Much to his wife’s delight, Corey Kluber will be slightly less hirsute for the 2021 season, and admitted that not having a beard ‘feels kind of naked’ but he’s getting used to it.
The other thing he’s getting used to? Being fully healthy, and being ready to get back to being the Corey Kluber who was one of baseball’s best pitchers over the last decade.
“I’m healthy and at a normal stage of my offseason right now, which is a good feeling,” Kluber told the media in his introductory Yankees Zoom meeting Thursday. “Honestly, I think that it's probably more of overcoming the mental aspect of (rehabbing injuries) as opposed to the physical – getting out of that mindset where you're trying to work through things or feel for things and that sort of stuff, and getting to the point where you’re executing pitches and worried about getting outs."
That latter part was Kluber’s mindset entering last season, his lone one with the Rangers, but that season ended after just one inning due to a torn shoulder muscle. Between that, the pandemic, and two injuries – a fractured forearm, and then an abdominal strain during his rehab – that sabotaged his 2019, that one inning with Texas is the only one he has thrown on an MLB mound in the last 21 months.
But, never once did he doubt that was the end.
“There were definitely some frustrating moments for me, especially last summer, but I don’t think I ever got down on myself. I knew I did everything I could do to stay ready – it was one of those bad breaks, so I started to attack my rehab right away to get ready for 2021,” he said. “The most difficult part is not being able to be out there competing with your teammates. It’s tough for us as athletes to watch a game on TV, because you feel disconnected, and don’t really feel like you’re part of the team, but taking a step back and looking at the end goal of getting back to that…that’s what motivates you.”
Kluber threw a showcase about two weeks ago that two dozen teams attended, but while his familiarity with pitching coach Matt Blake and player health and performance director Eric Cressey was a big plus in the Yankees’ favor, coming to New York wasn’t a slam dunk.
“Going through what I’ve gone through the last two years, knowing Eric and Matt is something I considered when making this decision, but it wasn’t an advantage,” he said. “My mindset was to show whoever attended that I was healthy with no reservations, and one of my most important criteria was identifying a team that was a contender, and a place where I felt I could go and pitch well. I guess I had faith that it would work out the right way. The Yankees are a historic franchise with a great fan base, and hopefully this summer, when fans can come back, that will be fun to be a part of.”
Kluber has only met Gerrit Cole a few times and never met Jameson Taillon, but is looking forward to the potential that trio brings atop the Yankees’ rotation.
“Gerrit is one of the best pitchers in the league, and when healthy, Jameson has been up in that top tier. If Luis Severino can come back healthy, he has great stuff and can pitch at that high level too, and there are some young guys they feel really good about,” Kluber said. “But like any rotation, you can feel as good as you want about it in January, but it’s all about that process and staying as consistent as you can for as long as possible.”
Kluber has been one of the most consistent and durable pitchers in the game, pitching 200 or more innings in five straight seasons from 2014-18. He won two Cy Young Awards and was a three-time All-Star in that span, but never one was worried about the numbers of getting there.
“I never had a goal of 200 innings or every start – those seasons where it happened were the result of a day-to-day process and diligence putting me in that position,” Kluber said. “Different stuff arises every year, so pinpointing those things is out of your control, but I do think that I expect myself to be consistent and reliable. That's the expectation that I have for myself, and the team has for me, and I think it’s the day-to-day process that allows those things to fall into place."
Blake told Sweeny Murti that 150 innings is a good baseline for Kluber, and the righty would seemingly be more happy to have that come over 30 starts than 25.
“Obviously the focus is 162 games, being able to take the ball every fifth day. Aside from the last two years, I’ve been able to do that, so I think I have a good blueprint, but I need to make a few adjustments,” he said. “The biggest is listening to my body and not always trying to fight through things. There are times where you have to be smart and not try to have that push through mentality.”
That’s “easier said than done,” he admitted, but Kluber knows that if he can do it, he can round back into that All-Star, and potentially Cy Young, form pretty quickly.
“I think that there’s some adjustment to be made every year, injury or not, because of guys getting more looks at you and vice versa, but I don’t feel like I am trying to do something different because of injuries,” he said. “In 2019, I feel like I got pretty out of whack with my delivery, and over that summer, I spent a lot of time correcting those issues to where now I feel like I’m able to go out there and throw the way I did when I was at my best.”
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