PAPELBON, JONATHAN  
 
Image of    Nickname:   N/A Position:   P
Home: Jacksonville, Florida Team:   RED SOX
Height: 6' 4" Bats:   R
Weight: 230 Throws:   R
DOB: 11/23/1980 Agent: Seth and Sam Levinson
Birth City: Baton Rouge, Lousiana Draft: Red Sox #4 - 2003 - Out of Mississippi State Univ.
Uniform #: 58  
 
YR LEA TEAM SAL(K) G IP H SO BB GS CG SHO SV W L OBA ERA
2003 NYP LOWELL   13 33 43 36 4 6 0 0 0 1 2   6.34
2004 FSL SARASOTA   24 130 97 153 43 24 2 0 0 12 7   2.64
2005 EL PORTLAND   14 87 59 83 23 14 0 0 0 5 2   2.48
2005 IL PAWTUCKET   7 28 21 27 3 4 0 0 1 1 2   2.93
2005 AL RED SOX $316.00 16 33 33 32 16 3 0 0 0 3 1   2.70
2006 AL RED SOX $335.00 59 68.1 40 75 13 0 0 0 35 4 2 0.167 0.92
2007 AL RED SOX $425.00 59 58.1 30 84 15 0 0 0 37 1 3 0.146 1.85
2008 AL RED SOX $775.00 67 69.1 58 77 8 0 0 0 41 5 4 0.223 2.34
2009 AL RAYS   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    
2009 AL RED SOX $6,250.00 66 68 54 76 24 0 0 0 38 1 1 0.213 1.85
2010 AL RED SOX $9,350.00 56 57.2 41 58 22 0 0 0 35 5 5 0.197 2.81
PERSONAL:

  • Papelbon grew up in Jacksonville with his twin brothers, Jeremy and Josh, three years his junior and now both minor league pitchers. Competition and confrontation were an everyday occurrence.

    Flash forward to Christmas, 2005. The three boys  couldn't complete a game of Yahtzee without a scuffle breaking out. A family game of Balderdash degenerated into another fight.

    Jonathan relishes in the competition baseball allows.

    "You play this game because every day you have the chance to kick somebody's ass and win," Papelbon says. "That's what gets my motor going. And when you put me in that situation 30 to 45 times a year? That seals the deal for me." (much help from Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-9/25/07)
  • Papelbon's father, John, is the deputy director of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, which is located in the bowels of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

    John resides in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Sheila, and commutes to the museum when it is open during Rays home games.

  • Jonathan's first job was as a ham glazer in Jacksonville.

  • Papelbon was recruited to Mississippi State University as a first baseman. He was throwing the ball around the infield one day in 2000 when the team's pitching coach asked if he would like to pitch, to get some more playing time.

    ''Hell yeah," Papelbon responded.

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  • In the 2002 draft, Papelbon was chosen by the A's in the 40th round. But he turned down the A's and went back to Mississippi State for his senior year.

  • In 2003 at Mississippi State, Jon posted a 6-2 record with 7 saves and 54 strikeouts, while giving up just 14 hits and 14 walks in 47 innings. His ERA was 2.28.

  • In the 2003 draft, the Red Sox drafted him in the fourth round and signed for a bonus of $264,500. Joe Mason was the scout who signed him.

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  • In 2004, Jon was second in the Florida State League in ERA (2.64) and strikeouts (153 in 130 innings). He got stronger as the season went along, going 6-2, 1.25 ERA in the final two months of the season, while never allowing more than two earned runs in a start.

  • Jon's nickname is "The Animal" because of his fun-loving personality.

  • Jonathan's father, John, credits former Sox pitcher Al Nipper with helping Jonathan reach the big leagues quicker than he ever imagined.

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    "[Nipper] took Jonathan under his wing in the Florida Instructional League and taught him a lot and he was the one who was instrumental in getting him to the majors as quick as he did," the elder Papelbon said during the 2008 American League Champion Series, which Boston lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. "We always knew he was good, but not this good."

  • During the offseason before 2005 spring camp, Jon worked at a Budweiser brewery, hauling cases of beer.

  • Before 2005 Spring Training, Baseball America had Papelbon rated as the third best prospect in the Red Sox organization. And that is just where the magazine had him  again before 2006 spring camp opened.

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  • Jon and the former Ashley Jefferies were married on November 12, 2005 in Ashley's hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. They honeymooned at Disney World.

  • Papelbon is tough, with an unspoken confidence. He is also polite -- a real gentleman.

  • Jon loves to go hunting in the off-season. He also watches a lot of football, especially the Jacksonville Jaguars and college teams.

  • Since he was a youngster, Jon has admired Roger Clemens. He finally got to meet him before the 2006 Opening Day vs. the Texas Rangers in an Arlington hotel lobby.

    ''I didn't know he knew who I was," Papelbon said. ''Meeting a lifetime idol is pretty neat, man, pretty neat. I shook his hand. He had a death grip. I wanted to tell him, 'Pretty good handshake there.' "

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  • On April 22, 2006, Papelbon passed the 10-scoreless inning plateau and won -- but effectively lost -- an odd bet with Kevin Youkilis. Papelbon's half of the bet: begin the year with 10 scoreless innings. Youkilis's half: hit .350 with five home runs. Though he won, Papelbon had to subject himself to bullpen catcher Jason Larocque shaving his head into a Mohawk, complete with the Rick ''Wild Thing" Vaughn zig-zags on his neck.

    It remained unclear why the winner of the bet was the one forced to pay up.

    ''If you're going to pitch that well and make bets," a perplexed Foulke said, ''you shouldn't pitch well and embarrass yourself."

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  • Jonathan bought a condo in Jacksonville, Florida for his two twin brothers, Jeremy, a Chicago Cubs farm hand, and Joshua, a reliever in the Red Sox system. Jonathan lives part of the year in Jax with his wife, Ashley, when they're not in Mississippi.

  • When Papelbon comes in from the bullpen to close out a game, he steps off the back of the mound after throwing his warmup pitches, bows his head and says a prayer of thanks.

    Thank you, God, for giving me the ability to come out on this particular night. Thank you for letting me come out on this mound in front of 40,000 people and get to do what I love to do and use this ability that you gave me for something good in this world. Amen.

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    "Once I do that," he says, "it's game time." (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-9/25/07)

  • On October 10, 2008: Papelbon's shutout inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS gave him the record for the most career scoreless postseason innings at 20 2/3 over 13 outings, pushing him past Joe Niekro's 20 innings.

  • Papelbon pats veteran Boston cop Billy Dunn on the shoulder every time as he exits the Fenway Park bullpen.

  • December, 2008: Papelbon's wife Ashley gave birth to the couple's first child, Parker Alice Papelbon, who checked in at 8 pounds 4 ounces.

  • October 11, 2009: Jonathan allowed the first earned runs of his career in the postseason, after 27 consecutive scoreless innings. The Angels came from three runs behind to beat the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Division Series.

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  • Papelbon has a three-legged French bulldog named Boss. He puts sunglasses on him and turns him loose in the Red Sox clubhouse during spring training, on occasion.

  • April 17, 2010: Jonathan was present for the birth of his son, Gunner Robert.

    TRANSACTION REPORT

  • June 2003: The Red Sox drafted him in the fourth round, out of Mississippi State University.

  • On March 6, 2008, the Red Sox and Papelbon agreed to a one-year contract worth $775,000 with a $25,000 bonus for making the All-Star team.

  • January 20, 2009: Jonathan and the Red Sox avoided salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $6.25 million contract. It was the largest deal in history for a closer who was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

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  • January 19, 2010: Broxton and the Red Sox again avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year, $9.35 million contract with another $150,000 in incentives.

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    PITCHING:

    • Papelbon has an 90-96 mph FASTBALL that has a hard run and boring action. He has a very good 88-92 mph 2-seam sinker. He also has a hard, tight SLIDER that has cutting action and is a good pitch, a hammer CURVEBALL he can throw for strikes for a 4th pitch, and a fosh changeup that he has made into a nasty SPLITTER. 

      In 2005, thanks to Curt Schilling, Jon added the 85-87 mph SPLIT-FINGER pitch to his repertoire      . Pitchers can't distinguish it from his fastball. It has both power and depth -- good downward action.

      "I learned it the splitter from Curt in (2005) spring training," Papelbon said. "And while I still throw 75 percent fastballs, I've been throwing as many as 20 splitters per game. It's a more natural feel for me than the change. My change was actually more of a fosh--a change with a split-finger grip--which I learned from (minor league pitching coordinator) Al Nipper. Curt showed me how he grips his, and now mine is more of a real split than a fosh."

      He comes down and in with his slider against lefthanded batters. When it is on, he gets them out with that pitch.
  • By Papelbon's estimation, he throws fastballs or splitters about 90 percent of the time, with an occasional slider. He put his curve on the shelf. Jon determined that keeping four pitches sharp working out of the bullpen is both unnecessary and impractical.

  • At Mississippi State University, Jon was used strictly out of the bullpen. But he has the stuff and durable body to be a starting pitcher. He also has a delivery that is easy on his arm.

  • He has rapid arm action that generates a tough, downward angle on his pitches. He has a lively arm and is solid with his mechanics. It is a quick arm action, but free and easy delivery that makes him look like he's throwing even harder.

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  • Papelbon is built a lot like Kevin Millwood.

  • Jon has a bulldog makeup and attitude for success -- highly competitve and strong mentally. He is able to battle out of jams. He is confident and he is accountable. And he is good enough to succeed.

    "I don't want to go to the big leagues and just make it," Papelbon said. "I'm going for all the records I can."

  • When he has struggled, Papelbon has quickly cecalibrted his mechanics and emotions, dialed back in, then dialed it back up.

  • April 22, 2006: With his eighth save in eight opportunities to begin his Major League career Papelbon surpassed Dick Radatz's Red Sox club record of seven.

    However, Papelbon had one save chance in 2005 and blew it, August 27 vs. the Tigers, when he entered in the sixth inning with a 7-5 lead, gave up three runs, and absorbed both the loss and a blown save. So Papelbon didn't really break Radatz's record. The club record the Sox will credit Papelbon with: most consecutive saves in a closer's role to begin a Major League career.

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  • While closing has brought him notoriety, starting has always been his dream. Papelbon has always wanted to emulate his hero, Roger Clemens.

  • Papelbon's natural throwing motion is almost freakishly efficient. Before he releases the ball, his right wrist is bent farther back than most pitchers', keeping his palm under the ball and his fingers entirely behind it. Think of a loaded catapult, with all that stored energy. When the arm comes forward and the wrist -- the catapult in this case -- releases, the ball comes out of his hand with extraordinary spin. The effect is that his fastball doesn't sink as much as most fastballs in the last five feet to the plate but instead creates the illusion of "hopping," or what hitters call "late life."

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    A hitter is physically unable to track a 97-mph fastball in its last five feet, relying instead on the stored memory of thousands of pitches to fill in the blanks of its likely path. But Papelbon's fastball appears to leave the expected path and then "disappears." "He's got that four-seam life on his fastball, that little oomph at the end, that you just can't teach," says Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar. "And like that's not enough, he has a devastating splitter. Pap's split is the best in the league." (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-9/25/07)

  • May 26, 2006: With his 17th straight save, Jonathan set a Major League rookie record for most consecutive save conversions to start a season. In 1989, Gregg Olson of the Orioles was successful in his first 16.

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  • WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched): Papelbon had three straight years in which his WHIP has been below 1.00 (.776 in 2006, .771 in 2007, and .952 in 2008).

    But his WHIP was up in 2009. Why?

    "I've changed my delivery, kind of added a little bit more power to it," Papelbon said. "When you make adjustments in this game, you're going to have to take the good with the bad, and maybe right now I'm throwing a little bit more pitches than I have in the past. To me, I'm still not overworking myself because by changing my mechanics, it's able to take some of that pressure off my arm. So throwing 15 pitches the old way is the same as throwing 25 the new way."

    In addition to changing where he sets his hands (from his waist to his shoulder), Papelbon is driving more with his lower body.

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    "I'm using my legs more so all that torque and stuff is going to be on my legs and not on my arms," Papelbon said.

  • Jonathan finished the 2006 season with a 0.92 ERA in 68 1/3 innings—the best ERA ever by a Sox pitcher with at least 50 innings. He surpassed the 0.96 ERA posted by Dutch Leonard in 1914, during baseball's "dead ball" era.


    SEASON-by-SEASON

  • In 2006, Papelbon held lefthanded hitters to a .203 average and 2 home runs in 123 at-bats; and virtually stopped righthanded batters, only allowing them a .128 average and one home run in 117 at-bats.

  • In 2007, Papelbon held lefthanded hitters to a .097 batting average with 3 home runs in 113 at-bats, and allowed righthanded batters a .205 average with 2 homers in 88 at-bats.

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  • In 2008, Jonathan allowed lefthanded hitters a .235 average with 2 home runs in 136 at-bats, while holding righthanded hitters to a .219 average with 2 homers in 124 at-bats.

  • In 2009, Papelbon held lefthanded batters to a .187 average with 2 home runs in 134 at-bats, while righthanded hitters had a .242 average with 3 homers in 120 at-bats.

  • As of the start of the 2010 season, Papelbon had a career record of 14-11 with a 1.84 ERA, having allowed 21 homers and 215 hits in 298 innings.
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    CAREER INJURY REPORT:

    • September 5, 2006: Papelbon was diagnosed with a tired shoulder -- technically a  "transient subluxation event" -- but not the torn labrum that he feared.

      Red Sox team physician Dr. Thomas Gill said Papelbon's shoulder had slipped slightly without becoming dislocated. That was easier for the Red Sox to understand than the technical term.

      (As  reliever it would be more difficult for Papelbon to stay on a strength program because he'd be pitching much more frequently. But the Sox have put him on the same in-season program they gave Josh Beckett, who was able to work 200 innings for the first time in his career last season.

      The day after Papelbon starts he'll recuperate with light exercise and running. The next day he will do some strength work with weights, and on the third and fourth days he will throw on the side, leading up to his start on the fifth day. That routine should keep the shoulder strong, though the doctors have said a subluxation could occur again. But if the shoulder and surrounding areas are strengthened, the chances of a repeat aren't as great and the recovery would be quicker.--Nick Cafardo-Boston Globe-1/4/07)
     
     
     
    Last Updated 9/4/2010. All contents © 2000 by Player Profiles. All rights reserved.