Post by Saint on Sept 17, 2020 11:45:28 GMT -6
I don't know what got me thinking about him, but what the hell happened to Papelbon? The guy was a pretty dominant closer for a decade, and never had a stint on the DL until his final season. And then...gone. I know he was seeing some velocity declines, but you still would have thought he could scratch out a couple more solid-good seasons.
From 2005-2015 his average season:
4-3 59 Games 32 Saves 2.35 ERA (184 ERA+) 2.76 FIP 1.022 WHIP
His career postseason line:
2-1 18 Games 7 Saves 1.00 ERA .815 WHIP
He had a rough, but not horrible season in 2016 and he retired without really even trying to come back that I can remember. Even just 2 or 3 more seasons likely puts him right behind Wagner in all-time Saves, and probably a decent Hall of Fame chance. Maybe he'd just had enough? I know he was supposedly a little bit of a d*ckbag, but teams normally look the other way with that if the player has value.
In the end, I would still say he is easily a top-20 all-time reliever.
From 2005-2015 his average season:
4-3 59 Games 32 Saves 2.35 ERA (184 ERA+) 2.76 FIP 1.022 WHIP
His career postseason line:
2-1 18 Games 7 Saves 1.00 ERA .815 WHIP
He had a rough, but not horrible season in 2016 and he retired without really even trying to come back that I can remember. Even just 2 or 3 more seasons likely puts him right behind Wagner in all-time Saves, and probably a decent Hall of Fame chance. Maybe he'd just had enough? I know he was supposedly a little bit of a d*ckbag, but teams normally look the other way with that if the player has value.
In the end, I would still say he is easily a top-20 all-time reliever.