Cleveland Indians Top 25 in 2016: No. 2, Corey Kluber

Our look at the Top 25 Cleveland Indians in 2016 continues with Corey Kluber, who once again reminded fans why he is the ace of the staff.

It’s easy to take Corey Kluber for granted. But fans must remember that we are all lucky that Kluber is a member of the Cleveland Indians.

Kluber had another great season in 2016, remaining a consistent piece of a starting rotation that dealt with injuries throughout the season. He finished with a record of 18-9 with an ERA of 3.14, good enough for third in the American League Cy Young award vote.

But for the first time in Kluber’s career, he was able to show that he is not only a great regular season pitcher, but also a postseason star. Kluber dominated in the postseason, appearing in six games. And up until his Game 7 start against the Chicago Cubs, he had only allowed three earned runs.

That final game saw Kluber allow four runs in four innings of work, but it was hard to blame him for being burnt out. He consistently pitched on short rest and did well until that final game. Even the four runs he allowed didn’t take the Indians out of the game.

Kluber would have been the easy choice for the Cy Young award if the postseason was taken into account, and could easily be considered the team’s playoff MVP, although Andrew Miller is just as good a candidate.

The best part about watching Kluber is knowing he should only continue to improve, as 2016 was only his fourth full season as a starter. He is under contract through 2018, with team options in 2019 and 2020, and it would be surprising if the team didn’t pick up either option. He may even sign an extension before it reaches that point.

And while we shouldn’t take Kluber for granted, he makes it so easy to do just that. He consistently comes out and logs six or more innings a game, striking out opposing hitters at an alarming rate and doing his best even when the run support isn’t there. And he does all this with no emotion on his face. Just another day at work for the ace.

Next: Top 25 in 2016: Andrew Miller

Corey Kluber is going to be the focal point of a rotation that may be considered the best in baseball for the next few seasons, and he should only continue to be one of the team’s best players during that span.