Let's Talk Tribe - Ep. 11: A look at the starting rotation

This week I spoke with Carson Cistulli, who's not only an editor at FanGraphs, he's also President of the Corey Kluber Society (CKS) and notetaker for Danny Salazar Morning/Afternoon/Night in America. If you haven't been reading Carson's work this season, you've missed a lot of praise for both those pitchers, and a lot of GIFs showing their nastiest pitches. Carson spoke with Kluber recently, and the two of us discussed their conversation, along with how and when he first fell for Corey and Danny.

Here is Carson's Q & A with Kluber, up now at FanGraphs.

This week's episode ran a little long, because I led us somewhat off-topic early on. I know some of you like to fit your listening into half an hour, so while the entire recording is well worth listening to, here's a rundown that might allow you to find what's of greatest interest to you:

0:00 to 7:00: A recap of the Indians' last week and the current state of the Wild Card Race, then discussion of what draws Carson (who is also an accomplished poet and essayist) to baseball and to writing.

7:00 to 14:00: What FanGraphs aims for, and how Carson went from diehard Red Sox fan to a more broadly interested fan of the game, someone drawn to players "about whom there is something exceptional." ...Enter Corey Kluber.

14:00 to 20:00: Where did Corey Kluber come from? What changes did he make to allow him to suddenly become a big success after years of relative anonymity in the minor leagues?

20:00 to 27:00: Danny Salazar and what Carson looks for when identifying fringe prospects who might make it.

27:00 to 40:00: Drew Stubbs and the aging curve of fielding skills; Scott Kazmir and Ubaldo Jimenez are both set to hit free agency, should the Tribe bring them back?

40:00 to 49:00: What do you think happens the rest of this season? What do you hope happens? Who is worth rooting for?

49:00 to 51:00: I review what's coming up for the Indians.

The audio is embedded below, and can also be found at Let's Go Tribe's Blog Talk Radio page, and also at iTunes, where you can subscribe and listen at your leisure.

Here you go: