SPECULATOR: Searching for the next John Lackey

One preseason exercise that we find useful is to take a breakout performance from last year and construct a profile around it that helps identify candidates to replicate that performance this year.

Our subject this week: John Lackey. The choice is not random, as he was one of our better preseason calls in this exercise a year ago, when we searched for the next AJ Burnett. Our treatment of Lackey in that column ended up being rather on-the-nose:

John Lackey (RHP, BOS) enters 2012 with near-pariah status in Boston, but the simple fact is that the Red Sox need him if they have realistic hope of rebounding this year. And there is some reason for optimism: while he hasn't reached our 90 BPV/4.00 xERA filter levels since 2008, his skill set...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Speculator

A smattering of "best hits" from our Playing Time Tomorrow series, as well as some schedule-based speculations the rest of the way.
Aug 26 2026 3:07am
After a horrific start, Jacob Lopez has turned things around this summer. We dive into how, along with several other risers/fallers this summer.
Aug 19 2026 3:06am
CJ Abrams has always had the speed, and now both his frequency and quality of contact have taken steps forward.
Aug 5 2026 3:07am
We continue the rookie class check-in outside the Top 25 in this year's HQ100.
Jul 29 2026 3:09am
We check in on the Top 25 preseason prospects who have made their MLB debut so far, and speculate on their outlooks moving forward.
Jul 22 2026 3:06am

Tools