3) Red Sox pitcher Corey Kluber proved his hot spring was a fluke
A player whose spring we wish was no fluke, Corey Kluber looked really good for the Red Sox. He made 5 starts, went 2-2, and had a 3.24 ERA. His 15 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work was good to see, however, a deeper dive into some of his spring numbers and there are warning signs.
Kluber had a 1.44 WHIP and a .262 batting average against him. Maybe he wasn’t so much good as he was lucky in the preseason. As every Red Sox fan has suffered through in the regular season, a not-so-good yet lucky Kluber would be a welcomed addition to this roster.
Kluber’s tenure with the Red Sox has been so bad he was actually removed from the rotation and shoved into the bullpen to wait out the season. The change was the only thing Boston could do to salvage anything from him.
Overall season numbers for Kluber include a 3-6 record and 6.75 ERA. Sadly, he hasn’t been any better pitching in relief. Through the first 5 appearances he has an 8.71 ERA. One particularly bad appearance against the Cleveland Guardians is where most of the damage there took place.
Don’t hold your breath for a Kluber turnaround in any sort of role. Prepare for him to finish out the year as a mop-up guy. And to think it started so well in the spring.