Pitcher Dontrelle Willis Designation Could Force Retirment
On July 4th former star pitcher Dontrelle Willis was once again designated for assignment, this time by the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is the second time Willis has been designated this year, after the Detroit Tigers wrote off the former star in April.
Willis has not been able to find his groove since the 2006 season he spent in Florida. Unfortunately for Willis the 2010 season has not been kind to him. He started off the season with the Detroit Tigers, but after a very poor showing, posting a record of 1-4 with a horrible 7.49 ERA the Tigers finally decided they were done. They designated the lefty for assignment, ending his three year career in Detroit.
Luckily for Willis the Arizona Diamondbacks had a very weak staff and were in desperate need of left handed pitching. The D’backs traded pitcher Billy Buckner for Willis in the hope that they would catch lightening in a bottle. Unfortunately for Arizona, Willis was all but finished posting a record of 2-3 and an ERA 5.62. Unable to justify keeping him on staff he was designated for assignment on July 4th.
Dontrelle Willis had a quick ride to stardom, pitching with raw power and showing off a very signature high leg kick. His career started when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2000, he was then traded to the Florida Marlins in 2002. Willis spent part of 2003 with the Marlins minor league affiliate in Carolina before being called up.
Willis was exciting from the get-go, throwing to a 14-6 record and a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts. He electrified in the playoffs that year as well, going 3-3 with a triple at the plate in the National League division series. That year the Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series. Willis came back as a starter and in the 2005 season led the majors with 22 wins, along with five shutouts and a 2.63 ERA.
During 2006, and 2007 Willis’ numbers began to decline, posting and average, 12-12 record with a 3.87 ERA in 2006 and a 10-15 record with an ERA of 5.17 in 2007. Sensing Willis’ value maybe at its peak he was traded along with Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers for six players. He was then immediately signed to a three-year $29 million contract.
The trade to Detroit marked the beginning of the end for Willis. Unable to manage his control, manager Jim Leyland pitched him in relief, before he was sent down to work out the kinks in his game. The time in the minors did not seem to help as Willis came back only recording a loss in three starts. In 2009, Willis was put on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder. He came back and pitched to poor results earning an ERA of 7.49, before being put back on the DL with the same anxiety disorder. Finally he was moved to the Diamondbacks where he was unable to replicate his season with Florida and was placed back down in the minors.
With his recent demotion it will be a wonder if Dontrelle Willis will ever play in the majors again. It looks as though he will either announce his retirement or carry on playing independent ball. Either way, the young pitcher that looked so promising in a Marlins jersey during their run to the pennant is no longer and it will take a very desperate team to add him to their staff. No such team has come forward and it doesn't look like they will either.
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