was just great. Hearing all the news and seeing him get to the big leagues has been amazing. It’s been really cool to watch and follow.”

Paddack credits his coaches for helping him make the jump to the next level of his game.

“Playing since such a young age, I was just playing to have fun,” Paddack said. “I didn’t know how good I was playing for the Hayden Little League Cardinals. But my coach, Rick Brown, he saw something in me and it’s been something ever since. Every single coach, from (Coeur d’Alene High) coaches (Nick) Mahin and (Erik) Karns, to Ryne Webb and Matt Oye at Spokane, they’ve all been huge contributors to the outlook of my game. Also Brandon Harmon and Mark Machtolf (at Gonzaga) gave me the opportunity and stuck with me when I had some rough outings. It really led to my belief and confidence in myself.”

But it might have been the advice of Oye that stuck the most.

“You’ve really got to work hard and do some things you don’t want to do,” Paddack said. “You have to look at the big picture. Matty would say to get a journal and write down on the top of each page, ‘Did I become a big leaguer today?’ At the end of each day, I’d go and journal it. If I did it, I’d check the box and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t. He really taught me each day had to be a professional effort. And I think keeping that in perspective and having as much fun as possible will get you where you want to go.”

No, Paddack isn’t quite a big leaguer yet.

But with a little more work, and some fun, he could be checking that box soon.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress. 

    GONZAGA ATHLETICS Liam Paddack, a former Coeur d'Alene High standout, throws a pitch for Gonzaga against UCLA at Jackie Robinson Field during a non conference game in Los Angeles on Feb. 17.