Chicago Cubs: Jon Lester is the club ace through and through

The term “ace” is seemingly thrown around a lot these days when talking about starting pitchers. That being said, for the Chicago Cubs, Jon Lester is just that.

When the Cubs decided to sign Jon Lester back in the offseason of 2014, they had an idea of the type of pitcher they were getting. Lester was about to turn 30 years old and brought with him an already impressive resume from the Boston Red Sox. It was an easy decision for Theo Epstein.

Epstein grew with Lester. He had watched Lester dominate year in and year out for the Red Sox. When Epstein came to the Cubs, it became clockwork, as Lester was wooed to the Windy City on a mega six-year contract, totaling $155 million.

Cubs nation did not know it at the time, but the big lefty from the Pacific Northwest, with his staunch bravado, was about to become the ace for the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago Cubs: Showing up when it counts the most

A significant benefit when the Chicago Cubs signed Jon Lester was his already established postseason experience. By the time Lester joined the Cubs, he had already pitched in 14 postseason games, 12 of them starts. On the surface, it may not have seemed like much, but this was vital to establishing his footing with a new team as “the guy.”

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Lester has started 21 total postseason games in his career. In that time he has compiled an unbelievable 2.55 ERA. In the past two seasons for the Cubs in the postseason, Lester has nearly been untouchable.

During the 2016 World Series run, Lester pitched in six games, starting five of them. He finished with a ridiculously low 2.02 ERA, with a better than excellent 3.15 FIP and an above-average 3.55 xFIP. Incredibly impressive for a starting pitcher who was 32 years old at the time.

Last year, Lester saw his FIP and xFIP rise exponentially. However, he posted a 1.88 ERA in two starts.

While the sample size was considerably smaller, Lester stepped up and figured out a way to help pitch the club to its third straight NLCS appearance. In the span, he allowed just three earned runs in 14 1/3 innings pitched. He should understandably be counted on as October rolls closer.

Chicago Cubs: An “ace” until the end

Hands down, Jon Lester, will be the Cubs ace until he hangs up his cleats. He has been the most reliable, consistent pitcher the club has had in the previous few seasons, outside of Kyle Hendricks. The incredible nature of his grind has allowed Lester to establish himself as a staple in Cubs lore.

Over the course of his Cubs career, the cancer survivor has been worth an impressive fWAR of 13.5, while posting a 3.36 ERA and an above-average FIP and xFIP, respectively. This season, he is 16-6 with a 3.43 ERA. While his strikeouts are down and his walks are up, he is finding greater consistency on the hill because of the increased use of his curveball and changeup. Seemingly, it has helped him to be as impressive as he has been with his decrease in other statistical categories.

Fangraphs has a pitching category known as Clutch, which measures a players ability in high-leverage situations versus a context-neutral case. For Lester, he has a near excellent 1.53 clutch rating in 2018, up from his disastrous -0.11 last season. An ace is someone who should be counted on in high-leverage situations. In the case of Jon Lester, he is stepping up admirably to ease the anxiety of the cliff-jumping Cubs fans, seemingly teetering on edge on a daily basis.

The Chicago Cubs are on a collision course with the postseason once again. As a team which has been in a prime position in three straight seasons, as well as the established managerial leadership, they are ultimately primed to make some noise. It should begin with Jon Lester, as he is someone who can be counted on to bring the Cubs back to championship glory.