Cleveland Indians Wroundtable: Which Pitcher Would You Keep for Five More Years?

Apr 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) delivers in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

K-Pocalypse Pitchers: Corey Kluber

Cody Norman: I can’t bring myself to go against Kluber right now. I know history isn’t favorable to pitchers as they surpass 30, but Kluber isn’t like most other 29-year-old pitchers. He was a late bloomer, so his right arm has seen just 542 big-league innings. Kluber has only eclipsed the 200-inning mark one time in his career, so he’s still relatively fresh. I fully expect Kluber to pitch at a high level well into his mid-30s and, should he continue to pitch as efficiently as he has the last two seasons, it’d be tough to put my money on anyone else to lead this staff.

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Matt Bretz: While he may be the elder statesmen of the rotation, I’m still taking Corey Kluber over the next five years. As Cody said, he’s not typical of most pitchers approaching 30, as he was more of a late bloomer. I fully believe he can show James Shields’s level of endurance well into his 30s. The beautiful thing is he’s an even better pitcher than Shields ever was. I was tempted to go with Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar, as both have ace-type stuff, but just can’t go against Kluber. What he’s done the last couple years is nothing short of amazing. He’s only been getting better, and I don’t see age slowing him down any time soon.

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Those weren’t the only arguments for Kluber:

Next: K-Pocalypse Pitchers: Corey Kluber, Continued