One of the most consistent pitchers for most of his 13-year career thus far, Lester is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to take the field for both of my favorite teams of all-time (Red Sox and Cubs). If he continues at the rate he's on currently, Lester could become a member of the 3000 strikeout club and if he accomplishes that, Cooperstown could come soon after.
Lester still has a good 3-5 seasons left in him if he stays healthy with the Cubs. He's proven himself year after year even through the years he struggled. He's on a roll to start 2018 and the 4-time All-Star appears to be pitching at his best time and time again. After all, his 3 World Series rings can speak for themselves. Lester has been a star for over a decade and has overcome cancer to become one of the MLB's finest starters.
The 51 Jon Lester cards I have are basically split between Red Sox and Cubs cards, though I likely have a few more of him on the Cubs due to the surge in new cards bought in 2016 and 2017 during his time in Chicago. There were some hard choices, but I ended up with a top 5 of 3 Red Sox cards and 2 Cubs cards; here they are.
#5 2009 Topps Heritage
Lester's card from 2009 Topps Heritage is 1 of just a handful of cards that I have from that set, but I didn't just choose it because it's modeled after one of my favorite sets ever in 1960 Topps. I very much like both of the pictures chosen for the card, the one on the left is my favorite in particular. I assume that the photo on the right was taken during spring training given the trees and bushes in the background and surprisingly, the card works. In a card that already has so much going on, I can't say that I mind another interesting detail to help the card stand out even more.
#4 2015 Topps
I'm not usually a big fan of cards like this where the photo that was chosen is from the conference where the organization introduces their new free agent signing. There's a David Price one from 2016 Bowman, but the card has Dunkin Donuts printed all over the backdrop which takes away from the card. I'm sure there are more examples, but the Lester one is the only one I've seen that I like. I much prefer seeing the Cubs logo on the back instead of some advertisement. After all, the card is supposed to be symbolic of this new player joining the team, so it's nice to see the card being well-done like Lester's 2015 card is.
#3 2013 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor
The scanned version of this card, like many chrome parallels that I scan, appears way different than the actual card looks like in real life. In reality, this card is a blue refractor numbered to 199 from the 2013 Topps Chrome set. I know it doesn't look that way, but the actual card does an excellent job of contrasting the red of Lester's jersey with a shiny blue color. I also really like the photo that is chosen, especially the black glove which adds even more color as well as the look on his face right when he gets ready to throw the pitch.
#2 2016 Topps Archives
I'm pretty certain I had more Cubs cards to choose from than Red Sox cards, so I wanted to choose only the best of the best for this list. For the final Cubs card, I went with his 2016 Topps Archives card, showing Lester in the 1953 Topps design. There are quite a few things to like about this card, but the blue sky and the clouds in the background is easily my favorite part, though I also like when black is included on a card which is why I like the part of the card where his name, position, and team name are printed.
#1 2006 Topps Update Rookie Debut
Lester's rookie card photo on the 2006 Topps Update Rookie Debut insert is the same photo used on his 2007 Topps base card, but I ended up going with this card as the #1 card on the list instead of the '07 card. Sometimes, a card may not be quite as eye-catching, but it does enough to become one's personal favorite. I'm a huge fan of the red and black background used on this card as well as many of the 2007 Topps Red Sox cards, though I don't know what it is. It does a stellar job commemorating the start of Lester's career. A career that could, in turn, end up with a plaque in Cooperstown.
Now, if he gets in, what team's cap will he wear on the plaque?
He would have to go in as a Red Sox: 2 WS rings, the no-hitter, Boston is where the bulk of his good years were.
ReplyDeleteSounds about right. Granted, he was on the 2016 Cubs team, but he'd have to accomplish even more in Chicago to go into Cooperstown as a Cub.
DeleteYears ago, someone wrote a post on some forum I read listing Jon Lester's greatest accomplishments. 10 up to 3 were all what you'd expect, baseball stuff--I think 3 was winning two games in one World Series.
ReplyDeleteNumber 2 got more serious: winning his battle with cancer.
Number one: Not being named "Mo".
He's definitely an inspiring person. Not many players out there have done what he's done, let alone win a battle with cancer.
DeleteI miss Lester with the Sox, I wish they had re-signed him and passed on David Price. Sometimes the Sox from office is infuriating. The 2015 Topps card is my favorite here, I like the design to begin with and the photo is taken at just the right angle to avoid any ads.
ReplyDelete