Amateur career

Kluber attended Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. While pitching for the school's baseball team, Kluber broke his elbow, requiring surgery and the insertion of two screws. He went unselected in the 2004 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.

Coaches at Stetson University became aware of Kluber when he pitched in a tournament in Florida, where his parents owned a condominium. 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 was used as a relief pitcher. He compiled a 2-2 win-loss record with a 7.82 earned run average (ERA) in 25 innings pitched. As a sophomore, he had a 6-5 win-loss record and a 3.61 ERA in 17 games, 14 of which he started. In 2007, Kluber had a 12-2 win-loss record and a 2.05 ERA with 117 strikeouts. That year, he was named both the Atlantic Sun Conference's Pitcher of the Year and a member the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region Second Team in 2007.

Professional career

San Diego Padres

Kluber was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. The Padres signed Kluber, giving him a $200,000 signing bonus. Kluber played for the Eugene Emeralds of the Class A Midwest League in 2008. On August 25, 2008, he was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. He played for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the Class A-Advanced 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 Class AA Texas League in 2009, finishing the year with a 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.

Cleveland Indians

The Padres traded Kluber to the Cleveland Indians on July 31, 2010, in the three-team trade between the Padres, Indians, and St. Louis Cardinals that sent Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals and Ryan Ludwick to the Padres. The Padres also sent Nick Greenwood to the Cardinals, and the Indians paid $2.7 million of Westbrook's remaining salary. The Indians assigned Kluber to the Akron Aeros of the Class AA Eastern League. After the 2010 season, he took part in the Indians' Winter Development Program. In 2011, he was added to the Indians' 40-man roster.

Kluber played for the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League in 2011, pitching to a 7-11 win-loss record and a 5.56 ERA. He was called up to the Indians on September 1, 2011, and made his major league debut that day. Kluber was brought up from Columbus in August 2012 to replace starting pitcher Josh Tomlin in the Indians' rotation. Tomlin was moved to the bullpen.

Kluber began the 2013 season with Columbus, but received a promotion when Brett Myers suffered an elbow injury. On June 16, 2013, Kluber threw eight shutout innings in a 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. He won the American League Player of the Week Award for the week ending June 16, 2013. On September 22, 2013, he became the first pitcher to strike out 14 batters in consecutive starts since Randy Johnson in 2004. He finished the season with a 11-5 record and a 3.85 ERA.

Kluber was named the American League Player of the Week for the week ending September 21, 2014, and the Pitcher of the Month for September 2014. He finished the 2014 season with an 18-9 win-loss record and a 2.44 ERA. His 18 wins were tied with Max Scherzer and Jered Weaver for the most in the American League (AL), and his ERA was the third best in the league. He also struck out 269 batters in 235 2⁄₃ innings, good for second-best in the major leagues behind David Price's 271. Though the Indians missed the playoffs, the 2014 season culminated with Kluber winning the AL Cy Young Award, beating out Felix Hernandez in a tightly contested vote. Kluber earned 17 of 30 first-place votes, with Hernandez getting the remaining 13.

On May 13, 2015, Kluber struck out a career-high 18 batters over eight shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, earning his first win of the 2015 season. Kluber tied Bob Feller's 77-year franchise record for strikeouts in one game, Feller having done so on October 2, 1938.

Pitching style

Kluber relies on a low to mid 90's fastball, along with a cutter, curveball, changeup and sinker.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]