Is this the year Jon Lester makes the leap from prospect with potential to middle of the rotation major league starting pitcher?  Let’s hope so.  Because Jon Lester is the key to a dominant starting pitching staff in 2008. 

It would surprise no one if Josh Beckett wins the Cy Young.  As for Dice-K… he simply needs to build on an adequate, if not spectacular 2007 season in which pitched over 200 innings, struck out 201 batters, won 15 games, but had an ERA of 4.40.  For most guys, that’s a pretty successful inaugural  season in the major leagues.  Personally, I think it was impossible for him to live up to the hype that proceeded him.  Poor guy had to transplant if his family to a new country, work in an environment where the people who speak his language can be counted on one hand, AND be a Cy Young candidate in order to appease Red Sox Nation.  A second year is exactly what Dice-K needs and while I don’t expect him to make a leap similar to what Beckett did in his second year with the Red Sox, I do expect another 15 wins, 200 innings, and 200 strikeouts is probably along with an ERA under 4. 

But back to Lester.  With Schilling gone, Lester’s role in the middle of the rotation becomes much more important.  I think a 15 win season (when did a 15 season replace the 20 win season as the benchmark for starting pitchers?) from Lester is possible, and if he does that, the sox rotation won’t skip a beat without Schilling.  In fact, having Schilling out until July may be the best case scenario.  If he can come back from his injury to act as the mid-season addition to the rotation, work himself into true from right around the end of August, he’ll be perfectly positioned for the big games of September and October.  

Not to mention, we won’t have to listen to Schilling constantly running his mouth until summer.