Lester Pissed He Isn't Considered Elite

Let me start by saying that Lester is my favorite player on the Red Sox, but this comment kind of pissed me off...

“I think people expect me every year to go out and win 20 games, and if I don’t do that, it’s a bad season. I don’t think that I get a lot of the credit of the seasons that I have put together,” Lester said. “It’s obviously a nice expectation to have, but at the same time, when people talk about the elite pitchers in the game, they throw me in as, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s one, too.’

“It’s frustrating. I don’t know why that is. It is nice to be recognized as that at sometimes, just to reassure your work and for your confidence. Yeah, the expectation of winning 20 games is great. I don’t want any less. I want to win as many games as I can every year. Hell, I want to win 33 when you get down to it. That’s a compliment, but to be mentioned every once in a while with those [elite] guys would be nice.”

Lester is a very good pitcher. He is one of three pitchers who has won 15 or more games in each of the past four seasons (CC, Halladay), but he just isn't in the same class as those two guys. First off CC has pitched AT LEAST 230 innings in each of the last 3 seasons, and Halladay has pitching 233 innings or more in each of the last 4 years. Lester has never been over 210. Both those guys have had a better ERA than Lester as well, and have won more games. Lester is very good, but when you are an "ACE" you are expected to win 20 games when you play for a premiere franchise. If you don't like that then go play for the Mariners. An ACE is supposed to eat up innings so the bullpen is saved for the rest of the staff. Lester really hasn't done that. How many times last year was he at the 100 pitching mark in the 5th-6th inning?

Don't get me wrong, I think Lester can be ELITE, but he isn't yet. Hopefully, these comments are like ShEli's last year, and he backs it up (I know, I can't believe I just wrote that either).