Hall of Fame
Two-time American league Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber was inducted into the Stetson Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. One of the most promising athletes to ever be a Hatter, Kluber went on to become one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball for the better part of a decade. After solid freshman and sophomore seasons with the Hatters, Kluber hit his stride during his junior season in 2007. That year he went 12-2 on the mound, with a 2.05 ERA and 117 strikeouts, earning ASUN Pitcher of the Year honors and second-team All-America from Collegiate Baseball. That June, Kluber was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the MLB Draft. He eventually was traded from San Diego to the Cleveland Indians in 2010, and made his major league debut for the Indians on September 1, 2011. It took longer than expected, but Kluber finally established himself as a big-league starting pitcher in 2013, going 11-5 with a 3.85 ERA and 136 strikeouts for Cleveland in a sign of things to come. In 2014, Kluber won the first of his two Cy Youngs by posting an 18-9 record and a 2.35 ERA. He also struck out 269 batters. After a down season in 2015, Kluber rebounded with the first of three straight All-Star selections in 2016, winning 18 games again and striking out 227 batters. He finished third in the Cy Young voting. The 2017 season yielded another Cy Young Award for Kluber as he yet again posted 18 victories (18-4), winning the AL ERA title (2.35) and striking out a whopping 265 batters in 203.2 innings. His best season may have come in 2018, as he earned his first 20-win season (20-7) and led the American League with 215.0 innings pitched. But despite those numbers he finished third in the Cy Young voting. Kluber tasted success in the postseason as well, starting Game 1 of the World Series for the Cleveland Indians, who were searching for their first World Series title since 1948. Kluber set a World Series record in Game 1 by striking out the game’s first eight batters. Kluber and the Indians went on to win the game, 6-0, but eventually lost the series in seven games to the Chicago Cubs.Â
