Jonathan Robert Papelbon: Closer Extraordinaire

So, I am going to stay in denial about the woes of the Red Sox lately because well, denial is my friend. It's the only way to go. We lost a series to the Seattle Mariners. Oh God! Nick Green is an error machine while Lugo is playing like an All-Star. Jon Lester can't seem to get a good clean start under his belt. Papi still hasn't hit his first homer. We are the #1 team in the MLB in the GIDP stat. We seem to think leaving the bases loaded is what the cool kids do. The Yankees have been winning games they are supposed to lose while we are losing games we are supposed to win. Yeah...denial, that's the way to go.

Instead, I am going to talk about one of my favorite players, Mr. Jonathan "Cinco Ocho" Papelbon.



I adore him. Having him on the mound in the 9th inning is a beautiful thing. I know...he might not be ours forever, but that is also something I am going to stay in denial about. PAP time is one of my favorite times of the game. One, it means we are ahead and honkering down in on a win. And two, the guy is about as legit as a closer as you can get.

Yes, Pap has not been as crisp or tight as we are used to seeing. He seems content on filling hospitals in Red Sox Nation with his heart attack antics. We are used to seeing him come in and get a 1-2-3 inning and securing the win with ease. This year, Pap seems to like making it just a smidge more difficult on himself. Which of course begs people to constant wonder...usually on Twitter...what is going on with Papelbon. Is he hurt? Are hitters finally figuring out his fastball? Is the era of Papelbon over so soon?

At this point, I am not concerned about Papelbon. Sure, I'd like him to go back to the days of making it look easy, but all in all....the guy is still getting the job done. He is 10/10 in save opportunities. Sure some have been close, but when it came to it, he got the job done. Here is a quote from an article over at the Redsox.com where Pap talked about getting into and out of trouble following a Tampa Bay save where he almost blew it and then struck out the side:

"I basically put myself in a situation where I had to go into punchout mode. That's not always the situation I want to be putting myself in, but it is what it is. I always know that that gear is there. It's just, when do I need to bring it out?"

My initial response to that is ALWAYS....always bring out that gear. However, that is not realistic, nor good for the team. If that happened, we'd have a worn out Pap by the time October rolls around. It is good though to know that gear is there and that when needed...Pap can ramp it up and get it done.

Another stat that is somewhat concerning is the walks Pap has given out. Last year he only issued 9 walks. This year, he has already issued 10 and we are in the middle of May. He seems to be going to full counts much more often this year instead of getting people into 0-2 counts and then going in for the kill. Pap is working on new arm mechanics which he says really reduces the strain on his arm. He has said he can throw 30 pitches and his arm feels like it used to when he threw 15. He has said it is still a work in progress and he is tweaking it as his outings are going. Why fix something that isn't broken? Well, it is a great preventative move. We all saw how beat up Pap was last year in the ACLS. If he can throw and get the same results, but not put as much strain and pressure on his arm....I say, me likey. I think the amount of walks Pap will issue will drop steadily once he has full command of his mechanics. At least, that is my hope.

Alright, one more stat just for good measure. It is a good and a bad stat. Here is his current BAA: Bases Empty (.360), Runners On (.114), RISP (.071). Ok, the .360 is not great. He needs to stop allowing men on base. STAT. However, the good in those stats is that once someone gets on, he locks in. And, if someone gets into scoring position, Pap basically becomes unhittable.

So all in all, I don't like that Papelbon seems to drive us crazy this year. I would like him to go back to making it look easy. However, am I concerned? Nope. I think the guy is still one of the elite closers in the business and we should be thanking our lucky stars every single day that WE have him. Pap is a confident man. So, as long as he is confident in his abilities...so am I.

Rock On Cinco Ocho! I hope to see you on the mound very very soon.