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Why Papelbon Is One of a Kind, and Always Will Be
OK, so Jonathan Papelbon is no genius. You didn’t need to tell us, Theo. We’ve been briefed on the topic more than once over the past five years. Each time the guy opens his mouth every high school English teacher in New England instinctively reaches for a red pen.
But so what, really? Is erudite what we are looking for in a ninth-inning guy? Didn’t think so. No, we want someone closer to George “The Animal” Steele than George Plimpton. Get the ball from here to there, preferably as fast as possible. That’s it. Don’t need a philosophy to be a closer, just some guts and an out pitch (or two). The truth is that we like our closers a little mean and a little crazy, right? And Papelbon is perfect casting.
He’s also the best closer in franchise history. I’m aware that no one is going to confuse the depth of the closer position in Red Sox annals with the depth of the 1984 NBA Draft. (Only Dick Radatz can be looked at as another possibility for the top spot, but I think that given, A. Papelbon has four seasons with an ERA+ better than Radatz’s career best, and B. All the postseason stuff, it really isn’t even close.)
But that is no fault of Papelbon. All he’s done in his four-plus seasons is average 38 saves a year, strike out 10.5 batters per nine innings with a WHIP of 1.004. Sure, 2009 has been his weakest season as a closer, but that’s sort of like saying Nicole Kidman’s scene sans clothes in “Eyes Wide Shut” is her worst. You’re getting picky. Point is, in an off year there’s been maybe four closers having better seasons. And he always wants the ball and never gives you an excuse. Plus, I don’t think anyone will confuse his postseason record with Tim Wakefield’s anytime soon. How good has he been in the playoffs?
25 IP, 10 hits, 22 Ks, .640 WHIP
We’ll give Mariano Rivera top postseason billing based on the volume of work, but no one else gets a better seat than Papelbon.
So here’s where things get a little (a little more than a little, actually) tricky. Papelbon has made it clear over the past year or so that he wants to get PAID. And I’m thinking that he doesn’t mean Brian Fuentes (two years, $17.5 million) paid. Or even Joe Nathan (four years, $47 million… and Nathan is a pretty fair comp for Papelbon) paid. Nope, I suspect that he wants Big Mo money ($15 million per year) when he hits the world of free agency after the 2011 season. And why not? Isn’t he one of the three best at his position in the game today? Is he not in the prime of his career? And (this is a big one, if you remember) does Papelbon not feel that the Red Sox owe him for moving back to the bullpen in 2007? If he stayed in the rotation as planned and put up a couple of 18-7 seasons he might be looking at nine-figure contract offers when his time came (of course he may have stiffed as a starter, but I’m guessing he’s not looking at both sides here). These comments to Ben Bradlee Bradford a month into that season pretty much tell the story…
“I’m here to get my fair share of money,” Papelbon said. “My main priority is to stay healthy and be able to make money, not to go out and try and hurry up and win a championship this year (at the risk of injury). It’s not like I’m hurrying up and going back to the closer’s role because we have a good team this year and I’m going to blow (my arm) out and try and win as many games as we can (at any cost). No, it’s not going to happen.
“I’ve got a lot of money to be made in this game, whether it’s with Boston or not. My goal is to make sure I’m ready to play every day and to make money, and you can’t make money if you’re sitting on the bench. That’s the way I look at it.”
So there it is. One of the best at what he does wants to be paid that way. And I have no doubt that some general manager will look at Papelbon’s history, age and the general paucity of year-in, year-out top closers and think “Sure, it’s a lot of
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