Jonathan Papelbon says he has him under control. At least he has him in check in the off-season when hes not running in from the bullpen to pitch the ninth inning of a ballgame.
The him Papelbon is referring to is a fellow named, Cinco Ocho. Papelbon says its his alter egothe guy who pulls his hat down low over his eyes, purses his lips, makes weird facial expressions, and fires fastballs in on the fists. That guy, says Papelbon, is trouble.
I come from a good background and family and went to school, Papelbon said. Cinco Ocho is kind of a pain in the ass to deal with.
Thats especially the case for the opposing hitters. In his first six full big-league seasons, Papelbon saved 219 games for the Red Sox, with a 2.33 ERA and 509 strikeouts in 429 13 innings. In his six seasons, Papelbon has blown 28 saves and has never had fewer than 31 in a season. Because of that, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. pushed past his comfort level and gave the closer a four-year deal for 50,000,058 plus a vesting option for a fifth season. Even without the vesting option, the deal is the richest in history for a reliever.
In the Phillies' history there has never been a closer to hold the job for more than three straight seasons.
Four years is a little uncomfortable, but on a player that's had this type of pedigree, this type of background and success, sometimes you kind of go the extra mile to do that, Amaro said. We feel like with his history, with his health history, with the way he takes care of himself, we thought it was the right risk. Clearly, more risk when you add more years, but we felt he was the right guy to take a risk on.
Papelbon has never been on the disabled list during his career, nor has he ever appeared in fewer than 59 games in a season. Rarely does Papelbon get into a game he doesnt finish. Papelbon is also the first pitcher in major league history to get at least 30 saves in his first six seasons and has reached 200 saves faster than any pitcher in history.
MLB
Just like the Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, Papelbon saved all his games in the intense AL East. In fact, he has 19 saves against the Yankees.
I like his energy. I like his determination. I like who he is, manager Charlie Manuel said. Our fans are going to really like him because he gets after it. Hes accountable for what he does. He definitely carries himself in a very aggressive way. I think being a former hitter, he definitely sends you a message when he's on the mound that, Im going to get you.
Meanwhile, Amaro and general partner David Montgomery denied reports that the team was close to a deal that would have kept Ryan Madson in the fold for another four seasons as the teams ninth-inning man. Amaro called the reports, unequivocally false.
Another report had Montgomery sleeping on a four-year, 44 million pact for Madson.
Not so, he said.
That gives me a little too much power, Montgomery said. The reality is, in any situation like this, Ruben is constantly briefing me. He indicated he was having discussions with several closer options, and they were going to have a tough time deciding which one to get.
Ultimately, it came down to Papelbon blinking first. The pitcher says he did not have serious discussions with the Red Sox about re-signing with the club that drafted him in the fourth round out of Mississippi State in 2003.
Finally, Papelbon told his agents Sam and Seth Levinson to get him a deal with the Phillies.
My agents called me every day with what could possibly happen and this and that, Papelbon said. I think one day I finally told them, I want to go play for the Phillies. Let's make this happen. They called me two days later and they made it happen.
Whether or not it can also happen with shortstop Jimmy Rollins as well as some more support for the offense remains to be seen. Talks with Rollins camp have been sporadic. Heading into the off-season, Amaro said the priorities were to come to terms with a closer and a shortstop. Now that Papelbon is in the fold, it leaves just a gigantic void at shortstop.
Importantly, Amaro says the Phillies have the flexibility to sign both Papelbon and Rollinsas long as the Rollins deal is relatively reasonable for the Phils.
We've been open and public about what we're trying to do to move forward as far as Jimmy is concerned, Amaro said. Hopefully, we can take care of that business in the short term. I'm not sure what kind of timetable it's going to take. But we have some other things and flexibility to do it.
For now, though, the bullpen is set. Amaro says Papelbon will anchor the back end with veteran Jose Contreras, who turns 40 in three weeks and is coming off elbow surgery. Lefty Antonio Bastardo, Michael Stutes and Justin DeFratus will have a chance to carve out a niche, too.
Meanwhile, Papelbon as well as Cinco Ocho, cant wait to get started.
The biggest thing in me coming here was playing against the Phillies the last four years, I really admired the way they play, I really admired the way they grind it out and I just feel like the guys in this clubhouse, the way they play the game of baseball is the way I play the game of baseball, Papelbon said. Im excited to meet the guys, Im excited to play with them and Im excited to compete with them.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.