CLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians ace pitcher Corey Kluber is ready to get to work in spring training.
Kluber was the subject of many “reports” and rumors during the offseason, but he arrived to Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona just like his teammates when the pitchers and catchers reported for the start of spring training last week, and with the Indians is where he wants to remain.
“I enjoy it here,” Kluber told WKYC Tuesday. “I was made aware of it by people, but I didn’t pay attention to it. The way I looked at it, I was going to prepare myself for the season, and if there was something I needed to be aware of, somebody would’ve made me aware of it.
“I didn’t go try and track down rumors or anything like that. I was trying to prepare myself for a season, and I would’ve done that the same way whether I would’ve been here or somewhere else. That was the way I approached it, just try to get myself ready, and if I needed to be aware of something, somebody would tell me.”
In his 33 starts last season, Kluber (20-7) registered 222 strikeouts against just 34 walks, 179 hits and 69 earned runs allowed over 215.0 innings of work while anchoring a pitching staff that led the way to the Indians’ third consecutive AL Central Division Championship.
Opposing batters hit just .223 against Kluber during the 2018 season.
A two-time AL Cy Young Award winner (2014, 2017) and four-time finalist, Kluber won four games in three different months last season, starting with an 8-1 slate through April and May. Additionally, Kluber posted a 4-1 record over his six August starts.
An AL All-Star for the third consecutive season, Kluber posted an 8-2 record in 13 starts following the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. Over 81.1 innings pitched, Kluber struck out 90 batters and walked only 17 while cutting down on his home runs allowed.
“I’m right where I’d like to be,” Kluber said. “That’s why we put in all of the work during the offseason, to try to be able to lock in during the year, make starts consistently, be relied upon.
“Those are all the things you want to be as a starting pitcher, and I think that’s why we put in the work that we do, so you can go out there and try to achieve those things. I don’t think anybody wants to go out there and be really good, but not be able to do it consistently.”
Along with his top-three finish in the AL Cy Young Award voting, Kluber was named a finalist for an AL Gold Glove Award this season.
Defensively, Kluber had 19 putouts and 13 assists. A first-time nominee for the Rawlings AL Gold Glove Award, Kluber did not make an error in 32 total chances for the Indians.
Kluber is 96-55 with a 3.09 ERA in 201 games over eight seasons with the Indians, and he is ready to lead the staff once again and build on those accomplishments with another long postseason run, one with a happier conclusion.
“Every year, when spring training starts, there’s kind of the refreshed energy, so it’s always fun to get out and get started,” Kluber said. “You see the group of guys again and start working towards our end goal: winning the World Series.”
