Jonathan Papelbon
| Jonathan Papelbon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Boston Red Sox – No. 58 | |
| Closing Pitcher | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| July 31, 2005, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Career statistics (through August 22, 2007) | |
| Win-Loss | 7-5 |
| Saves | 65 |
| Earned Run Average | 1.58 |
| Strikeouts | 177 |
| Teams | |
| |
Jonathan Robert Papelbon (born November 23, 1980 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is the closer for the Boston Red Sox. He bats and throws right-handed.
Papelbon was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2002 out of Mississippi State.[1] Papelbon throws a fastball clocked as high as 99 mph, typically hitting the mid-90s, with great command. He has a good slider, changeup, curveball, as well as a splitter which he added to his arsenal after some tutoring from teammate Curt Schilling. He was also quoted in a post-game interview that he has been working on a cutter.
He was the Red Sox closer during most of 2006. In early September, Papelbon injured his shoulder; when the Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention, he was "shut down" for the rest of the season to rest. Papelbon was being groomed to be part of the Red Sox starting rotation because of his shoulder problems, but was later moved back to the bullpen before the start of the season and remained the team's closer.[2] On August 21, 2007, Papelbon had his 30th save of the season making him the first Boston pitcher to ever have two 30 save seasons.
Career
High school
Papelbon was a three-time All-City honoree while playing high school for Bishop Kenny High School.[3]
College: Mississippi State
Papelbon was a closer at Mississippi State University. He had a 9-6 record, 13 saves, and 2.90 ERA in his three years on the team.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
Major Leagues
Papelbon made his major league debut with the Red Sox on July 31, 2005 against Minnesota, in which he went 5 1/3 innings, struck out seven batters, and issued five walks in Boston's 4-3 victory. He did not receive a decision. He earned his first major league win on September 12, 2005, pitching three scoreless innings in an extra-inning game against the Toronto Blue Jays. In two postseason appearances in 2005, he pitched four scoreless innings against the eventual World Series Champion Chicago White Sox.
The Red Sox had plans of slotting Papelbon into their starting rotation prior to the regular season in 2006. However, the incumbent closer, Keith Foulke, proved to be ineffective trying to come back from an injury-plagued 2005. On April 5, the second game of the 2006 season, Papelbon recorded his first career save in Texas. He went on to pile up 26 saves before the mid-season break.
The 25-year-old closer finished 2006 with one of the most dominant seasons ever for a rookie pitcher. Papelbon saved 35 games, struck out 75 batters in 68 innings, and held opposing batters to a minuscule .167 batting average.
Pitching Style
Papelbon features a 4-seam fastball clocked as high as 99 MPH, but usually sitting between 94-98 MPH. He complements that with a 2-seam fastball in the 92-94 MPH range. When sharp, it has often been said that Papelbon's fastballs tend to "explode" just as they reach the plate, giving them what seems to be a rising action, making them more difficult to catch up with. Jonathan utilizes a devastating split-fingered fastball that is clocked in the high 80s to low 90s and often dips toward the dirt right before it reaches the plate. He began using this pitch after the 2005 season upon some tutoring from Red Sox veteran Curt Schilling, who also relies heavily on the splitter. Papelbon throws a slider in the low 90s range, but uses it less frequently than his three primary pitches. Papelbon also has a curveball; however, it has not been recognized as being used thus far in a major league game. In July of 2007 he started to throw a cutter, the signature pitch of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera who has used the cutter throughout his entire career[4]. He prefers to stick to his primary pitches being that as a closer he very rarely sees the same batter twice in one game.
Career statistics
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- Selected to the 2006 American League All-Star Team
- Selected to the 2007 American League All-Star Team
- Holds the single-season record for most saves in a season by a Red Sox rookie (2006).
- Second in 2006 American League Rookie of the Year voting to Justin Verlander.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- Papelbon was drafted in the fourth round in 2003, a year after the Athletics picked him in the 40th round. He did not sign because he wanted one more year in college to pitch and a chance to get to the College World Series, which his team failed to do. The Phillies had called him in round six to ask if he’d sign if they drafted him, but he rejected the offer. Finally, the Red Sox drafted him the next year in the fourth round.
- Papelbon was rated the Red Sox' No. 3 prospect by Baseball America in 2005 and 2006.
- In April 2006, he received a Mohawk styled after Charlie Sheen's character Ricky Vaughn from the film Major League due to a wager with teammate Kevin Youkilis in which they bet whether he could start the season with 10 scoreless innings.[5]
- Papelbon, unhappy with his entrance music of Drowning Pool at Fenway Park, requested a fan poll from the Boston Herald. In the meantime, he entered to songs by AC/DC as well as the theme song of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Ultimate Warrior, and "The Enemy" by Boston-based rock group Godsmack. The song "Wild Thing" by The Troggs won the poll, which he used for the rest of the 2006 season and the start of the 2007 season. Rick Vaughn's entrance music was also "Wild Thing" in Major League. Papelbon now enters games with "I'm Shipping up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys, a local Bostonian band.
- On April 29, 2006, he set a major league record with his 10th save, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. No rookie in major league baseball history had recorded that many saves in the month of April.
- From April 5, 2006 to June 8, 2006, Papelbon saved 20 consecutive games with an ERA of 0.21, allowing one earned run over 29 innings.
- Papelbon's brothers Jeremy and Josh are twins and pitch in the minors. The former is currently in the Cubs minor league system, while the latter is part of the Red Sox farm system.
- Papelbon's brother Jeremy was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 19th round.
References
- ^ Boston Red Sox prospects: Jon Papelbon profile. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ^ Boston Red Sox press release: "Papelbon to return as closer." Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ^ MLB official player profile. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ^ Papelbon Cuts Loose: Closes out Rays The Boston Herald, July 5, 2007
- ^ Boston Herald: "A hair-raising incident: Papelbon takes wild walk on Mohawk trail." Retrieved March 22, 2007.