Who Deserves to be the Opening Day Starter?

Photo courtesy of boston.com

Today, Bobby Valentine announced that Lester will be the Opening Day starter, and Beckett will start for the home opener against the Rays on April 13th. Arguably, both are deserving of being the Opening Day starter, but for the sake of debating, my brother and I discussed this yesterday. He was for Lester, and I was for Beckett.

First, I like Lester as much as I like Beckett. I’m not one of those Beckett-haters that have popped up over time, and I was as disappointed in both of their performances in September last year. I was elated when Lester threw his no-hitter against the Royals in 2008, and I was equally as happy when Beckett threw his one-hit shutout against the Rays last year. They are equals to me.

So yesterday, my brother informed me that he thought Lester would be the Opening Day starter. I also thought this, but I thought Beckett deserved it more after his season last year. My brother simply stated “the fans like Lester more.”

I agree with this; the fans love Lester. Heck, I’m even considering naming my next dog Lester (for the record, I have no intention of getting another dog anytime soon, and if it’s a female, her name will be Tessie). I think one of the reasons so many fans like Lester so much is he overcame so much (cancer) and has become one of the premier pitchers in the Majors.

Lester and Beckett are one of the best one-two punches in the American League, and possibly even the Majors; but based on statistics, I do think Beckett deserves the Opening Day starter position. Last year, Beckett had a 13-7 record with a 2.89 ERA; his WHIP was 1.026, the lowest of his career. Lester had a 15-9 record with a 3.47 ERA, and his WHIP was 1.257, his highest of the past three seasons.

Both Lester and Beckett were All-Stars last year. Beckett ranked 9th in Cy Young voting and was arguably the favorite for most of the season… until September. Based on their seasons last year, Beckett clearly had the better season.

If you factor in Spring Training so far (we’re about half way through at this point), Beckett is also appearing to be the stronger pitcher at this point. In 14.0 innings (4 games), he has a 1.29 ERA and a .79 WHIP. Lester’s line (while only appearing in 2 games thus far and 8.0 innings) is 3.38 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.

I’m aware that Spring Training stats are widely controversial, especially in the earlier games, because pitchers are working on certain pitches and not in their “competitive mode.” However, having watched both Beckett and Lester pitch this Spring Training, it appears Beckett has a slight edge on Lester. Beckett appears a little more comfortable.

Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe had some quotes from Valentine regarding the Lester-Beckett tandem. Here’s what Valentine had to say about the situation:

The No. 1 determinant was the conversation I had with Josh where Josh explained to me about starting pitchers and their Opening Day status or mentality or whatever and he thought Jon earned the job last year and didn't do anything to lose it.

So I said, 'You have a lot more knowledge of Opening Day starters and their mentality than I.' I saw the health of both of them and I figured it's an honor both ways, I think. Home opener and opener. So they're both getting an honor.

I think it’s really important to note that Beckett was the one who told Valentine that Lester deserved to be the Opening Day starter. Beckett’s been seen as the “leader” of the pitching staff for a few years now, and it’s nice to see him step up and show respect for Lester. Lester also appreciated this, as he said:

It means a lot. It’s nice to hear. Obviously, we’re good friends, and I know what he thinks of me as a person. But it’s nice to hear him tell other people. I think that’s what people don’t see from Josh. They think he’s kind of this hard ass stubborn guy that doesn’t care and I think he cares more than people think about his teammates and saying something like that means a lot.

Do I think Lester is deserving of the Opening Day starter role? Yes. I think he is a remarkable pitcher, and he seems to be becoming a leader in the clubhouse as well. I also agree with what Valentine said about it being an honor to be the opening day pitcher and the home opening pitcher. Again, I was just debating for the sake of debating with this post. Just interesting to look at the different sides. I guess we’ll get the best of both words, in a way.