Papelbon's Future

[kreinbihl34]

Never say never. B/c frankly you don't know

[redsoxrules]

Foulke's done...I'd say at least for the duration of this season, Little Pappy should continue to close out games for the Sox. If Hansen can do it next year and beyond, then I say once he proves himself, we should work Papelbon into the rotation, but until that point, don't mess with success.

 

 

dont let his ERA fool you ,in 12.2 IP he has allowed only 8 hits with 2 walks and one homerun allowed,. opponants batting average just .222 and his WHIP of .79 wich only papelbon has better. also has 10 K's. his ERA of 3.55 would be better however his replacement in the pen failed him twice by letting inherited runners score, i wouldnt give up on foulke yet

[YazYaz04]

i know hes not really going to be the next clemens, I am just using that analogy becuase hes probably the only young pitcher on that team who's got a shot.

[jards]

I feel that paps should stay where he is, at least for now. Think people have been too quick to pass off Foulke, the guy was doing a decent job closing games not even 12 months ago. If they are hoping to trade him away at some stage it would be a good idea to get a few more tough innings under his belt between now and then.

[mtbykr]

dont let his ERA fool you ,in 12.2 IP he has allowed only 8 hits with 2 walks and one homerun allowed,. opponants batting average just .222 and his WHIP of .79 wich only papelbon has better. also has 10 K's. his ERA of 3.55 would be better however his replacement in the pen failed him twice by letting inherited runners score, i wouldnt give up on foulke yet

 

and let's not forget that homerun was the one that bounced out of pena's glove and over the wall! He should have caught it!!!!

[rician blast]

I feel that paps should stay where he is, at least for now. Think people have been too quick to pass off Foulke, the guy was doing a decent job closing games not even 12 months ago. If they are hoping to trade him away at some stage it would be a good idea to get a few more tough innings under his belt between now and then.

 

with his salary (7.5 I think) he'd be tough to move unless he was once again a dominant closer...in which case why would you move him?

 

He's here to stay unless the Sox are willing to get no return AND eat salary.

[ahhchon]

papelbon will NEVER be roger clemens... please don't overrate the kid. he's good but ROCKET good? NEVER.

 

as for the pen, foulke is ready to step back as the closer in less than 2 weeks i say. he's pitching well, much better than his numbers show.

 

john

[SuperManny]

wow, he raped us with that contract.. i sure hope to god this streak he's on stays somewhat consistant all year..

 

please don't age schill.. please

 

john

 

The Sox knew what they were doing when they made the deal with Schilling. It was heavily incentive laced with winning the championship. The Sox knew they would be paying a lot in terms of more money and years if they won but it was worth it to the FO to win given the long streak in between championships. As Schilling is pitching right now who wouldn't want him for next year? He obviously won't win every game this year but so far hes been the ace of the staff with Beckett coming close himself. Schilling should be fine for 1 more year although you would expect to see a decline (it just remains to be seen how much of a decline next year). Either way though he will probably still be the 2nd -3rd best pitcher in the rotation next year depending on if Papelbon joins the rotation.

[ksushi]

i know hes not really going to be the next clemens, I am just using that analogy becuase hes probably the only young pitcher on that team who's got a shot.

 

If you mean has a shot to be very good you are wrong. Beckett has a shot to be special, as does Papelbon. If you're talking entire system, I believe Craig Hansen and Lester will also be special. Martinez and MDC will be good pitchers in their own right I believe.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

Well obviously as we all know, Papelbon is by nature a starter and the intention is/was to make him a mainstay in the Sox rotation for years to come. However with his success in the bullpen (this year, and last), and the fact that he really hasnt proven himself as a starter at the Major League level, does anybody think that the So xshould leave him in the bullpen throughout the duration of his career? I mean, as we have seen, he can provide you guys with a good, cheap closer who has no problem getting the job done. Would it make more sense to leave him in the pen rather than at a later date shift him to the rotation, and take the risk of him faltering and not doing well, and possibly just losing all confidence and runining his chances of returning to the pen as a solid reliever? I mean, you can trade Foulke and get some prospects, and unload his salary at the same time (there will be plenty of teams interested in adding a proven veteran closer like Keith Foulke) and still be covered at the closer's spot for years to come.

 

Just wanted your thoughts on this.

 

Very true, but he's cheap for now, if he keeps performing like this, his price is going to go through the roof.

[rician blast]

papelbon will NEVER be roger clemens... please don't overrate the kid. he's good but ROCKET good? NEVER.

john

 

never be Raja? good. we don't need another Mr. July. Clemens folds come playoff time, in case you hadn't noticed.

 

That said, I hope Papelbon NEVER becomes Roger, as you predict.

[ImissPedro]

The velocity on that fastball says alot, power behind that arm makes him a potentially lethal starter, but there's no way to tell until they give him the ball. I dare say, hopefully we can start seeing more of number 58.

[Sizzlin22]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Keep Pap's in the closer untill the end of the year then work him back into being a starter in the offseason. Call Hansen up and let him work as Set Up man as Timlin hasn't been to hot this year, and Foulke is prone to blow at any time.

[Sizzlin22]

That said, I hope Papelbon NEVER becomes Roger, as you predict.

You're retarded please leave this forum and never come back.

[example1]

Papelbon stays the closer until:

a) the sox need him to start next year, perhaps when Schilling retires and Lester is ready

 

he shits the bed and loses his confidence.

 

My guess is that will not happen. He just attacks guys with great pitches and a deceptive fastball that OCCASIONALLY reaches the high 90's. Even when they know its coming many hitters have a hard time with his fastball. That sets everything else up.

 

Good closers are hard to come by and the sox have one right now. That's not to say its hard to make a closer who has good numbers. That's not hard. But it is hard to find a guy with the killer mentality to be an exceptional lifelong closer. Those guys are rare.

 

The red sox would happily keep Papelbon as a closer if he ends up having Mariano Riveria type numbers. Guys as good as Mariano end up being as/more valuable than a good starting pitcher. Put him where he thrives.