Joe Maddon recently made the most obvious decision and named Jon Lester the Opening Day Starter. He was the Cubs Opening Day Starter in 2015 but was bumped to the number two spot after Arrieta’s CY Young winning season. While Arrieta still performed well in 2016 and Kyle Hendricks had a great season, Lester has been a model of consistency both with the Cubs and over his career. It was only logical to give the veteran, dependable lefty the opening day nod. The Cubs certainly have a luxury of quality starters to choose from for this job, which is not something they have always had.
Comparing Jon Lester to other Opening Day Starters
