The Prediction
I don’t play fantasy baseball (at least yet) but I do love to make predictions for what might take place over the marathon that is baseball season. So, for RedSoxSuperFan.com, here is my first official prediction:
Jon Lester will have a far better year than Roger Clemens. Games pitched, wins, ERA…the whole nine yards. The $27 million difference (and the ridiculousness of that) aside, Lester will be the better pitcher.
For the Red Sox faithful (and Clemens haters, like myself) this might not sound like much of a reach. After all, Lester is young, tough (undergoing chemotherapy is far more difficult than what the vast majority of MLB players have ever had to endure), has great talent and athleticism, not to mention serious heat (reached 95 mph during his five scoreless innings on Tuesday). More importantly, he is one of the young players that most fans hope will shape the future of our franchise. However, all Clemens-hating aside, we are comparing a kid with a legend.
Clemens has pitched 4817.2 innings of Major League Baseball, and has a 3.10 lifetime ERA. His record stands at 348–178. He has proven in the past several seasons that he has a lasting power. He is a 7 time Cy Young winner, and an American League MVP. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Lester’s current ERA (based on his 15 major league games) is 4.71 and his record is currently 7–2. Very impressive for a rookie season, and even more so when you remember it took place in the pressure cooker of Boston with symptoms of anaplastic large cell lymphoma beginning to creep in. Scouting reports will tell you he has a powerful arm, some great pitches, and control that implies he is far older than 23. It doesn’t hurt, either, that he has a lot more resting on this than a 44-year old looking to cash in for another season.
While Clemens (and Yankees) fans would disagree, I think this one could be a lock. The time is coming soon when both Lester and Clemens come back up to the big leagues. I can’t wait.
Stumble it!