Jon Lester: American League Pitcher of the Month

This past off-season Jon Lester’s name was in the news more so as a trade deal for a left handed ace than for him actually being a left handed ace. This season is proving Lester to be just that.

What came to light in the middle of May with his no hitter, has been backed up with each time he takes the mound; Jon Lester isn’t a prospect anymore as he has officially arrived.

Lester’s arrival as one of the best left handed pitchers in baseball was validated on Monday, by Major League Baseball, as he was awarded the American League Pitcher of the Month for a July where he went 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA over four starts.

Lester’s success hasn’t been just in July however, he hasn’t lost a decision since May 25th; a stretch of seven consecutive wins over his last eleven games started. During those starts, the Red Sox have posted an 10-1 record.

While the rest of the league may just be realizing that the young lefty is turning into a force to be reckoned with, Lester himself doesn’t need an award to tell him he’s being true to his potential.

“I don’t need that award to realize how far this year has come and how much I’ve progressed,” Lester said after learning of the award, “and how much more comfortable I’ve become on the mound.”

Lester has emerged as both a stopper and workhorse for the Red Sox staff and couldn’t have come at a better time for the Red Sox.

In a month that saw staff ace Josh Beckett go 2-3 with a 5.74 ERA, Jon Lester filled that role admirably.

Not only has Jon Lester taken the ball every fifth day this season, he also leads the club in innings pitched and has cracked the top ten in the American League in that category. Not bad for someone who couldn’t seemingly get into the fifth inning without 100+ pitch counts for most of his young career.

Earlier this season, we all questioned Lester’s ability to command pitches early in the count and to attack the strike zone early to set up his slider or cutter out of the zone. We watched Lester labor through inning after inning, unsure if he could make the jump that his stuff was reminiscent of.

To watch Lester now is a totally different experience than it used to be. The feeling that each outing could turn ugly on a dime with a few walks and a tired arm is no longer present. Where he used to make a game slow down to a crawl as he struggled through innings, he’s now picked up the pace with a new found confidence.

I would be remiss if I didn’t direct credit both to pitching coach John Farrell and catcher Jason Varitek for Lester’s coming of age. Lester’s confidence has been a carefully crafted work of art by these two veterans for much of the last two seasons.

While Jon Lester’s history is more than documented at this point, as it should be, the best chapters of Lester’s story are yet to be told. The young southpaw’s future is seemingly limitless in it’s possibility given what he has overcome and achieved to this point.

I think Evan summed it up best in his July Recap; “I’ve run out of superlatives for this guy.”

So have the rest of us.