TAMPA, Florida – Talking is cheap at this point in baseball programming, but the words will carry the weight of two of the most important Yankees of 2021. Any team that includes Corey Kluber and DJ LeMahieu on the list should value the conversation at premium prices.
With Kluber and his alter ego “Klubot” joining LeMahieu’s streaked “The Machine”, Bombers boast two of the league’s most focused competitors. It is a business for both players, taking the common goal of playing to the fullest and bringing the World Series championship back to New York.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be the most vocal person in the room,” said Kluber. “Like most people, the more comfortable you are in a situation, the more open you are. I think that’s part of team building; one of the things about Spring Training is a little bit different now [due to COVID-19]. It is important to build this club culture. “
So far, the Yankees are excited about what they saw of Kluber, who said his right shoulder didn’t give him any problems. Kluber lost most of last season to Rangers due to a large round muscle in his right shoulder. He said he no longer feels as if he is rehabilitating himself; instead, Kluber is preparing as if he normally does at this point in the season.
“I have had no problems with this now or anywhere throughout the rehabilitation process,” said Kluber. “This is encouraging. Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m still working on improving the shoulder or anything. I think it’s at a point where, like any part of your body, it needs maintenance throughout the year. But I’m not putting any more emphasis on that than anything else right now. “
This allows the Yankees to dream of a front three of the rotation that could be composed by Gerrit Cole, Kluber and Jameson Taillon, with Luis Severino expected to return in the middle of the season. Twice the American League Cy Young Award winner, Kluber turns 35 in April and is two years out of the 2018 season, when he went 20-7 with an ERA of 2.89 in 33 games for the Indians.
Yankees coach Aaron Boone said there had already been internal comparisons between Kluber and LeMahieu’s personalities, the latter of whom has been the club’s most valuable player in the past two seasons.
“When we started this road with Corey, you start to dive into a guy’s makeup,” said Boone. “Some of these comparisons were made naturally because of the DJ’s presence. There are probably some similarities. I like to think that, as much as these guys are ‘Klubot’ and ‘The Machine’, they are discrete in certain ways. . But they are also guys that when you get there, they have some really cool personalities. “
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake previously served as organizational pitching coordinator with the Indians, where everyone except one of Kluber’s major league innings was launched. Blake described Kluber’s mental approach to the release as “very concise and efficient”.
“If you have direct questions for him, from my point of view, he is very personal,” said Blake. “We can relate a lot at the pitch level, going back to some time and to the people with whom we share experiences. I think the most valuable part of him that people talk to is his consistency and preparation. He is very focused and detailed. This will fit right here. “
Yes, Kluber has heard the nickname “Klubot” a few times from teammates; it’s not his favorite, but he doesn’t care.
“I wouldn’t say I don’t like it; I just think it was a little bit exaggerated at first [in Cleveland]”Said Kluber.” I would not say that I am against it. It doesn’t really matter to me, honestly. “
More importantly, Kluber said his early days with the stripes reinforced his belief that he joined a first-class organization, which will provide the opportunity to be the last team standing in October.
“There are some guys without much experience; some guys coming back from injuries,” said Kluber. “As a group, we cannot pay attention to that. We just have to do the best job of preparing and being in a position to launch a lot. This will remove these question marks at the end of the year.”