On the bench during a recent Cleveland Indians game, the pitching coach Mickey Callaway thought of a thoroughly incongruous comparison: Corey Kluber and Michael Jordan.
Kluber, the Indians’ All-Star right-handed pitcher, is robotic on the mound and subdued off it. He does not court attention, and he rarely seems to smile. He is probably not the best choice to sell your company’s sneakers, cereal or sports drink.
But to Callaway, something about Kluber reminded him of the most dominant and charismatic team-sport athlete in recent memory.
“He’s doing it effortlessly,” Callaway said. “We talk about it on the bench.