bill simmons brings up a great point...

[selftitled85]

if you had someone of papelbons caliber closing games for you...but you knew he had the type of stuff who could be a starter...do you at one point move him back to a starter or do you keep him in that closer role where you know he is lights out?

[FondestMemory]

starting pitching is a bigger need. make him a starter, he can always be moved back to closer.

[LeftWideOpen]

starting pitching is a bigger need. make him a starter, he can always be moved back to closer.

yeah, thats the plan too ..once someone steps up into the closer's role. Hopefully thats Hansen in 2007.

[selftitled85]

yeah, thats the plan too ..once someone steps up into the closer's role. Hopefully thats Hansen in 2007.
but as being shown with the mets and wagner right now...a great closer is as good as having a starter. opposing teams know that if you dont score by the 8th chances are that you arent.

[LeftWideOpen]

but as being shown with the mets and wagner right now...a great closer is as good as having a starter. opposing teams know that if you dont score by the 8th chances are that you arent.

that's what i'm saying ....the red sox don't feel as though they have anyone else like that (which is true, they don't) so papelbon is their guy. they expect craig hansen to be an excellent closer for many years though, and once they think he's ready then it'll be his job.

until that happens though, it's papelbon.

[bigmike]

i think about this everytime I watch the Tigers play. I have no idea what we're going to do with Joel Zumaya. he's got 3 above average pitches and I think could be as good if not better than Verlander is. He was voted as having the "best changeup in the organization" last year by Baseball America, and he's not utilizing it right now out of the pen. Plus we drafted Andrew Miller who is major league rotation ready by 2007, so i have no idea what the tigers will be doing.

[justinevans]

but as being shown with the mets and wagner right now...a great closer is as good as having a starter. opposing teams know that if you dont score by the 8th chances are that you arent.

Really? Blew 5 this season already.

[mikeford]

i'm pretty sure that was his point. who cares if your starting pitcher throws a gem if your closer cant save the game its worthless.

that being said, papelbon's worth right now is in the closing role. theres just no one else for the job. no one in our pen has been anything more than mediocre other than him and timlin and i really dont think anyone would be comfortable with a seanez 8th, timlin 9th. ugh. the thought of that alone makes me cringe.

however, if he is not in the rotation in 2007, i really feel like some of his talent will be going to waste.

[selftitled85]

Really? Blew 5 this season already.
thats what i meant. wagner is not doing well and the mets have lost a bunch of close games...and if they had a better cioser they prob could have won.

[NetNerdsRevenge]

the closers role is overrated in general. People invest too much in a cloer these days. ya, it helps to have someone like rivera at the end of the game, but it'll be a waste of talent if paps is not a starter. Hansen could have an era above 1 and still have as many saves as papelbon. Papelbon belongs in the rotation.