Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my first season covering Cleveland for MLB.com. |
CLEVELAND -- As Gavin Williams walked across the Progressive Field outfield on Tuesday afternoon, he was accompanied by the newest member of the Guardians, a familiar face: Corey Kluber. Kluber, the longtime Cleveland ace who retired after the 2023 season, has rejoined the organization. Officially, his title is “special assistant, pitching,” a role that will round into shape as the season goes on and one in which he will work with the Guardians’ big league pitchers alongside the coaching staff. “A lot of it is figuring it out as we go,” Kluber said. “There's nothing set in stone, but I think it's trying to really find the best ways for me to contribute. I’m not looking to take something away from anybody else that does stuff, but really just use the experience that I have to be a resource if there's an opportunity to do so.” On Tuesday, Kluber listened attentively during Tanner Bibee’s pregame bullpen session. “It's just a great fit. It’s a great presence for our young pitchers,” said pitching coach Carl Willis, whom Kluber played under from 2018-19. “They know what he accomplished in his career, particularly what he accomplished here. He's not that far removed that he can still relate to the player and everything.” |
Kluber said he wanted to see where he was mentally after announcing his retirement on Feb. 9 last year. As the 2024 season went on, he found himself keeping up with former teammates and teams he played for, which helped him realize he wanted to stay involved in the game. He was a guest observer at the Guardians' Spring Training camp in March, as he began to explore how he could contribute to the organization. “Honestly, it got to the point where I felt like I needed something to do,” Kluber said. “Something to work towards, something to feel a sense of accomplishment besides just driving the kids to school.” Kluber enjoyed 13 decorated seasons in the Major Leagues, including nine with Cleveland. He was a three-time All-Star (2016-18) who won two AL Cy Young Awards (‘14 and ’17), while finishing third twice (’16 and ’18). He won the Majors’ ERA title in ’17 and threw a no-hitter in ’21. But Kluber also has a wealth of experience beyond that run of dominance. He was a fourth-round Draft pick in 2007 who recorded a 5.56 ERA in 27 starts for Triple-A Columbus in ’11 and a 5.14 ERA in 12 starts with Cleveland in ’12. He worked hard to develop into an ace and kept getting better as a professional. Kluber later overcame injury adversity and returned to the mound as an effective starter. He suffered a right ulna fracture in 2019, a torn right teres muscle in ’20 and a right shoulder strain in ’21. He made 31 starts in 2022 with Tampa Bay. |
“I probably experienced pretty close to a full spectrum of things throughout a career,” Kluber said. “I wasn't a very good Minor Leaguer, figured out some stuff a little bit, but still kind of had to develop at this stage. I had success here, I had not success here … injuries. So I think just having a lot of different types of experiences to build on hopefully presents opportunities to help guys with a lot of different things.” Kluber is in the get-to-know-you stage right now and is working on building relationships with the Guardians’ pitchers, from how they pitch to how they tick mentally. “That presents a better opportunity to find meaningful moments to maybe suggest something or talk about something or whatever,” Kluber said, “as opposed to if I don't know anything about a guy.” For the Guardians, Kluber’s return was simple calculus. “Who better to have than Corey Kluber to be an influence on your starting pitching, especially, and your pitchers in general?” manager Stephen Vogt said. |
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A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DAMAGE |
José Ramírez can change a game with one swing of the bat. He can also affect a game on the basepaths, as he did in Monday’s series opener vs. the Brewers. Ramírez swiped three bases to spark the Guardians in their 5-0 win at Progressive Field. Cleveland and Milwaukee were scoreless in the fourth when Ramírez hit a one-out single off Brewers starter Freddy Peralta. He promptly stole second and third, and after walks by Carlos Santana and Bo Naylor, he scored on a Gabriel Arias three-run double. The three stolen bases matched Ramírez’s career high (Aug. 12, 2016, and Aug. 26, 2021) and gave him 255 for his career. He passed Terry Turner for the third most in franchise history, and he now only trails Kenny Lofton (452) and Omar Vizquel (279). “Hosey knows when he needs to do that stuff,” Vogt said. “We were having a hard time getting offense going off Peralta, a really good pitcher. Gets on base [and is like], ‘Let me make something happen.’ That's so much homework that goes into knowing when he can go, looking at the jump. “Hosey, he's a cerebral player. He knows when he needs to get us going, and, boy, did he. It's just fun to watch him. It's fun to watch him play.” Ramírez also drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, took second on a Peralta wild pitch, stole third and scored on a Kyle Manzardo single to give Cleveland a 4-0 lead. “It’s always a focus with any team. Try to find a way to do damage anyway I can,” Ramírez said Monday night through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. |
Six Packs are back for 2025. Starting at $99 (including all fees), choose six games to attend throughout the season, with seats located throughout Progressive Field -- including the lower bowl, upper level and family deck. You may build your own Six Pack or choose a Theme Six Pack. New Six Packs include Fireworks Fans (six games with postgame fireworks) and Marquee Matchups (games against six top opponents). More information can be found here. |
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