I was just reading the list of AL Waiver candidates on mlbtraderumors.com, and noticed Dontrelle Willis' name and had flash backs of the many times he whipped the Mets...
Dontrelle Willis is arguably the greatest pitcher in Florida Marlins history. Rookie of the Year, Cy Young runner-up, and all around good guy - he was a favorite among the 72 Marlins fans that actually went to baseball games.
Last year, in typical Marlins fashion, he was traded along with Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers for a Grilled Stuft Taco Bell Burrito and a Jeff Conine rookie card (it was actually for 4 minor leaguers...).
After a huge contract and a rough start with the Tigers, Detroit sent him to the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers to find himself, and the strike zone. Baseball misses his crooked cap, big smile, and even bigger leg kick.
He was optioned to Lakeland in June, and made one start before he needed his knee examined, as he was still experiencing problems from his injury which landed him on the DL earlier in the year.
Well - he is back pitching again for Lakeland - little did the Detroit Tigers management know that the strike zone in Lakeland is the same as it is in Detroit. Here is a look at his first three starts since his return:
July 17 -3 innings, 4 hits, no walks, 1 K, 1 ER - not bad!
(Here is some footage of him pitching this game, courtesy of the Lakeland Flying Tigers Blog.)
July 26 - 4.1 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 ER, 2K
73 Pitches - 37 strikes, 36 balls
July 31 - 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 1 ER, 3K
88 Pitches - 47 strikes, 41 balls
With the amount of money owed to Dontrelle ($29M over 3 years), he probably isn't going anywhere, and Dontrelle is eager to get back to the majors.
In his quest to find the strike zone, he may be losing the leg kick - the trademark of his (formerly) intimidating pitching. It is hard to imagine him living up to the contract he was given - the change in mechanics, control issues, and knee problems seem to make that unlikely, but hopefully he can re-invent himself and get back to Detroit.
You have to pull for the guy - he is a hard worker and a fan-favorite in Florida - and at least he wasn't faking his knee problems (ala Manita Ramirez).
We will keep an eye on him here at DTS, and will attempt to scout him at his next start (if we can figure out when that is, the Lakeland "Flying" Tigers website doesn't offer much info about this.). Check back for updates.
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