Pitcher development has always been a specialty of the Cleveland Guardians, and now their staff has another secret weapon.
The Guardians announced Wednesday morning that former pitcher Corey Kluber will be joining the squad as a special assistant. After spending a year with the Boston Red Sox in 2023, Kluber, 39, has not played baseball since.
Cleveland’s success in the middle of the decade was fueled by the stoic presence of its finest pitcher from the 2010s, who is now back with the team.
Almost unexpectedly, Kluber finished 18-9 in 2014 with 269 strikeouts, a 2.44 ERA, and an MLB-high 8.1 bWAR. After winning the American League Cy Young award once before, he went on to win it again in 2017 while playing for Cleveland, which finished with 100 wins.
Kluber traveled around four organizations before ending his career after the team traded him to the Texas Rangers prior to the 2020 season.
The Guardians, who are now 25-17, are 2.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers, who are in first place in the American League Central Division.
