On Lester's durability, pickoff issues and need for good defense

Some more thoughts on and from Jon Lester, the newest member of the Nationals rotation, who was formally introduced Wednesday during a Zoom session with reporters ...

* The best thing Lester has going for him is durability. He made at least 31 starts every season from 2008-19, and he made all 12 of his scheduled starts last season.

Lester has been on the injured list only three times in the last 13 years, and none of them was a prolonged stint. He missed 19 days with a back strain in 2011, he missed 15 days with shoulder fatigue in 2017 and he missed 15 days with a hamstring strain in 2019.

That's a remarkable run of good health for any pitcher, and it underscores his true value to the Nats.

How has Lester managed to avoid major injuries?

"I would like to attribute it to my work ethic," he said. "I would like to attribute it to the work I put in, in the weight room, and the arm care that I do during the offseason and in-season. I think a lot of it is luck. I just, for whatever reason, have just been lucky to stay healthy. And the little things that pop up during the season, we've been able to minimize them, which always helps."

* Much has been made of Lester's longtime issues with pickoff throws to first base. And to be sure, he does have a mental block that often prevents him from throwing over, certainly with any effectiveness.

But Lester has worked hard over the years to minimize the damage of that. Things hit a low point in 2015, his first season with the Cubs, when he allowed a staggering 44 opposing runners to steal a base off him in 55 attempts. But he has steadily improved, speeding up his delivery to the plate and giving his catchers a better chance of making the throw in time.

Opponents have stolen a total of 46 bases off Lester over the last four seasons, and their 61 percent success rate is well below the league average of 73 percent. Last year, they attempted only five steals and were successful three times.

The Nationals do need good work from their catchers to help guide Lester through those situations and avoid disaster. And as we know, they struggled the last two seasons to stop the running game. The pressure will be on Yan Gomes and whoever ends up as his backup to be more effective in 2021.

* Speaking of pressure on the defense, it applies to the Nationals infield as well when Lester's on the mound. Because he doesn't throw as hard as he used to, leading to fewer strikeouts, the lefty has to rely more on soft contact to get outs. Which means he has to rely on his defense to make plays.

As everyone knows by now, the Nats were statistically the worst defensive club in baseball last season. They would need to improve this season regardless of any new pitcher taking the mound, but it's especially important now with Lester starting every fifth day.