Cleveland Indians: Can Corey Kluber repeat as the AL Cy Young winner?

The Cleveland Indians fell short of the World Series in 2017 but their players gained some individual recognition. Corey Kluber reigned supreme among the AL pitchers winning his second Cy Young award.

The Cleveland Indians have been lucky enough to possess a quality pitching staff over the last few seasons. In 2017, their ace, Corey Kluber, won his second AL Cy Young award.

In 2018, Kluber will look to defend his title as the AL’s best pitcher. The question is, will he be able to repeat his 2017 campaign to lock down his third Cy Young?

Kluber has been a dominant presence in the Indians’ lineup since entering the league in 2011. He became a full-time starter in 2012 and never looked back. He has posted double-digit wins in four of his last five seasons. This includes three 18 win campaigns in that stretch.

While his win-loss ratio did not look good in 2015, Kluber’s performance was better than his 9-16 record showed. Kluber has the ability to go the distance on any given night. His strikeout stuff is a thing of nightmares for opponents.

The Indians’ ace has a command of all his pitches that allows him to throw anything in his arsenal at any given time. This puts hitters in a bad position because they cannot key in on any one pitch Kluber decides to throw.

Kluber has a breaking ball that rivals any top pitchers in the entire league. The cut and break on his off-speed pitches is fun to watch every time he steps foot on the mound.

With Kluber posting at least 18 wins and at least 245 strikeouts in three of his last four seasons, he has every chance to repeat as the AL Cy Young award winner.

Fans must remember, Kluber missed an entire month of starts in 2017 due to a back injury. That stint on the disabled list may have been a blessing in disguise for him. After the DL stint, his dominance was unbelievable. Watching his starts is like watching a masterpiece being crafted from start to finish.

The Cleveland Indians have great pieces around Kluber and that only helps complement his success. The Tribe also boast a great record when giving him at least four runs of support. Now, any fan knows that giving pitchers that much support is a great thing. When Kluber receives 3-5 runs of support, he has a 27-17 record in 62 starts. When he gets at least six runs of support, Kluber is undefeated, going 40-0 in 51 starts. The offense seems to get a higher level of confidence when Kluber is on the mound and rightfully so.

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Kluber’s arsenal mixed with his confidence and his composure sets him up for a great 2018. Repeating as the AL Cy Young winner is certainly attainable and very much in his reach.