Question from baseball illiterate

[ironwasp]

I caught the end of the last Rangers/Red Sox game here on television the othe other day and the incredible closing out performance of Jonathan Papelbon. (At least, it looked incredible to me, but I very rarely watch baseball and don't know a lot about it)

I wondered about the status of closers/starting pitchers (and I appreciate from looking at other threads that there are those who believe Papelbon could be a starter, but I'm not asking about his specific situation.

Are closers guys who don't have the stamina to start? Or are lacking some other attributes? Or are they especially cool-headed characters who react well to the late pressure in games? Typically how many relief pitchers does a club keep in its bull pen?

Any guidance much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sdaniels7114]

Mariano Rivera never really produced as a starter; but Dennis Eckersley sure did. Both were dominant closers over the long term btw. Years ago Pitchers were starters initially and as they got older and lost stamina, they moved to the pen. Not always, but by and large, that was how things went. Nowadays guys are sometimes projected to go straight into the bull pen; but of course that's not written in stone either. If a young guy only has 2 major-league-quality pitches he can throw, he's likely to get 'tagged' as a bull pen prospect because he won't have to face the same guys repeatedly in the same game.

Teams usually carry 11 pitchers on the Major League Roster. 5 starters and 6 relievers. Keep in mind that lots of teams go with only 4 starters early in the season since they're all strong early and there's more days off. Also AAA is considered the parking place for a few more pitchers that the team expects to need on a regular basis through the season.

 

[ironwasp]

Thanks for that. I figured it had to be something like that.

I might pick up my interest in baseball this season. When I was a kid I used to spend summers in Baltimore staying with an aunt and got into then as an Orioles fan. But I haven't paid much notice there since Cal Ripken's streak etc.

Have followed the Sox a bit more closely since spending time on this board and I found myself really rooting for Papelbon when I caught the end of that game the other night, so I think I'll try and pay a bit more attention to the Sox from here on.

 

[beastoftheweek3]

Good man! :rocker: