John Lackey's National League Renaissance

Following a subpar 2014 season that saw him get traded from the Boston Red Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals, 37-year-old John Lackey had a terrific 2015, although the numbers won’t immediately show you that. His record barely changed, going from 14-10 to 13-10, but his ERA was over a run lower, going from 3.82 to 2.77. He pitched 20 more innings, but gave up only five more hits, gave up 23 less runs, and started 33 games, his most since 2010. He was even the Cardinals’ game 1 starter in the NLDS, hurling seven shutout innings in a victory over his new team, the Chicago Cubs. Make no mistake about it, John Lackey had the best season of his career at 36 years old. How’s that possible? Perhaps the weakness of DH-less National League offenses has been understated. After all, it can’t just be a coincidence that after 12 seasons in the AL, his first full season in the NL was the best of his career, right? Lackey figures to be the third starter in this Chicago staff, but one of the strongest third starters in the league. Making things better, the NL’s best offense is one he won’t have to face. Instead, he’ll taking part in it’s lineup every five days. A nosedive in performance isn’t very likely this year, and the most important thing here is that he’s not being sold as a high-end starter. Lackey figures to be a solid pickup in the latter stages of your drafts.