Cleveland Indians: Corey Kluber’s potential road to Cooperstown

The long haul

Kluber’s first few seasons have him on the same trajectory as some of his elite contemporaries, but baseball’s sacred realm only opens its doors for those who can maintain that level for all or most of their careers.

For most, that is a tall task. Throwing upwards of 100 pitches every fifth day for 12 or 13 years tends to take a toll on a man. The wear and tear on shoulders, elbows and knees can really begin to weigh a pitcher down when he hits the back nine of his career.

Kluber’s pitching style should actually age well, however. Despite strikeout numbers reflective of some of the game’s better power pitchers, Kluber himself is not one. He relies on movement and changes in velocity as opposed to reaching back and blowing it by an opposing hitter.

If he loses a few miles per hour off his fastball as his career progresses, it won’t be as much of an obstacle for him as it would be for a pitcher who relies heavily on high heat.

He boasts a diverse arsenal, including a wicked sinker/two-seamer that appears to be headed directly at a left-handed batter’s hips before breaking over the inside corner at the last second. He mixes in a slider, cutter and change as well, but his secret weapon, which he began using significantly more often in 2017, is his curve.

The sum of all the parts of Kluber’s repertoire results in a guessing game played by hitters, and they lose more often than not. It’s incredibly difficult to sit on any one pitch with Kluber when his offerings include such a variety of different breaks and velocities.

As long as he maintains command of his wide array of pitches, he’s going to continue to be effective well into his late 30s.