Carson Spiers' Success Starts With Strike One

When Carson Spiers is asked about his goals in a given season, his answer is always the same: he just wants to win. It's not just some cliché for Spiers either, who is coming off his best start of the young season on Tuesday against the Indianapolis Indians in which he completed six stellar innings while allowing no runs and striking out six.

“First and foremost, [my goal] is to help the team win. That’s who I am,” Spiers said. “I don’t really have any personal goals, like the number of strikeouts, the number of innings pitched, or anything like that. My biggest thing is to just help the team win.”

Spiers has spent time in his career as both a reliever and a starter. He made his Major League debut on September 3rd, 2023, as the starter for the Cincinnati Reds against the Chicago Cubs, going four innings and allowing three runs while striking out seven. He appeared in three more games for the Reds that month, with one start and two appearances out of the bullpen.

This year, he has six starts and one relief appearance with the Louisville Bats, pitching to the tune of a 2.86 ERA with 33 strikeouts, and had a relief appearance with the Reds in early April. Although he strives to be a starter, he simply wants to help the team succeed, most importantly.

“I think it’s valuable that I have showed that I can be a starter and a reliever, a long-relief guy. Even going one inning, I had a few times last year where I only had one inning spurts, and I showed that I can do that as well,” Spiers said. “Now, do I want to be a starter? Yes. I think that’s ultimately my dream, but at the end of the day, I want to help the team win, and whatever aspect that comes in is what I’m going to do.”

Spiers learned a lot in his short time with the Reds last season and looks back fondly on that experience with a hunger to get back.

“It was an awesome experience. The bullpen last year was unbelievable, so just kind of learning and picking those guys’ brains was awesome,” Spiers said. “Lucas Sims, I love watching him pitch. I think we have a very similar slider, so just watching how he goes about it and trying to pick his brain for little tweaks and gadgets that he does, it was awesome. From an experience standpoint, it was great. I wish I would have thrown the ball a little bit better from a competitive standpoint, but I think I showed I belong there. I know I belong there, so it’s just a matter of getting back there and sticking there.”

Spiers’ uncle, Bill Spiers, played baseball for Clemson, Carson’s alma mater, and in the Major Leagues. His father, Michael, and grandfather, Bud, played for Clemson as well, and Spiers says they have helped tremendously in getting him to where he is now.

“One, from just being a young child and being around sports like baseball, football, basketball, soccer, and having my dad, my grandfather, and my uncle push sports and push the love of playing sports. Not worrying about making a career out of it, but just enjoying the game. Stuff like that from a young age was awesome,” Spiers said. “Then, as I got older and matured, going into college and seeing what pro-ball opportunities there were, having my uncle who did this and being able to rely on him was a blessing. This game is tough. There’s going to be days where you don’t have your best stuff, and having this support system around is incredible.”

What’s Spiers best pitch, you ask? This is a question he gets a lot, and his answer proves even further how winning every at-bat is always at the forefront for him.

“I tell people all the time that my best pitch is strike one. I don’t care what it is. I’m the type of guy who has to be able to mix well and throw everything in the zone where I want to be effective. If I can get strike one, I think that sets me up in that at-bat to have a good chance to win.”

Bats pitching coach Virgil Vasquez, who also pitched in the Major Leagues, knows that consistency is crucial for Spiers.

“It’s about repeating. He’s got the stuff; he has the pitches. Every moment, everybody’s refining themselves, and we’re all getting better,” Vasquez said. “He’s going to take little things here and there from his outings, but otherwise, his consistency is the next step. It’s already one of his positive aspects—his consistent work and consistent competitiveness—and he always shows up when it matters.”

Carson Spiers knows he belongs in the Major Leagues, and until he gets that call again, he’s focused on helping the Bats win every single day.