The Next Jon Lester?

"Could (insert pitching prospect here) be the first front-of-the-rotation arm that the Red Sox have drafted and developed since Jon Lester? A question that I, and countless others, have uttered thousands of times in recent years now applies to Payton Tolle. For the first time, that question feels like it could be a "Yes," last night's results notwithstanding. But how many times have we been reeled in by that possibility over the last 20 years?"

"We are now creeping up on two decades since the Red Sox drafted and developed a front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, and frankly, no one has even come close to that designation. I came up with 15 names that could have been "The Next Lester" (some with higher expectations than others). The most successful of anyone in that group is Justin Masterson, who tallied 10.0 career WAR. The list is mostly a long line of pitchers who shifted to relief roles in the minor leagues, or shortly after making the major leagues, as well as pitchers with a ton of Tommy John surgeries."

The Red Sox have not produced a homegrown front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher since Jon Lester nearly two decades ago. Jon Lester debuted in 2006, won three World Series titles, an NLCS MVP, five All-Star selections, and accumulated 43.5 career bWAR, including 29.9 with Boston. A list of 15 prospects once considered potential successors is dominated by pitchers who converted to relief roles or were limited by multiple Tommy John surgeries. Justin Masterson is the most successful of that group with 10.0 career WAR. Payton Tolle currently represents renewed hope, while Clay Buchholz debuted in 2007, threw a no-hitter, and pitched in Boston's 2013 rotation.

Read at Over the Monster