Though the Red Sox' closer claims he's not "paid to think," he has plenty planned for the upcoming year, including changes in his pitching arsenal, ESPN.com reports.
"You'll see a difference right off the bat," Papelbon told ESPN's Gordon Edes. "I will be throwing a lot more off-speed. I'll be throwing my split a lot more, my slider, I'll be throwing a heck of a lot more."
Papelbon may have six years of experience throwing from the Boston bullpen, but the closer is still developing his presence on the mound, analyzing which pitches to throw in certain situations.
"The last couple of years, I've been able to develop those [split, slider] pitches, and the biggest thing I've gained from game experience is to learn what not to do with them," he said. "There will be a lot of situations where, instead of pitching off my fastball, I'll be pitching off my split, pitching off my slider, earlier in the count."
Even though Papelbon tends to disappear to his Mississippi home during the offseason, he was kept in the loop with all of the Red Sox' offseason moves. And though he was excited that the team brought in fellow closer Bobby Jenks, Pap admitted that he had a few questions about the changes to the bullpen.
"Yeah, I think it's natural, it's human,'' Papelbon said. "'OK, they're signing another great closer and, you know, what are they planning to do with him, what are they planning to do with me?
"At first I didn't know what to think, but Theo [Epstein] left me a voicemail, I talked with Tito [Terry Francona]. I think they did a real good job with that," the closer added. "Theo did a real good job of saying, 'This is the bullpen I've got, that I'm putting together. This is the bullpen I'm going try and win a World Series with.'"
In December, Epstein told reporters that Papelbon will resume his closer duties in 2011, but Jenks will still be prominent in the Boston bullpen as a set-up man with Daniel Bard. Though Papelbon will retain his closing responsibilities this season, he realizes that Jenks will have a significant role that could ignite a few changes down the road.
"He's going to have a big role, a huge role. A huge role," Papelbon said. "And who's to know what the future holds for him?"
Like many others in Red Sox Nation, Papelbon has high hopes for the Red Sox in 2011, and he realizes that Boston followers will be calling for a bullpen change if he posts similar numbers to 2010 where he recorded career highs with a 3.90 ERA and eight blown saves.
"There will be, for sure, I understand that. It doesn’t bother me," Papelbon said of the critics. "I don’t worry about those things. I don’t know why. It’s not that I don’t care. I guess I'm just confident enough in my own ability. I can go get the job done in Boston with a great group of guys, or in Japan if I have to. I’m just that way."
