Former Cleveland Indians Ace Corey Kluber Announces His Retirement

Former Cleveland Guardians Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber has announced his retirement.

At his finest, Kluber, now 37, was one of the most skilled right-handed starters this old scout has had the privilege of watching.

The right-handed Kluber was a true craftsman on the mound.

About Corey Kluber:

Corey Kluber was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 4th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.

Kluber was selected out of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

Kluber received a very modest $200,000 signing bonus from the Padres.

Kluber never made a major league start for the Padres, as he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2010, as part of a three-team trade.

The Padres sent Kluber to the Indians, and traded Nick Greenwood to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Indians sent Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals, and the Cardinals sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres.

Kluber went on to pitch parts of nine season for Cleveland, winning the Cy Young Award with the Indians in both 2014, and 2017.

In his nine Indians seasons, Kluber had a record of 98-58, with a solid 3.16 ERA, and 1.08 WHIP. He started 203 of the 208 games in which he appeared. He threw 17 complete games.

Kluber threw 1,341.2 innings for the Indians.

Kluber was an All Star with Cleveland three times, making the American League team in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Kluber won 20 games for Cleveland in 2018, when he went 20-7 in 33 starts.

Kluber won 18 games three times, in 2014, 2016, and 2017.

In 2017, Kluber’s 2.25 ERA was the best in the American League.

Kluber finished 2014 with a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 8.1, first in the American League.

And when WAR is isolated only for pitchers, Kluber was also the best in the American League in 2017, with a 7.9 WAR.

Kluber After Cleveland:

In 2019, Cleveland traded Kluber along with cash to the Texas Rangers for right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields.

While DeShields is no longer in baseball, Clase has pitched for the last two American League All Star teams.

Kluber has spent parts or all of one season with the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Boston Red Sox, in that order.

The Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox acquired Kluber after he was declared a free agent.

Since leaving Cleveland, Kluber has enjoyed only a modicum of success.

His best post-Cleveland year was with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, when he finished with a 10-10 record, recording 31 starts, and 164 innings.

Relatively healthy throughout most of his career, Kluber did encounter shoulder issues in 2020, 2021, and 2023. None of those issues threatened his career. However, Father Time has a way of catching up with athletes, and Kluber was a victim.

Kluber threw his four-seam fastball at 94 miles per hour in 2013. When he last pitched with the Boston Red Sox in September 2023, brooklsbaseball.net lists his four seam fastball was 87 miles per hour.

Kluber couldn’t overcome the loss in velocity by throwing a strict diet of off-speed pitches, as the velocity and movement on his entire repertoire had declined.

Given his announcement of retirement, Kluber’s career ends with a 3-6 record with the Red Sox last season. He threw only 55 innings, making nine starts in 15 appearances.

Kluber’s ERA last season was an unusually high 7.04, as he wasn’t the same pitcher the Cleveland Indians traded for in in 2010.

Hall of Fame?

Kluber finishes his 13-year career with a record of 116-77, with a 3.44 ERA in 260 starts in 271 games. He threw 1,641.2 innings.

Talk now may shift to the merits of Corey Kluber becoming a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

That will be decided by those from the Baseball Writers Association of America with a Hall of Fame vote.

Voting is very subjective. Some with votes may believe Kluber belongs. Some may feel he doesn’t have the depth and longevity in his career to warrant the honor.

To this writer, Corey Kluber was masterful at dispatching hitters with an excellent repertoire of quality pitches, very solid command and control of that repertoire, and a serious, no-nonsense, deliberate mound demeanor that put him in control on the mound

Corey Kluber was a delight to watch pitch.

Especially for Cleveland Indians fans from 2011-2019.