Phillies' Papelbon dealt with hip issue last season

Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has never shied away from speaking his mind, as illustrated every time he seems to open his mouth. 

A dose of honesty is never a bad thing and for a soundbite, Papelbon is one of baseball's best. So when he spoke on 94WIP Morning Show on Monday via CBS Philly, he didn't hold back when addressing the reasons behind his inability to find the form that led to his four-year, $50 million deal. 

"Well, you know I had a couple things going on that I kind of grinded through. I had a little hip issue that I didn’t really talk about last year a whole lot. I’m not one to come out and make excuses as why velo [velocity] is down or why we’re not doing good, or anything like that. I posted up everyday still and I went out there and I tried to do the best that I can and that’s part of it. Some years you’re not going to be completely healthy, but I was happy to say the least I was out there grinding it out even though we weren’t in playoff contention, you know?”

For the man who was a four-time All-Star with Boston and threw the final pitch when the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series, the team success hasn't exactly carried over as the Phillies have have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Papelbon stated that the lack of playing meaningful games in September has limited his ability to pitch effectively. 

“When you’re in a race and when you’re in a playoff race to get into that playoff contention there is a lot more adrenaline in the ball park—there is a lot more buzz around. You walk in at BP, and you hear that buzz, you hear that little hum. Since I’ve been in Philly we have not had that and for a player that realize on that, it’s a big thing."

Papelbon posted a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings last September when the Phillies were out of the Wild Card race.