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1) Deception in delivery
2) Movement

Robbo,
Clearly Papelbon's bayou mien of wackiness is the key to his success. That, and the fact that his ball's got some movement, zip, or whatever.



Nah, it's the crazy-eyes killa thing.



Who cares? He's right where he should be, the Gang of Three's meddling notwithstanding.

Because the Yankees are cursed?

I would think its because he has better command.... its not usually over the heart of the plate, he can paint corners or send it where you have the worst chance of making good contact.


Also you know that it could be that ridiculous split that will just embarrass you.



Farnsworth just barrels em in there and hopes.

I was at the game last night, the first time I have seen Papelbon in person. The ball just seems to explode when it gets to home plate... the Rangers were completely overmatched and looked like they knew it. It's not just the speed though... he painted the outside corner against Young and Wilkerson. It was a beautiful thing watching the faces of the Rangers fans in the 9th... they knew they had no chance. Never seen that before from a Sox pitcher.

A few factors contribute to Papelbon's unhittable nature. One is command. The ability to successfully work both sides of the plate at any time is a huge advantage for him, and any other pitcher for that matter. Second is the splitter. Same arm angle and look as the fastball, and the fact that he will throw it at any given time plays serious mind games with opposing batters. Third, much like Rivera, the intimidation factor plays an integral role in his success. Just like most fans know the game is over when the bullpen doors open in the ninth, or eighth, so do opposing teams. Barring injury, Papelbon has the stuff, makeup, and sttitude to close baseball games for a team many years down the road while cementing his legacy as one of the games best closers of all time.

What everyone said about movement and command, plus what Jim Bouton noted in "Ball Four" about Jim Brabender: "He looks like if you got a hit off him, he'd crush your spleen."

because Papelbon is NASTY!!! I was all about having him become our 4th starter, but seeing him at the back of our bullpen, where he's comfortable, is a great feeling. Knowing that when he comes into the game, that it's all but over. He has the intensity and the mind-set to be a successful closer for the Red Sox for a long time and I look foward to watching him succeed for many years to come. Go Rob!!! Excellent blog and you're great on WEEI, especially the baseball show on Sundays.

"He looks like if you got a hit off him, he'd crush your spleen."


Sounds about right to me.

It's the explodey-thing it does at the end.




pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: when i get my world series ring i'm gonna punch your face off.

I just wish he would do an Al Hrbosky thing to really psych out hitters even more!!!


Gerry Callahan loves transexuals!!!

It's clearly not his command. Last night V-Tek was picking spots outside and Papelbon was throwing them up around the ears of opposing batters. Papelbon does have command over his pitches, but it didnt make a difference last night... It's not the command and its not the velocity, its a combination of the mental aspect of knowing your facing a dominating closer and knowing you cant sit on a fastball or else you'll wind up on your knees when he throws you the split or a curve, and the fact that the rotation on his fastball makes it appear to speed up at the end. The reality of the situation is that most everyone else's fastball slows down due to wind resistance on the ball, but the spin on Papelbon's fastball lends it self to less wind resistance over the flight of the ball, and for hitters that are conditioned to make split second decisions on pitches that will travel a certain way - hitters that are used to fastballs slowing over their flight , Papelbon's seems to speed up, and they are almost inevitably behind it.

Like real estate, it's location, location, location.

His between-pitch ritual is impossible to tune out. You just catch a glimpse, and for the rest of your own ritual you're trying to stay calm and relaxed. But the fact that you have to try means he's already won. His reputation, as it builds, just enhances the effect all the more.

There was a great shot of Michael Young on the dugout steps, reacting to the sight of Papelbon coming out of the 'pen, in which Young's expression said it all. It was like Chief Brody's reaction when the shark pops up behind the boat in "Jaws": "We're gonna need a bigger boat." Papelbon is clearly one of the most intimidatingly talented pitchers that a hitter could face, and nobody is unaware [insert Manny joke here] of what he accomplished last year. He made Young and Wilkerson look foolish, and the feeble pop-ups were just as satisfying as the Ks. I'm not sure there's a more exciting or riveting moment possible in Red Sox baseball. Even Papi's walk-offs, with their comparable air of inevitability, aren't as great as the one-run, five-out saves that Papelbon occasionally gives us.

I'm just wondering when other people around the league will realize Paps is good.

Rob,


Not to hijack this discussion, but the Red Sox just picked up another flame thrower off the waiver wire. JD Durbin. He's not Papelbon but he's got a really big arm.

I'll tell you why Papelbon is so good:


1. Incredible late life on his fastball that very few guys are blessed with.



2. Good location. Just watch where Tek sets up, and where the ball ends up. He doesn't get enough credit for good location. That fastball to Young on the outside was paint.



3. Good "misses". When he misses a location, it's usually missed in a spot favorable to the pitcher.



4. Devastating splitter. He simply does not get much credit for having one of the very best splits in the game.



5. A 3rd pitch he can at least throw for a strike (slider). Just another thought in the batter's head.



6. Incredible late life on his fastball which lets him get away with many more "down the middle" mistakes than your average pitcher.



7. Killer instinct and confidence. He knows the game is over when he comes in.

This just in... you've stolen Dale Arnold's line...

patrick, don't kid yourself... trying to get all technical! You speak like someone who's never hit off a guy with a 'live' arm


Jack nailed with the 1st post -Papelbon's relaxed motion and then the late movement are his keys



96 at the knees in 40 degree weather - wow. The definition of filthy, right there.

I just had this discussion this afternoon of why one pither looks unhittable at 96 mph and another can get slammed. Paps clearly threw inside when Tek was setting up outside. Cathers deke hitters but I do think from signs I saw Tek wanted Paps outside. Michael Young looked very bad! I think Paps ball explodes and worrying over the split is a problem for hitters. Beckett threw so many fastballs last year in the zone and hitters sat on it at about same mph. Also, Randy Johnson is the only other pitcher I know who could look so mean and ugly as Paps did last night. Glad he's on the Sox as a closer.


Papelbon 2007 salary $425,500

Piniero 2007 salary $4 million

Go figure!?!?

Hey, Happy Birthday, Mrs Bradford!

Two points, 1) His splitter is nasty. Plenty of guys throw splitters but the break on his seems just so much sharper than others'. 2) He's consistently in the strike zone but not over too much of it. (last night that had to be to some degree luck, Tek was setting up on the other side of the plate and he caught the opposite, closer to target and it might be smacked.) So when he's always in the zone, hitters know they only have 3 pitches, maybe four. So they have to swing earlier.
Farnsworth might throw hard (and we can't really say ineffectively) but a good hitter can watch a few and wait for the fastball that catches a lot of plate, and isn't fearing that second pitch.

Rob... if the rumors are true, congratulations. You've worked damn hard to rise through the ranks.


Though honestly, I want you to tell me one original thought or opinion that Glenn Ordway has had in the last five years that he didn't read from the Globe or Herald that morning.

I want you to tell me one original thought or opinion that Glenn Ordway has had in the last five years that he didn't read from the Globe or Herald that morning.


And if the rumors are true this only means Ordway will sound smarter. ;)

Someone enlighten me. What are the rumors?


Chris Nelson

Batavia, Ill.

fransworth came in for the 9th innning tonight and his first 4 pitches were balls. he was throwing up there at 97 but missing. papelbon can locate better and his fast ball explodes through the zone. it's the life on the ball that make papelbon the dominant pitcher he his, the one who can overpower michael young, mark texiera and an aging samy sosa.

Two Words: Late Movement.

Tek.

Rob, with the Durbin pickup, a thought came to my mind and you're the most accessable qualified person to ask.


The kid's out of options, the Sox picked him up on waivers. They may try to send him down and hope he clears waivers for the Sox, which may not happen. Is there a limit as to how many times you can claim a guy? Like, can the Diamondbacks claim him again if the Sox try to send him to Pawtucket? And if the D-Backs try to send him down, can we claim him back again? Is there a mechanism to stop this kid from being bounced from place to place outside of a team keeping him on the 25 man roster?

I've heard this "exploding" fastball comment a lot, and not only here. It seems like a baseball buzzword to me (like other phrases like "it was a grind" and "well, a lot factors into it..."). Does this just mean late movement?


That being said, I don't think that Pap could be more effective even if his fastballs actually exploded.