Carl Willis is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for several teams during his career. He was born on December 28, 1960, in Danville, Virginia, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played college baseball.
Willis was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 23rd round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft. He made his Major League debut on September 7, 1984, and played for the Tigers until 1987. During his time with the Tigers, Willis was primarily used as a relief pitcher and had a 4.56 ERA in 85 appearances.
In 1988, Willis was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played for two seasons. He had a 4.26 ERA in 57 appearances for the Reds. In 1990, Willis was part of the Reds team that won the World Series.
After his time with the Reds, Willis played for the Minnesota Twins, the Cleveland Indians, and the Seattle Mariners. He had his best season in 1991 with the Twins, where he had a 2.63 ERA in 54 appearances. He also had a career-high 11 saves that season.
Willis retired from baseball in 1995 with a career record of 22-16 and a 3.87 ERA in 267 appearances. After his playing career, Willis became a pitching coach. He worked for several teams, including the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners, the Boston Red Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers.
During his time as a pitching coach, Willis helped several pitchers improve their performance. He worked with CC Sabathia, who won the Cy Young Award in 2007, and Felix Hernandez, who won the award in 2010. Willis also worked with Josh Beckett, who won the World Series MVP in 2003, and David Price, who won the Cy Young Award in 2012.
In 2019, Willis was hired as the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians. He helped the team reach the playoffs that year, and several of the team's pitchers had strong performances under his guidance.
Overall, Carl Willis had a successful baseball career as a pitcher and later as a pitching coach. He played for several teams during his career and was part of a World Series-winning team with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. As a pitching coach, he helped several pitchers improve their performance and achieve success at the Major League level.
⚾