Jon Lester To Follow Papelbon Route To Fenway

When the Red Sox tried to acquire Alex Rodriguez three winters ago, the Rangers wanted Jon Lester to join Manny Ramirez in Texas. When the Red Sox inquired about Josh Beckett, the Florida Marlins wanted Jon Lester before accepting three other highly regarded Red Sox prospects. Baseball America rates Lester ahead of all other Red Sox pitching prospects, including lights-out stopper and hobby-favorite Jonathan Papelbon.

Yes, Lester, the Red Sox 2002 second round draft choice from Puyallup High School (Washington), is special. He is the rare power-pitching lefthander with pinpoint control. A fastball that tops out at 95 mph is complimented by a hard slider and a swing-and-miss change-up. Under the tutelage of Red Sox pitching coach Al Nipper, Lester is learning the split-finger fastball – the same off-speed pitch that has separated Papelbon from other pitching prospects.

The 24-year-old Lester, the Red Sox 2005 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, is expected to follow the same path that lead Papelbon to Boston last season. A few more months of minor league seasoning to gain experience and command of his pitches is all that stands between Lester and the majors. He will not apprentice as a reliever like Papelbon, who was a closer in college.

Lester, like most players passing through Pawtucket on route to Boston, is an outstanding autograph signer via the mail and at the ballpark. Mail a self-addressed stamped-envelope with a baseball card to McCoy Stadium and Lester will return the card with his signature less than 10 days later. The Lester 2004 Just minor league card (#44) sporting a clean, gloss-free surface with white borders is ideal for autographs and is readily available for less than $2.

Lester’s 2004 Just “Certified Autograph” is selling for $20, nearly tripling in price from last April.

His one and only true rookie card – 2003 Upper Deck Premiere Prospects “Future Gems” (#12) – has been extremely active over the last nine months. The card could be had for $3 last summer, $6 during the off-season and is currently selling for $8. The card will make a significant leap in price when Lester is promoted to Boston.

The Lester rookie takes on added significance following the MLBPA’s 2005 ruling that no player can be featured in standard-issue sets before appearing in a major league game. Unlike Lester, future high-profile prospects will not have a rookie card issued the same year they are drafted.