Cleveland Indians: Taking in Corey Kluber’s greatness

Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber won his second Cy Young Award on Wednesday, and his greatness must be appreciated in the present.

The American League began handing out the Cy Young Award in 1967. Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber has now won the award twice.

Kluber is cementing himself as an all-time Indians great after another dominant year in which he won the Cy Young Award even though he missed an entire month of the season.

Wednesday’s announcement wasn’t surprising, with the only real surprise being that two voters didn’t give Kluber a first-place vote.

What stands out to me is the fact Indians fans are witnessing one of the best pitchers to ever play for the franchise, yet the excitement of watching him in 2017 may be overshadowed by the team falling short of a title. His struggles in the postseason stand out as well.

But even with all that, this type of dominance is rare. Indians fans have been spoiled with great pitchers like CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Andrew Miller and Kluber among others since 2000, but it won’t last forever.

This reminds me of a certain quote from a Mr. Andy Bernard.

We are all searching for the best way to win a championship, but I hope that doesn’t overshadow the fun we have had.

I understand this may sound like I’m being an apologist for the team, but that is not my intention. I also realize it is fair to be both angry at the team for some confusing October decisions while also appreciating what went down during the regular season.

The same goes for Kluber. It is fair to be frustrated with how be pitched in October, although I would argue the handling of the rotation remains something that fans will be talking about for quite some time, while also appreciating another historic regular season from the ace.

Alright, preaching over. Kluber is one of the GOATs, and that should continue in 2018. Another note from Wednesday is that Carlos Carrasco finished fourth in the voting, setting up the 2018 rotation to be just as dominant as it was in 2017. Having two aces never hurts, while Trevor Bauer could make the case that he deserves to be considered among the best pitchers in the AL.

Next: Potential outfield options in 2018

Perhaps I’m just emotional because I can’t come to terms with the fact the team collapsed as a unit in the ALDS, or maybe I just miss Indians baseball. Regardless, Indians fans should take a minute and watch some Kluber highlights from the past season. It’s a good way to stay sane as Opening Day remains so far away.