Forget all other analysis. When your mother weighs in, as Sheila Papelbon did on the fine Web site Soxprospects.com, than the definitive word has been said.
Wanted to weigh in on some observations from the previous post:
- First off, I really wanted to address this comment from Griffin:
“I’m a bit confused at this post, Rob. Either you’re pounding home the fact that (Jonathan) Papelbon is a liar, or (the way I look at these quotes), you’re showing us a young man who was trying to convince himself of something that, deep down, he really didn’t want to do (but would have done, for the sake of his team). I sincerely hope it’s the latter.”
Griffin, I hope you have been able to tell from my previous posts and stories that I think very highly of Papelbon, both as a player and person. He is about as genuine of a young man as you will find. The quotes which were posted served as a timeline to show just how surreal this process has been. In none of the quotes do I feel any of the subjects were being disingenuous. The bottom line with Papelbon’s approach the entire time is that he is the type of player who will do anything the team asks, and that is why you heard him say as much even when the team was locked into putting him in as a starter. Are there still some questions of the organization that need to be answered? I think so. And those answers aren’t to prove points or anything like that, but rather just to get the right information in place. That is always the goal.
- Clem had an interesting point about how slotting in Papelbon to the starting rotation could have only helped any negotiations for Daisuke Matsuzaka. While the cause and effect might be very small, it could have been something considering baseball team’s usual starvation when it comes to top of the rotation starters. I’ll tell you what else, this doesn’t hurt Curt Schilling’s contractual cause either.
- In terms of picking Julian Tavarez over Kyle Snyder I think one of the poster’s was right on in terms of Snyder’s struggles as the game progressed and home run rate. I just think that Tavarez really intrigued them with his starting performances last season, as did Snyder in his newfound role. Even though Terry Francona doesn’t usually subscribe to slotting in a reliever as a long man, Snyder’s versatility, ability to succeed in the first inning and throw strikes, while not walking many makes him a better fit in the pen right now.
- Danielle, Nick Cafardo’s blog on Boston.com allowed for an answer on this subject: “On the subject of what appears to be Papelbon’s lower arm slot, (Red Sox pitching coach John) Farrell said the issue is more with the balance in his torso than his shoulder. Farrell reviewed video on Papelbon this morning and he feels Papelbon will return to his normal slot after they iron out the mechanics.
Farrell said, “It has nothing to do with his health.”
Good work and thanks to Nick.
- Joe, the shoulder issue will just have to be a wait-and-see, no matter what his current condition is now and was over the offseason. Anytime you have a history of injury within a specific role, as Papelbon did last year, it bears watching. That said, I think a huge part of the equation in terms of where the shoulder concerns could be put on the back-burner is the pitcher’s enlightenment when it comes to taking care of his arm and shoulder. He has undergone a transformation in terms of care of his bread and butter (pitching arm) and obviously that has paid off to this point. In injuries like this it often comes down to whether or not the subject can remain diligent enough in his workouts, which I have no doubt Papelbon will continue to stay true to.
- John, you summed it up nicely when you wrote: “Let’s face it: the Red Sox have far more options for starters than they do for closers.” In terms of what portion of the starting rotation we are talking about, there is no question that is the case now with Tavarez, Gabbard, Snyder, and, eventually Lester.
The bottom line is exactly what a scout told me at 1:30 yesterday afternoon when word first trickled out: “Boston just got a whole lot better.”
