It makes sense for the Cubes to add Lester’s old friend;
With John Lester in the fold, meaning with him on the Cubs, its important to make him feel comfortable, if he’s going to have any shot of success, and believe me, I’m not convinced;
But to do that, they should bring in one of his old teammates, to be his catcher; that catcher, should be A.J. Pierzinsky.
A.J., which is short, for Anthony John, his name given to him by his parents at birth and shortened, so that people could say his name, more quickly, is certainly no stranger, to the Cubs; fans will remember he was once punched in the face; this was a classy move, on his part, and that class could rub off on a player or two, here in Chicago;
If the Cubs, as Theo Epstein wants us to believe, are really serious about making a run in their National League Central Division, in which they play, than this move makes all the sense, in the world; bring in a catcher, and trusted “battery mate,” if you will, of John Lester, for a couple of seasons, someone who knows, how to win, and once played for a minor league team, within Chicago and Chicagoland; the White Socks.
I mean, of course, Pierzynski is a very good, defensive catcher, having to often dive behind the plate to retrieve errant, or “wild” pitches; and his familiarity with Lester in their time together, in Boston, with the Red Sox, will help Lester in adjusting to the National League; of course, Peirzinsky was able to make that same, change, last season, when he went to the St. Louis Cardinals, after the Sox gave up on 2014 (taking a page, out of Epstein’s playbook, apparently, and going for draft picks instead of winning); he nearly got them into the World Series, why not let him, do that, here?
If you look at his offensive, numbers, you’ll be also impressed: he hit .251 last year, which is pretty good, and was able to hit 4 home runs in a tough hitters’ park, plus one more with the Cardinals; he also played in 102 games, which is much more than the selfish Lester is willing, to pitch, but should come in handy; hes certainly durable.
Some of you, may suggest that Lester, and Peerzynski didn’t get along, and that David Ross, caught most of his games, in Boston, with the Red Sox, but that’s missing the point; the point is winning, and A.J. has a World Series ring on one of his hands, something the Cubs could learn from.
In summary, if the Cubs are going to spend, all that money, on John Lestir, then I believe the least they could do, is follow that up, with A.J. Peirzinsky; don’t cheap out on the fans now, Theo.
I mean, how much longer, will I have to wait?
Bleeding Blue Cubbies 