Kluber's Curveball Finally Gives Rangers' Staff a Trump Card

Corey Kluber's curveball has been one of the most dominant pitches in baseball over the last 5 years. Now, the Rangers get to see it up close and in person.

The Texas Rangers may have struck out on the big offensive weapons so far in free agency, but General Manager Jon Daniels made sure the Rangers' pitching staff will strike out quite a few opponents this season.

After adding Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles early in free agency, Daniels didn't panic after Anthony Rendon signed with the AL West division foe Los Angeles Angels, instead pulling off a heist of a trade with the Cleveland Indians, acquiring ace right-handed starter Corey Kluber for outfielder Delino DeShields and pitching prospect Emmanuel Clase.

Adding a pitcher of Kluber's caliber helps the Rangers not only fortify a club weakness over the last few years, it gives Texas a trump card in 3- and 4-game series' against division foes.

Throughout his career, Kluber has been dominant against the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, and the Seattle Mariners. In fact, when you narrow it down to individual matchups, Kluber really only struggles with guys like Rendon, Seattle's Mitch Haniger, Houston's George Springer and former teammate and current Astro Michael Brantley.

Rendon hit .750 in 4 at-bats against Kluber last year, while Haniger carries a 6-for-9 mark (.667) against Kluber in his career. Springer and Brantley are both .333 and higher. However, the key with Kluber is he is dominant against the big bats for those clubs.

Mike Trout has had a whale of a time against Kluber in his illustrious career, carrying a 2-for-15 line against the ace right-hander. One of those two hits did go over the wall for a home run though.

Houston's Jose Altuve? He's just 5-for-25 in his career with 5 strikeouts, most of which came on Kluber's deadly curveball. Oakland's Marcus Semien? Just 2-for-18 with 5 punchouts.

What do all these guys have in common? They really struggle against the curveball, which is Kluber's best pitch, and arguably one of the best in baseball.

Playing in a new stadium with an offense that might struggle night to night will be difficult to attract fans, but having a dominant pitcher that has a ton of success within the division will help the Rangers stay relevant in a tough AL West, and could help Texas push for a surprise division title.

Expect a lot of Uncle Charlie's out of Kluber's right arm, and likely a lot of wins in the Lone Star State.