would he have won twenty games and would he be considered with Beckett as the best pitcher on the Sox
2007-10-26 13:19:19 · 15 answers · asked by Red Sawx ® 6 in Sports ➔ Baseball
If Papelbon had become a starter he would have a much lower chance to have a long and successful career. There is a statistic (and I really wish I could quote a source on this, but I cannot) that says that the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher before the age of 25 has major impact on the longevity of their career. Papelbon may have been great as a starter, but I think it could have been a huge waste of talent. Besides, the game doesn't end, regardless of who started, until the 9th inning is finished
2007-10-26 13:29:30 · answer #1 · answered by jjpanoff 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The way Okajima has been pitching, I'm not sure that Dice K. is the best Japanese pitcher on the Red Sox...If they could turn Okajima into the closer or get someone as good as Papelbon, then Papelbon could start...but not until then...For now, Beckett is the best starting pitcher in baseball and Papelbon is the best closer in baseball...I don't think they should change that...You don't want to screw up a good thing...
2007-10-26 13:44:10 · answer #2 · answered by Terry C. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Papelbon is at his best throwing as hard as he can for an inning or two. He has never shown he can pitch seven or eight strong innings consistently which is what it would take to be compared to Beckett. If you are a Red Sox fan you should be thrilled to have one of the best starters and relievers in the game and should just leave it at that.
2007-10-26 13:37:40 · answer #3 · answered by Frizzer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. The reason he is effective is because he has a blistering fastball at 95-98 MPH and a nasty splitter. If he were a starter, he would have to lower the velocity to conserve his stamina and his breaking ball (curve ball) was not so effective in college. Being a closer, the breaking ball is not essential but as a starter, it is crucial. Another reason that he would not have done well is that he has the mentality of a closer. He went to Terry Francona, and told him face to face that he wants to be a closer. With his presence on the mound in clutch moments, he is probably going to remain a closer or relief pitcher for the rest of his career.
2007-10-26 13:37:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What makes papelbon so good as a closer is the fact that he has a great fastball and a great split. The bad part is that when overworked his rotator cuff basically shuts down putting more stress on his labrum which hasn't fully grown causes the shoulder to slip out, like in '06.
2007-10-26 16:34:08 · answer #5 · answered by John H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
papelbon is one of the most dominant closers with hit fastball and change up but to be a starter he would need to work on a third pitch so who knows how good that third pitch would be or how long it would take him to master it but id definitely rather have him in the pen i think he is going to be the key to the sox remaining a top team for some time unfortunately as my yanks are probably gonna begin to rebuild and our dominant closer rivera is starting to lose velocity
2007-10-26 13:33:48 · answer #6 · answered by The Gibson 7 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Papelbon is the best closer in the game in my opinion, but he wouldn't be a good starter. He simply has the mindset of a closer. he has the explosive fastball but lacks a mind blowing breaking pitch or offspeed pitch, he doesn't have enough variety of pitches. Also if you watch him pitch with men on base, he never checks them, so he would let up many stolen bases. He is perfect as a closer.
2007-10-26 16:14:01 · answer #7 · answered by Matt G 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You know what...that is extremely hard to speculate about. I'm assuming you are a Red Sox fan, so I think you should just be happy he remained a closer and are now 2 wins away from a World Series championship.
2007-10-26 13:23:18 · answer #8 · answered by jbyall2003 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On paper I think this might look good but really do not think he would be as effective....the irony is that I think "papelbon" is french for "good paper" and on paper personally he looks "good" as a finisher...I am a Yankee fan, so go with it and I think it would come out in our favor....personally he has an awkward motion and does not look durable....but I am just a average Joe what do I know...his record of course speaks for itself......maybe he could me another Smoltz....GO YANKEES! STINKIN RED SOX!
2007-10-27 06:01:43 · answer #9 · answered by Mickey Mantle 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
where would we find another closer of papelbon's talent? if the dude wanted to be a starter he better be in the same caliber as a starter as he was as a closer man i would kill him if he sucked at starting
2007-10-26 17:10:30 · answer #10 · answered by Jay™ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋