Starting Pitcher Report Card – Jon Lester – A-
Let’s take a look at the Red Sox starting rotation – despite injuries and some poor performances (Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brad Penny and John Smoltz), the top 3 Red Sox starting pitchers were excellent – Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. The Penny and Smoltz experiments can be deemed failures, but Beckett, Lester, Buchholz and Wakefield (when healthy) rallied to help the Red Sox win the wild card playoff position during the 2009 MLB schedule.
Jon Lester – 2009 Report Card Grade – A-.
Jon Lester and Josh Beckett were the Red Sox most consistent pitchers during the 2009 MLB schedule. The Red Sox organization will heavily rely upon Beckett and Lester to pitch just as well, if not better, in 2010 if they expect to make some noise in the playoff race in October and November next season.
2009 stats – 203 1/3 innings in 32 starts; 15-8 record with a 3.41 ERA and 1.23 WHIP; 225 K’s; 64 walks; .242 opponents’ batting average.
2008 stats – 210 1/3 innings in 33 starts; 16-6 record with a 3.21 ERA and 1.27 WHIP; 152 K’s; 66 walks; .256 opponents’ batting average.
Lester made it 2 unbelievable seasons in a row, even after a slow start in 2009. Beckett was a stud in 2009. After being plagued by a side muscle injury during the 2008 MLB season, Beckett rebounded in 2009 to make 32 starts and pitch effectively all season long. His 199 K’s were a career-high and his 17 wins were the 2nd most in his career. He had a solid 1.19 WHIP for the 2nd year in a row, walking just 55 batters in over 212 innings. Pretty damn impressive. While Hanley Ramirez is putting up amazing numbers in Florida, Beckett’s numbers (65 wins in 122 starts in 4 years with the Red Sox since the trade) justify the move, especially since Beckett helped lead to their 2nd World Series title in 4 years with their march through the playoffs in 2007.
GM Theo Epstein, the Red Sox and Lester entered into a 6-year, $30 million deal at the start of the 2009 MLB season. The Red Sox also have a club option for the 2014 MLB season that will pay him approximately $12 million. All of this seems like a bargain for the Red Sox given how consistent and dependable Lester has been. If the Red Sox can re-sign Beckett to another long-term deal – locking up their triumvirate of Beckett, Lester and Buchholz for the foreseeable future – the Red Sox will be sitting pretty pitching-wise. If the Red Sox can right the ship with Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox would have 4 legitimate excellent starters for many years to come.
Lester has been a class act with the Red Sox. He has made Boston his home and already given back so much to the community. Lester is a fan favorite at the Fenway Park in Boston – - let’s hope that Lester can put forth another solid season during the 2010 MLB schedule…
