All-Aughts Team of the Decade CL: Jonathan Papelbon

Keith Foulke gave his right arm to pitch the Sox to the 2004 World Series. I’m forever appreciative of what Foulke did — moreso than most people, I think — but it’s obvious that Jonathan Papelbon ranks as the closer of the All-Aughts Team of the Decade.

Papelbon holds the record for most career saves in Boston — all this despite entering 2010 at the tender age of 29. Paps’ 151 saves blew past Bob Stanley’s old record. Those saves were all legitimate too: his 1.84 ERA in two innings short of 300 IP is outstanding. Among Boston relievers who had 80 percent of their appearances out of the bullpen as well as a minimum of 250 innings pitched, Papelbon checks in at numero uno on the list for ERA. (Fellow Team of the Decade pitchers Mike Timlin is 10th, Rich Garces is 11th out of 19.)

Papelbon was a starter in the Sox farm system after closing in college. I was able to interview Papelbon through e-mail (still an interesting read to this day) and later get the opportunity to meet him on the day he dominated a Double-A team in what would end up his final day at that level. He was later promoted to Triple-A, then again to Boston to end the 2005 season as a reliever and spot starter. He was impressive enough that questions abounded as to whether Papelbon should be in the rotation or bullpen. (Fire Brand archive: What to do with Papelbon, 2/21/06.)

Keith Foulke was supposed to be the closer despite injuries nagging him. When Terry Francona needed a closer on April 5 against Texas, he did not summon Foulke. No, Papelbon was the guy. He would go on to rattle off seven straight saves, finish the season with 35 saves, be named to the All-Star team and rank second in Rookie of the Year voting (Justin Verlander). His 0.92 ERA that season still stands as a personal best, although his 0.776 WHIP would go down to 0.771 in 2007. The only blemish was a shoulder subluxation that shut him down for all of September, but since the club was out of contention, no harm was done.

A star was blossoming in front of our very eyes, and the Boston faithful were tremendously excited. Papelbon possessed an electricity on the mound — that remains to this day — and gave fans hope that a long-term solution to closer had been found.

In spring training, Boston and Papelbon both decided to try to make Papelbon a starter. The reasoning was exactly why the Yankees tried/are trying to make Joba Chamberlain into a starter: you can impact the game far more than you can as a closer, and it’s simple numbers: you throw more innings as a starter than you do a closer. Then, one day, Papelbon woke up and decided he wanted to be a closer, and it’s what was in his blood. And so he was.

37 saves later, and Papelbon was officially a fan favorite. His “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” entrance music was among the most catchy I’ve ever seen, and Fenway would go wild upon the first beat. His staredown with the batter, late-life fastball and diving splitter confounded batters en route to doing an Irish jig in October in the cold air of Denver, Colorado. (In other words, the Red Sox won the World Series with Papelbon on the mound.)

Papelbon was on the baseball map as a wild-eyed, charismatic closer that partied a bit too hard — but worked his butt off to get to the partying stage. He was one of the best closers in the game, winning Delivery Man of the Year. (Fire Brand archive: Is Papelbon the best closer in the game? 08/24/07.)

In 2008, things started to go a little south. Papelbon always had a propensity to pop off, and he was making it known that he felt he had a “need” to “set the market” for closers. Even established closers like Joe Nathan were a bit put off. Nathan, to my memory, said something to the effect of “let us set the market, we’re established veterans.” Over the ensuing months, Papelbon would eventually grow to alienate himself from Boston fans with his constant references towards maximizing the amount of money he would get.

Meanwhile, Paps was dedicated to bettering himself on the field. His velocity rose from an average of 94.3 mph in both 2006 and 2007 to 95.3 in 2008, while he started reducing reliance on his splitter. (Fire Brand archive: Memo to Papelbon: Throw the splitter! 9/11/08.) Papelbon set a career high in saves, marking 41 down while Boston got bounced in the ALCS to the Tampa Bay Rays. Papelbon’s K/BB was at an astounding 9.63 in 2008, having reduced his walk rate to one per nine innings. The flip side came in hits allowed, where he saw the number spike from 4.6 to 7.5. (Fire Brand archive: Is Papelbon a one trick pony? 1/22/09.)

2009 could/should be considered Papelbon’s worst as a Red Sox, despite a 1.85 ERA and 38 saves. The splitter was all but abandoned, with a less effective slider serving as Papelbon’s “show-me” pitch. (Fire Brand archive: New mechanics, reliance on slider hurting Papelbon, 05/29/09.) His control was jittery and it felt like a tightrope was being walked all season long. Of course, we all know what happened: Papelbon would blow a momentum-changing lead in Game 3 of the ALDS to the Los Angeles Angels, forcing himself into a long and cold winter, re-evaluating his opinion on being so fastball-happy.

I wasn’t too pleased when it came out before that game in question that Papelbon was focused on preserving his scoreless streak in the postseason and would pitch with that in mind. How about pitching to win the game? In any event, three runs are now blemishing his postseason statistics, which still registers an impressive 1.00 ERA and seven saves over 27 innings.

The good news? Papelbon will look to incorporate the splitter back into his repertoire. While Papelbon still remains as dedicated as ever to maximizing his salary, it’s too early to see how things will play out. What we should keep in mind looking back (not forward) is how much Papelbon has brought Boston. A lights-out, dominating closer who delivered a World Series and did all he could to deliver one in 2008 as well. An electricity on the mound that had been missing since Pedro Martinez. A refreshing player not afraid to show his emotions on the diamond in the midst of what is becoming a boring team to watch.

Hey, we might not like when he pops off about making money, but we don’t mind when he calls Manny a “cancer” and says the Sox and Rays’ fued isn’t over.

Papelbon isn’t even 30 yet and is already clearly Boston’s greatest closer of all-time. That hands him the All-Aughts Team of the Decade closer spot.