Cubs pitcher Jon Lester definitely has issues throwing to first base, or any base, other than home plate. It's a mental block of some sort. He's tried just one pickoff attempt this season -- just one since April 2013, actually -- and it comically went awry, afoul and askew. All three. And he surpassed his career high for stolen bases allowed in a season Monday night against the Cardinals, and we've got about 81 games to go.
It's definitely an issue, a vulnerability, a problem. It's something that major leaguers have seen psychologists over. But to hear St. Louis Cardinals analyst Tim McCarver talk, you'd think Lester's weakness keeping runners close was ruining his career. The Cardinals beat the Cubs 6-0 at Wrigley Field after Lester had a no-hitter going for the first six innings. It was one of his better performances of the season, but McCarver made it sound like Lester's wake.
In the seventh, a half-inning after saying Lester "has a mental problem [that] can be hid no longer," McCarver returned to his diagnoses. Partner Dan McLaughlin said that some close to the Cubs think Lester is putting too much pressure on himself in trying to live up to the $155 million contract he signed in the offseason. Paging Dr. McCarver!
From Fox Sports Midwest:
"Well, you know, I think that would be a valid argument if it weren’t for the fact that, as far as throwing to first base, he didn’t do that last year, either. Not once! So it was there last year. You don’t know when it started, how it started. Some things that we report, Dan, they’re tough to report. You know, you don’t know how much psychiatric help Jon’s had trying to get through this thing. It’s not real pretty to see, I’ve got to tell you.
"I mean, errors are one thing... But when you know that a guy is having the inner turmoil and problems mentally to play this game, it’s tough."
Mental problems. Psychiatric help. Inner turmoil. Oh, brother. Announcer hyperbole, much?And the pity. It's not fun to report. It's not fun to watch. Well, neither was this Cardinals broadcast. McCarver, the former national analyst for Fox Sports, is back doing occasional work with the Cards, who are something of a hometown team for him. The nation sends its gratitude that McCarver has been marginalized.
Lester has a 3.48 ERA this season. His career ERA is 3.59. He has 101 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings, a little better than his career mark per nine innings. His velocity seems fine. He's putting more runners on base than usual, but that number is coming down. He's 38th in wins above replacement via Fangraphs. Not elite, but Matt Harvey is 35th and Felix Hernandez is 30th. With a strong push in the second half, Lester can get into the top 20 or better.
He needs to work on holding runners, although Lester did manage help the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013 without throwing to first base. He should promise to do just that, as long as Tim McCarver works on his pop psychological diagnoses.
