He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round he was the 17th pick of the 1988 amateur draft. He was a member of the 1988 USA Olympic baseball team. He played at the major league level from the 1990 through 2002 with Cleveland, and he finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 1996. His last season, 2003, was with the San Diego Padres.

He was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Cleveland Indians Team Hall of Fame on August 11, 2007.