Chicago Cubs: Ranking the team’s top five MVP candidates

Chicago Cubs: #2 – SP Jon Lester

Listing a team’s potential MVPs without including their best pitcher would be foolish. While Chicago has had great contributions from the bullpen, their big lefty ace has set himself apart.

Beyond Lester’s 2.18 ERA and 1.08 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), he has been as durable as they come. Jon averages nearly 100 pitchers per start (tops on the team) and, more importantly, over six innings every time he toes the rubber.

Apart from Montgomery, Lester has produced the highest double-play ratio among Cubs starters. Since he is also allowing the fewest baserunners per inning, this translates to a very efficient approach that doesn’t create many opportunities for opponents to score runs. And as any self-respecting baseball fan knows, if you don’t give up runs, you win games.

He continues to be this team’s ‘stopper’

Lester’s ten wins is the second-highest total in the National League and, in addition to his being a front-runner for team MVP consideration, Jon should be booking travel to DC as he’s a near lock to make his fifth career All-Star Game. Of all the players on the list, Jon is the one who can most directly turn a losing streak around, and that sort of value is hard to overlook.