This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins' Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- As Gavin Williams walked across the Progressive Field outfield on Tuesday afternoon, he was accompanied by the newest member of the Guardians, a familiar face: Corey Kluber.
Kluber, the longtime Cleveland ace who retired after the 2023 season, has rejoined the organization. Officially, his title is “special assistant, pitching,” a role that will round into shape as the season goes on and one in which he will work with the Guardians’ big league pitchers alongside the coaching staff.
“A lot of it is figuring it out as we go,” Kluber said. “There's nothing set in stone, but I think it's trying to really find the best ways for me to contribute. I’m not looking to take something away from anybody else that does stuff, but really just use the experience that I have to be a resource if there's an opportunity to do so.”
On Tuesday, Kluber listened attentively during Tanner Bibee’s pregame bullpen session.
“It's just a great fit. It’s a great presence for our young pitchers,” said pitching coach Carl Willis, whom Kluber played under from 2018-19. “They know what he accomplished in his career, particularly what he accomplished here. He's not that far removed that he can still relate to the player and everything.”
Kluber said he wanted to see where he was mentally after announcing his retirement on Feb. 9 last year. As the 2024 season went on, he found himself keeping up with former teammates and teams he played for, which helped him realize he wanted to stay involved in the game.
He was a guest observer at the Guardians' Spring Training camp in March, as he began to explore how he could contribute to the organization.
“Honestly, it got to the point where I felt like I needed something to do,” Kluber said. “Something to work towards, something to feel a sense of accomplishment besides just driving the kids to school.”
Kluber enjoyed 13 decorated seasons in the Major Leagues, including nine with Cleveland. He was a three-time All-Star (2016-18) who won two AL Cy Young Awards (‘14 and ’17), while finishing third twice (’16 and ’18). He won the Majors’ ERA title in ’17 and threw a no-hitter in ’21.
But Kluber also has a wealth of experience beyond that run of dominance. He was a fourth-round Draft pick in 2007 who recorded a 5.56 ERA in 27 starts for Triple-A Columbus in ’11 and a 5.14 ERA in 12 starts with Cleveland in ’12. He worked hard to develop into an ace and kept getting better as a professional.
Kluber later overcame injury adversity and returned to the mound as an effective starter. He suffered a right ulna fracture in 2019, a torn right teres muscle in ’20 and a right shoulder strain in ’21. He made 31 starts in 2022 with Tampa Bay.
“I probably experienced pretty close to a full spectrum of things throughout a career,” Kluber said. “I wasn't a very good Minor Leaguer, figured out some stuff a little bit, but still kind of had to develop at this stage. I had success here, I had not success here … injuries. So I think just having a lot of different types of experiences to build on hopefully presents opportunities to help guys with a lot of different things.”
Kluber is in the get-to-know-you stage right now and is working on building relationships with the Guardians’ pitchers, from how they pitch to how they tick mentally.
“That presents a better opportunity to find meaningful moments to maybe suggest something or talk about something or whatever,” Kluber said, “as opposed to if I don't know anything about a guy.”
Kluber has been getting to know Williams, a starting pitcher who continues to develop for Cleveland. Williams was only 15 years old when Kluber won his first Cy Young Award. They’ve talked about pitching routines dating to Spring Training.
“What really stands out to me is just how eager he seems to get better, to learn,” Kluber said. “I think that you combine that with the talent that he has and [he has] a very high ceiling.”
“It’s definitely awesome [having him around],” said Williams after Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Brewers, when he struck out six and allowed two runs on four hits and one walk in five innings.
“... Just having different ideas, he’s a good guy to ask a lot of questions to.”
That speaks to why Kluber’s return was simple calculus for the Guardians.
“Who better to have than Corey Kluber to be an influence on your starting pitching, especially, and your pitchers in general?” manager Stephen Vogt said.