Fangraphs takes a look at Papelbon and the trends are not good.
Papelbon has a career-low 7.13 K/9 and a career-high 4.5 BB/9. He’s getting swinging strikes 11.1 percent, still above the 9.3 percent average for MLB relievers but below his 13.3 percent career average. The 29-year-old is also putting fewer pitches within the strike zone — 48.2 percent, compared to a career 53.6 percent average. When Papelbon does throw a pitch in the zone, batters are putting the bat on the ball more often.
Mike Cameron saved Paps’ bacon yesterday with a great catch or those numbers might look even worse. Papelbon is still the best option for closer on the Red Sox right now, but if trends like this continue, Theo might think about trading Paps and giving Bard the job. Papelbon has made it clear that he expects a huge payday that will pave the way for closers around the league when he becomes a free agent. He had better get things going in the other direction if he wants that to happen.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
