Fantasy Baseball: Which Chicago Cubs hold the most value?

Jon Lester

Drafting Jon Lester will be wise – the only question is how long do you wait to draft him?  What scoring system your league uses will go a long way towards answering that.  But with that question aside – what should you expect from the Cubs’ ace this year?

Last year Lester had a solid year – posting a stat line of 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 220 strikeouts with Boston and Oakland combined.  Some will question if last year’s numbers are due to the fact he was in the last year of a contract.  Looking at his career numbers you can answer that question fairly easily.  Since he became a full-time starter with Boston in 2008, Lester has averaged 15 wins a season.

Another area of importance to look at for Lester is his record during day games.  He is 34-21, with a 3.21 ERA in 74 day games over his career.  Considering the amount of day games he’ll likely see with the Cubs – this could be really good news.

Looking at his stats and considering all the other variables – to expect Lester to do anything less than contend for the National League Cy Young award would be correct.  To see him flirt with the 20 win mark wouldn’t be out of reach – along with breaking his previous career high of 225 strikeouts in a season.

Next: Closing in for a win