Shane Bieber

Shane Robert Bieber (born May 31, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher currently with the Toronto Blue Jays. He previously pitched for the Cleveland Indians and Guardians organizations. Bieber began his college career as a walk-on at UC Santa Barbara before being drafted by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft. He made his major league debut in 2018. Bieber earned All-Star selections in 2019 and 2021, and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2020.

Bieber grew up in Orange, California, and attended Laguna Hills High School. As a junior, his fastball sat in the mid-80s, and he demonstrated strong command. He walked on at UC Santa Barbara after receiving little interest from other programs. As a high school senior in 2013, he posted an 8–4 record with a 1.40 ERA.

At UC Santa Barbara, Bieber walked on and earned a scholarship by his sophomore year. He played summer ball in the West Coast League for the Cowlitz Black Bears in 2014 and in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2015. During his junior season in 2016, he went 12–4 with a 2.74 ERA across 18 starts.

The Cleveland Indians selected Bieber in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He debuted professionally with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, posting a 0.38 ERA over 24 innings. In 2017, he split time between Lake County, Lynchburg, and Akron, combining for a 10–5 record and a 2.86 ERA in 28 starts. On May 25, 2018, he threw a rain-shortened seven-inning no-hitter for Triple-A Columbus against Gwinnett.

Cleveland purchased Bieber’s contract on May 31, 2018, and he made his MLB debut that night against the Minnesota Twins. He allowed four earned runs over 5⅔ innings, striking out six, as Cleveland won 9–8. He finished his rookie season 11–5 with a 4.55 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 20 appearances.

In 2019, Bieber started 18 games with a 7–3 record and a 3.54 ERA before being named an All-Star for the first time. At the All-Star Game in Cleveland, he struck out the side in the fifth inning and earned MVP honors. He ended the season 15–8 with 259 strikeouts over 214⅓ innings and finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.

Bieber was Cleveland’s Opening Day starter in 2020. He struck out 14 batters in six innings against Kansas City, setting a team record for Opening Day strikeouts. In his next start, he fanned 13 in eight innings against Minnesota, tying Karl Spooner for the most strikeouts in a pitcher’s first two starts of a season. Over August, he posted a 1.63 ERA with 57 strikeouts, including five double-digit strikeout games.

He led MLB in ERA (1.20), strikeouts (84), wins (six), and innings (52⅔) that month, earning AL Pitcher of the Month. He reached 100 strikeouts in 62⅓ innings, the fastest in a single season in MLB history. Bieber won the AL pitching triple crown (eight wins, 1.63 ERA, 122 strikeouts) and led the league in WAR (3.2), winning percentage (.889), fewest hits per nine (5.353), and strikeouts per nine (14.198). In the AL Wild Card Series, he allowed seven runs over 4⅔ innings in a 12–3 loss to the Yankees; Cleveland lost the series 2–0. He was awarded the AL Cy Young Award after the season.

Bieber was Cleveland’s Opening Day starter again in 2021. He went on the injured list June 14 with a subscapularis strain, was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 25, and was activated September 24.

In 2022, Bieber signed a $6 million contract with the Guardians, avoiding arbitration. He went 13–8 with a 2.88 ERA over 200 innings and won a Gold Glove Award alongside teammates Steven Kwan, Andrés Giménez, and Myles Straw.

On January 13, 2023, Bieber agreed to a one-year, $10.01 million contract with the Guardians, avoiding arbitration. He was placed on the 15-day IL on July 15 with elbow inflammation and later transferred to the 60-day IL.