Despite his success last season, Boston thinks Jonathan Papelbon would benefit healthwise by being a starting pitcher.

AP / FRANCIS SPECKER

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Much has been made nationally, not to mention locally, about the quality of the Boston Red Sox’ starting pitching rotation for the 2007 season.

In this day and age, though, given the fact that most starting pitchers generally last only six innings — and the Red Sox’ are no exception in this regard — it’s just as important, if not more so, to build a pitching staff from the ninth in as opposed to the first inning out.

The closer has become the most important pitcher on any staff.

A team with solid starters, and the Red Sox’ rotation of Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon and Tim Wakefield ranks as one of the game’s best as spring training dawns, may turn the game over to the bullpen with a 6-2 seventh-inning lead as opposed to a 6-5 advantage with a mediocre staff.

But that still means the bullpen has to rack up anywhere from six to nine outs to secure a victory.

A great closer, of course, works the ninth, shortening the load to three to six outs before he comes in and it’s lights out.

And this is where the Red Sox have their biggest question mark as they hold their first official pitchers-and-catchers workout this morning at the minor-league complex.

The Sox have no bona fide, game-over closer on their staff, unlike their American League East rivals New York (Mariano Rivera) and Toronto (B.J. Ryan). Even Baltimore (Chris Ray) has a fire-balling closer who was tough to beat the final two months of the 2006 season.

Boston? This spring will resurrect the old Community Auditions show, with manager Terry Francona and new pitching coach John Farrell using the six weeks of camp to figure out who gets the ball in the ninth inning come Opening Day on April 2 in Kansas City.

"We haven’t actually anointed a closer as we sit here today," said Farrell Friday.

"Certainly there are candidates with Mike Timlin, Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly and Julian Tavarez. I think we look at that core of four right-handed relievers as pitchers that will pitch the majority of the late innings in a given game. I think as we get through camp, we’ve got that group targeted, and an ultimate decision in establishing a closer will come out of that," said Farrell.

"The bullpen is the biggest issue facing us," agreed general manager Theo Epstein. "Establishing a closer will allow us to settle the other roles in the bullpen."

There are other pitchers in camp who might want to throw their hat in the ring for the closer competition, but Papelbon will not be allowed to be one of them, at least, not if the Sox stick to their word about the medical benefits of having him start rather than close.

Papelbon was a game-over closer last year as a rookie. The fire-balling right-hander successfully converted 23 of his first 24 save opportunities and finished 35 of 41, his season ending after a Sept. 1 outing against Toronto, when his right shoulder popped out.

Papelbon, whose earned-run average was a microscopic 0.92 in 68 innings for the season, is going to be a starting pitcher. The medical staff’s theory is that pitching on a five-day schedule allows for a more regimented between-starts conditioning program than if he were in the more unpredictable role as a closer.

Pineiro, a free agent who struggled with Seattle as a reliever last year; Donnelly, a setup man who was cut loose by the Angels after 2006; Timlin, who faltered badly in the second half last season, and Tavarez, who was more effective as a starter than he was pitching out of the bullpen a year ago are Farrell’s top choices for the job at this stage of camp.

Still, Craig Hansen, the top draft pick in 2005, would like to be considered for the closing mix despite mediocre results in 2006. Manny Delcarmen is back for bullpen duty after some ups and downs as a rookie last season, and other relievers on the 40-man roster in camp who have big-league experience are Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder, J.C. Romero and Craig Breslow. Japanese left-hander Hideki Okajima will be trying to hook on, as will non-roster reliever Bryan Corey and former starter Runelvys Hernandez.

The everyday lineup, meanwhile, is more established as camp opens, barring injuries or surprises.

Designated hitter David Ortiz and left fielder Manny Ramirez once again will form one of the most dangerous three-four batting-order combinations in the history of the game.

Mike Lowell (third base), Jason Varitek (catcher), Kevin Youkilis (first base) and Coco Crisp (center field) will be joined in the starting lineup by newcomers Julio Lugo (shortstop) and J.D. Drew (right field), with rookie Dustin Pedroia ticketed to fill Mark Loretta’s shoes at second base. Alex Cora will be the backup infielder.

Wily Mo Pena will be the fourth outfielder, and Eric Hinske (first, third, outfield) is around for depth and his left-handed bat off the bench, while Doug Mirabelli returns as the backup catcher, re-signed basically for his ability to catch Wakefield’s knuckleballs.

In general, this team should be able to score runs, though its defense, particularly in the infield, may not be as good as it was a year ago, when Boston placed third in the A.L. East, its worst finish in nine years.

The starting pitching, which likely will be bolstered by Jon Lester when the left-hander’s stamina has returned after his bout with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, should be better than most team’s can boast.

But then there’s the question of the closer. Every team has question marks in spring, and while the Red Sox may have fewer than most, finding a closer is one of the most important questions that has to be answered.

"The closer is the biggest thing this team has to attend to," said Varitek yesterday. "We have to solidify that. The good thing is that we have a lot of options, a lot of different guys who can accept a lot of different responsibilities at the end of games."

Epstein, though, is confident approaching training camp.

"We’re very excited, all of us are," said Epstein. "I think when you look at our club, you have to recognize there’s tremendous upside there. If we can put the right work in and answer the questions the right way, this has a chance to be a special club."

skrasner@projo.com