Corey Kluber 2021 Player Outlook: Ready to Return to Fantasy Relevance
4 years agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber is looking to return to form after back-to-back injury-marred seasons limited him to just 36.2 innings since 2019. Kluber was able to avoid surgery for his latest injury — a torn muscle in his right shoulder — and it shouldn't affect his velocity or accuracy going forward. But while this injury shouldn't be a problem in 2021, Kluber's velocity had already been dropping about two to three miles per hour from his 2014 numbers. Along with that, after posting career-highs with a 5.8 percent barrel rate and 33.1 percent hard-hit rate in 2018 (his last full season), Kluber surpassed those marks with an 8.9 percent barrel rate and 38.4 percent hard-hit rate over 35.2 innings in 2019. Managers shouldn't expect a return to pre-2019 numbers for Kluber, but if you assume he stays healthy and predict his floor at 10 wins, a 3.30 ERA and 140 strikeouts with the potential to pitch better than that, he will be well worth drafting at his current ADP of 250.