Joe Luis got biggest thrill as pro, saw 3 seasons, high-A
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The Red Sox scout that signed him described University of Lowell catcher Joe Luis in March 1990 as handling pitchers well, with an accurate arm, according to The Lynn Daily Item.
Luis was just happy to be starting his professional career.
"This is the biggest thrill of my life," Luis told The Daily Item. "This is what I always wanted."
Luis went on to play three professional seasons. He played all three at high-A.
Luis' career began that year in 1990, signed by the Red Sox as a free agent out of Lowell.
Luis started with the Red Sox at high-A Lynchburg. He got into 26 games and hit .169.
He then returned to Lynchburg for 1991. He saw 43 games that year and hit .264. For 1992, he moved to high-A Winter Haven, but saw just a single game. That game proved his last as a pro.
Luis soon settled back home in Massachusetts started teaching the game to youth and helping open a training facility in 1996.. In 2026, he continued to direct and own the Extra Innings training facility in Middleton, Massachusetts. He also served as varsity assistant coach with St. John's Prep.
In 2005, he and his business partner opened a franchise location in Watertown, Massachusetts, with designs on opening many more, according to The Boston Globe.
"Across the country now, almost in every town, there are mom-and-pop baseball facilities," Luis told The Globe then. "What we're trying to do is become the national brand name."
- Lynn Daily Item, March 2, 1990: Peabody's Luis signs with Sox
- Boston Globe, Jan. 23, 2005: Extra Innings extends its reach
Made the Majors:1,482-31.5%
Never Made Majors:3,218-68.5%-X