The Boston Red Sox Finally Name a Closer

With only a few moments until Opening Day the Boston Red Sox have just awarded the job of closer to Jonathan Papelbon. There were a handful of pitchers rumored to have a shot at the position but Papelbon seems to have emerged as the front runner. The closer candidates that were in contention include Joel Pineiro, Julian Tavarez, Brendan Donnelly and Craig Hansen. Mike Timlin, a veteran right hander, was on the list of potential door slammers until he was sidelined with an oblique strain. He will not be available to pitch on Opening Day. Because of a shoulder strain late last season, the Red Sox medical staff felt it would be wiser to move Papelbon to the rotation. When no relievers currently in Boston's bullpen showed any sign of promise as a closer Manager Terry Francona was forced to seek out an alternate solution.

Joel Pineiro, the former Seattle Mariners starter, was acquired during the off-season as an experiment in moving from the rotation to the most highly coveted bullpen position. The Red Sox have converted starters to closers with great success in the past so why not again this year? Will Pineiro be the next Dennis Eckersley or Jonathan Papelbon? Maybe not, but he has been working on a new arm angle this spring and according to all reports it has added tons of movement to all of his pitches. If he can manage to stay out of the middle of the strike zone and keep the ball down he definitely has a chance to dominate as the closer.

Julian Tavarez is capable of closing games but his fiery personality and inability to control his emotions could end up being a formula for blown saves. While his stuff can be electric, his mental game keeps him from pitching with the consistency most dominant closers display. Tavarez has had success as a long reliever for the Red Sox and even as a starter during last year's horrific finish but there is little evidence to indicate that he would flourish in the closer's role.