CLEVELAND — Revered Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis is sticking around.
MLB.com has confirmed that Willis will return as Cleveland’s pitching coach in 2026. The club has not officially announced the news, which Cleveland.com reported on Saturday.
Willis, 64, took some time to reflect on the season before making a decision on his future, just as he has done in recent years. He will be back in 2026 for his 16th overall season as Cleveland’s pitching coach, including his ninth straight.
Willis’ initial tenure spanned 2003-09 under manager Eric Wedge. After stints with Seattle and Boston, Willis returned as Cleveland’s pitching coach entering ’18 under Terry Francona, and he has remained a staff mainstay since Stephen Vogt took over as manager entering ‘24.
Vogt spoke highly of Willis at the Guardians’ end-of-season media availability earlier this month, noting, “As long as I’m here and he’s wanting to be here, Carl Willis will be our pitching coach.”
“Getting to sit next to him and watch two full baseball seasons and work together with him hand-in-hand, this is one of the elite people in the game of baseball,” Vogt said of Willis on Oct. 7. “[He is] one of the elite teammates, let alone what he does with pitching.
“It’s really special for me to be able to share a dugout bench with Carl every day.”
The Guardians finished 2025 fourth in MLB with a 3.70 staff ERA, which included a 3.86 ERA by their starting pitchers (10th in the Majors and fourth in the American League).
This time one year ago, Cleveland’s rotation was its biggest question mark. In 2025, it was the Guardians’ biggest success story, and it has re-emerged as their backbone.
The developmental stories on the pitching staff were plentiful in 2025, and it’s part of the job that Willis relishes.
“We all show up here to win every day,” Willis said in September. “But I can’t tell you how exciting it is to watch these young guys grow and experience some success. I’m excited for all of them.”
Under the tutelage of Willis and assistant pitching coaches Brad Goldberg and Joe Torres, Gavin Williams solidified himself as an anchor this year after getting off to an inconsistent start. Tanner Bibee rediscovered his form down the stretch amid an up-and-down season in which he still tallied a career-high-tying 31 starts.
Slade Cecconi emerged as a steady presence in his first season as a full-time starting pitcher after Cleveland acquired him from Arizona in a trade for Josh Naylor last December. Logan Allen made a career-high 29 starts.
Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick spent extended stretches of 2025 in the Minor Leagues, but by season’s end, both had emerged as key cogs in the six-man staff that Cleveland pivoted to in September. That group recorded a 2.60 ERA over the final month, which ranked second in MLB behind the Dodgers’ 2.07.
“You’ve got Carl Willis out there, man,” catcher Austin Hedges said in September. “That guy’s a special, special human that can teach pitching. It’s no coincidence why we have so many talented arms, and they’ve been carrying us.”
The Guardians have not officially finalized their coaching staff. There will be some turnover; Kai Correa (Cleveland’s fielding coordinator and director of defense, baserunning and game strategy) has been hired as the Mets’ new bench coach.
And though associate manager Craig Albernaz’s name has also popped up alongside managerial openings, Cleveland and its fan base can rest assured that Willis will be back in the fold next year.
