Chicago Cubs: Jon Lester off to his best start in years this spring

From the word ‘go’, 2017 was a mixed bag

Last spring, Jon Lester struggled in a big way.

He made just three spring starts, spanning 11 innings in which opponents hung a dozen hits on the veteran. Lester struck out 10 and walked just one – but he struggled to keep guys from touching home plate (5.73 ERA).

As the calendar turned to April, the lefty made five starts and went winless – despite a respectable 3.68 ERA. More troubling, perhaps, was his 2.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.432 WHIP in his 29 1/3 innings of work.

On the whole, Lester managed a sub-4.00 ERA in just two of the six months of the regular season. Down the stretch, he faded badly, especially in August, where his WHIP climbed north of 1.700 – thanks mostly to a clunker in his final start of the month.

Lester failed to pitch out of the second inning, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits against Cincinnati. We all know the big-picture assessment of the season – but he, again, delivered in October.

Between the Division Series against Washington and League Championship Series against Los Angeles, the former Red Sox ace put up earned run averages of 1.86 and 1.93, respectively. Washington was baffled by the southpaw – who made one start and pitched out of the bullpen in the five-game series.

Lester was clicking from spring to fall in 2016

When the dust settled on the Chicago Cubs’ 103-win regular season two years ago, Jon Lester boasted a league-leading .793 winning percentage. Simply put, when this guy took the ball, his team won.

Chicago flew the W more than it had in a century that year – and Lester’s dominance can’t be overstated. In his 19 starts that culminated in a victory for the lefty, his ERA barely broke 1.00. Cactus League action served as a sign of what was to come as he put up a 2.12 ERA in four spring outings.

When the regular season opened, the southpaw just kept rolling. A staggering 4.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio is evidence enough. He was able to do as he pleased with his pitches, coupling his stuff with pinpoint control every time he took the mound.

When the heat was on, there was no one better. Lester limited opposing hitters to a horrendous .065 average with runners in scoring position and two away, and a .115 clip in ‘high-leverage’ situations.

And, of course, in the postseason, he shared NLCS co-MVP honors with Javier Baez. He came out of the bullpen for Joe Maddon in Game 7, helping bring the Cubs their first World Series title in 108 years in the process.

Little did we know: it marked the start of an era

When Jon Lester took the ball for the Chicago Cubs on Opening Night 2015, I felt the hype in Wrigleyville. To be honest, I’d never felt the ballpark that way. Joe Maddon managing his first game on the North Side, the rival Cardinals in town. Aside from the result (a St. Louis win) and the unfinished bleachers, it was a memorable experience.

But Lester had struggled in his first taste of Cactus League action the month prior. After training in Florida for his entire career with the Red Sox, he made the jump to Arizona after inking his deal with Chicago. And it was a bit of a ride, if we’re being honest.

He pitched just 8 1/3 innings that spring and opponents hit .333 against him. The young, unproven Cubs no doubt expected more. But Lester had gotten off to a slow start – not exactly something new for the veteran.

But as he settled in, things improved. After a horrendous April, he cruised through May. He struggled again in June, then turned it on for July. From August (5.04 ERA) to September (2.36 ERA), he cut his earned run average in half, helping lead Chicago to its first postseason appearance since 2008.

Dominant springs seem to mean more consistency

I thought about looking back at his years in Boston when writing this. But, then, I realized that Jon Lester is a very different pitcher than he was a decade ago.

At least during his time in a Cubs uniform, the numbers suggest that when he’s locked in during Spring Training, he’s likely to carry it into the regular season and put up consistently strong numbers. When he’s struggled, he’s ground through it, but has experienced more ups and downs than you’d like from your ace.

Next: Think Maddux when you're talking Darvish? Think again.

If his 2018 Cactus League performance is any indication, last year was an aberration and the Cubs might be the best rotation in baseball with a focused, recharged Jon Lester ready to lead the charge.