Background and career
Corey Scott Kluber (born April 10, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2011 as a member of the Indians. A power pitcher, Kluber achieved high strikeout rates through a two-seam sinker and a breaking ball that variously resembled a slider and a curveball. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Kluber played high-school baseball for Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. He then attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he was named Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2007, and was inducted into the Stetson Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. The San Diego Padres selected Kluber in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, and traded him to the Indians in 2010 as part of a three-team transaction. Kluber established himself in the Indians' starting rotation in 2013. He was signed through 2020, with a club option for 2021, after agreeing to a five-year, $38.5 million contract extension with the Indians in April 2015. Following an injury-plagued 2019 season, the Indians traded Kluber to the Rangers in December 2019, where he missed most of the 2020 season with injuries, as well. He signed with the Yankees for the 2021 season and the Rays for the 2022 season. A three-time MLB All-Star, Kluber is a two-time winner of the Cy Young Award in the American League (AL) including in 2014, his second full season in the major leagues, and in 2017. In 2016, he was named the Sporting News AL Starting Pitcher of the Year. He led the major leagues in earned run average (ERA) in 2017, and has twice led the AL in wins. On May 13, 2015, Kluber became one of 20 pitchers in major league history to strike out at least 18 batters in a nine-inning game, doing so versus the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2018, Kluber notched his first 20-win season. On May 19, 2021, Kluber threw a no-hitter against the Rangers.
Kluber attended Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. While pitching for the school's baseball team, Kluber developed a stress fracture in his elbow due to overuse by his coach Don English, requiring surgery and the insertion of two screws. He went unselected in the 2004 MLB draft. Kluber began to draw notice from coaches at Stetson University, when he pitched at the World Wood Bat Championships in Jupiter, Florida.
He enrolled at Stetson, where he played college baseball for the Stetson Hatters baseball team in the Atlantic Sun Conference. As a freshman in 2005, Kluber performed as a relief pitcher, compiling a 2–2 win–loss record with a 7.82 earned run average (ERA) in 25 innings pitched. As a sophomore, he produced a 6–5 win–loss record and a 3.61 ERA in 17 games, including 14 starts. In 2007, Kluber had a 12–2 win–loss record and a 2.05 ERA with 117 strikeouts. That year, he was named the Atlantic Sun Conference's Pitcher of the Year, a second team member of the 2007 Ping! Baseball All-American Team and a member the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region Second Team in 2007.
The San Diego Padres selected Kluber in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB draft. Kluber signed with the Padres, receiving a $200,000 signing bonus. Kluber played for the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Single–A Midwest League in 2008. On August 25, 2008, he was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week.
Kluber played for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the High–A California League in 2009. On June 1, 2009, he was named the California League Pitcher of the Week. He received a promotion to the San Antonio Missions of the Double–A Texas League in 2009, finishing the year with an 11–13 win–loss record and a 4.55 ERA. On July 26, 2010, Kluber was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week. He pitched to a 6–6 win–loss record with a 3.45 ERA with the Missions, while leading the Texas League in strikeouts.
The Padres traded Kluber to the Cleveland Indians on July 31, 2010, in a three-team trade also involving the St. Louis Cardinals. Cleveland sent Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals while St. Louis sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres. The Padres sent Nick Greenwood to the Cardinals, and the Indians paid $2.7 million of Westbrook's remaining salary. At the time of the trade, Kluber's minor league record was 18–24, and he was not ranked among the top thirty prospects in the Padres' farm system. The Indians assigned Kluber to the Akron Aeros of the Double-A Eastern League. After the 2010 season, he took part in the Indians' Winter Development Program. He was added to the Indians' 40-man roster after the season. Kluber played for the Columbus Clippers of the Triple–A International League in 2011, pitching to a 7–11 win–loss record and a 5.56 ERA.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
