Originally signed by Pittsburgh, Cliburn was picked up as a free agent by the Angels in 1982. He had a twin brother, Stan, who was an outfielder in the Angels organization for six years. Stu relied upon a 90-mph fastball and a hard-breaking curve. He was named Angel “Rookie of the Year” in 1985, when he was 9-3 with six saves and a 2.09 ERA.