Dontrelle Willis Career Tracker

pride goeth before a fall!

I think it is time for Dontrelle to become a catcher! He knows the signs and can hit well! That way the Tigers won't lose all the money for nothing!

that was a lot of money, wasn't it!

I reads somewhere that Dontrelle didn't even pitch in Lakeland till now. Is that true? It IS a lot of money!

There should be some clause in his contract:

no production = no money

okay, EVERYBODY's contract!!

laprimamirala wrote:

okay, EVERYBODY's contract!!

Not mine please.... I arrived at work this morning and was in the live chat for two hours with catbox...

every mlb player's contract!

He would probably like that one better.

laprimamirala wrote:

every mlb player's contract!

Thanks

So Swiss, whats up?

08/12/2008 9:19 PM ET
Tigers promote Willis to Triple-A
Starter works on command; timetable to Majors uncertain
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Dontrelle Willis is one step shy of a return to the Majors. What happens from here isn't any less suspenseful than it was when he was in Class A.

The Tigers promoted Willis on Tuesday from Class A Lakeland to Triple-A Toledo, putting him in line to start for the Mud Hens on Friday at Richmond. But while pointing out the progress that Willis has made in his summer quest to regain his command, Tigers officials cautioned that there's still no timetable for a return to the big leagues this season.

"We've told Dontrelle the same thing: My goal with him and our goal with him has been that we'd like him to be ready to be the big league pitcher that he's capable of being in 2009," Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "If it's before that, that's great. So let's see what happens.

"He threw strikes the last time out and the previous few times out. He's averaged around 90 [mph]. He's topped out higher than that. His arm strength is there. His breaking ball's been solid. We'll just wait and we'll take it turn by turn."

Though Willis has lost each of his previous three starts, the 26-year-old left-hander has looked and pitched more like a veteran pitcher in his previous few starts after accepting an option to Lakeland in June. He lasted 7 1/3 innings in his previous start on Sunday, taking a 2-1 game into the eighth before giving up a leadoff homer and a walk that later scored. He scattered six hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

One start earlier, he gave up four runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings, but didn't walk anyone while striking out six.

"He's worked very hard in all aspects -- conditioning and delivery-wise," Dombrowski said. "He's been great with the kids down there. The other thing that's happened with him is that he really has had a great sense of focus when he's gotten on the mound, which he's worked on, much more serious out there for him. Just little things that [instructors] have tried to make adjustments with him that so far he's taken to them."

He has made that progress while working with the Tigers' instructional staff with relatively little attention in Lakeland. That will change in Toledo. Beyond the level of play and caliber of hitters, Willis will be dealing with much more attention, a fact that manager Jim Leyland pointed out as a test.

"I think this is a real sensitive time," Leyland said. "He's obviously thrown pretty well, but I think this next step is critical because [reporters] will be down in Toledo watching him, to their credit. I'm sure there'll be some cameras down there from Detroit. It's another step. We have to just wait and see how it's handled.

"It's another step in the right direction, and we'll have to see how this step goes. From what I'm hearing, he's made some real good strides. Obviously that's true, or they wouldn't be sending him to Triple-A."

Willis finished his Lakeland stint with an 0-3 record and 4.50 ERA in six outings, five of them starts. He gave up 30 hits over 28 innings with 11 walks and 18 strikeouts. He made three rehab starts for the Mud Hens in April while trying to work his way back from a hyperextended right knee, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.41 ERA with 16 hits and seven walks allowed over 16 1/3 innings.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

4.50 ERA in single A :puke2:

NOT good enough....

D-Train still a Train wreck....why am I not suprised?

08/29/2008 7:50 PM ET
Willis likely to be activated on Monday
Left-hander may not see game action for Tigers this season
By David Just / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Dontrelle Willis was in the Tigers clubhouse on Friday, and he might be there to stay.

The southpaw, who was acquired by the Tigers this past offseason and given a three-year contract extension worth $29 million, is likely to be activated when rosters expand to 40 players on Monday, but his role with the team will be limited.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland said Willis will throw a simulated game on Tuesday but likely not see any game action until 2009, though he will be available throughout September.

"There's no rush to get him out there," Leyland said. "He will rejoin the team, and we talked about maybe an instruction league and everything, but it's been decided that he'd like to work with [pitching coach] Chuck [Hernandez], which we're all for.

"There's some open mindedness as far as possibly pitching winter ball somewhere. That's not anything etched in stone, that's just Dontrelle open minded to it. But that part hasn't been solidified in any way, shape or form."

Willis was optioned to Class A Lakeland on June 10 after just four starts with the Tigers, in which he issued 21 walks in 11 1/3 innings.

Willis, who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2003, finished second in Cy Young Award voting in 2005 after he put together a 22-10 season with a 2.63 ERA.

The left-hander was promoted to Triple-A Toledo on Aug. 12 and showed some signs of improvement with a better strikeout-to-walk ratio, though the walk totals still were high. He allowed 14 earned runs and 14 walks in 28 1/3 innings.

The priority for Willis right now, though, isn't to have good starts.

"Actually, just having good workouts every day is a priority for me," Willis said. "If you win those battles, then hopefully I can get to that point. [Good starts are] not really a concern of mine. I just want to throw well every time I get on the mound and stay consistent."
Willis also is in much better shape than he was just three months ago, and the injury he suffered to his throwing arm Thursday was nothing serious.

"It was my bicep. There was some cramping and stuff like that, but I'm fine now," said Willis, who had to leave his start after just one inning. "My knee feels great. My knee feels really good. Other than that, just the confidence to be able to do those things and the workouts -- I feel a lot better."

Willis' progress is good news for the Tigers, who spent $29 million on a three-year deal in December just two weeks after acquiring him in an eight-player trade from Florida.

But the money and the investment are less of a concern for Leyland.

"We're doing this for one reason," Leyland said. "People keep talking about the investment we have in him. That's not the issue with the Detroit Tigers. The issue of the Detroit Tigers is we think Dontrelle Willis is a [heck] of a pitcher, and has struggled and has a chance to be a [heck] of a pitcher again.

"We think we got a [heck] of a potential pitcher on our hands. This isn't a guy who hasn't done anything; this guy's done something. We're trying to get Dontrelle prepared to be a successful pitcher in 2009. Is that gonna happen? I can't answer that question."

Leyland isn't forcing the issue of winter ball on Willis, but the manager said he would prefer it if the lefty went.

"Yes, we would like him to go," Leyland said. "But we're not gonna do anything to force that issue. We're gonna make suggestions, and when push comes to shove, it'll be Dontrelle's decision."

David Just is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

09/22/2008 8:20 PM ET
Tigers want Willis to pitch in winter
Club would like lefty to work on command in offseason
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Dontrelle Willis is scheduled to get one more start for the Tigers this season on Saturday against Tampa Bay. If the Tigers can help it, they'd rather it not be his final game work for the year.

While manager Jim Leyland said he saw some positives coming out of Willis' loss Sunday at Cleveland, from an improved slider to a better approach to left-handed hitters, Leyland also said that he'd like Willis to continue his work on his command when the season concludes. To that end, Leyland said he'll try to encourage Willis to pitch in one of the winter leagues this offseason.

The specifics would still have to be worked out, but Leyland said they wouldn't push it on Willis if the left-hander was reluctant to go. However, the skipper believes Willis could gain from the extra innings in a competitive setting, rather than simply throwing on the side in the winter. Plus, the Tigers could benefit from the extra time to watch Willis and figure out how he might fit into the organization's plans for 2009.

"I'm going to recommend it highly," Leyland said, "but I'm obviously not going to force the issue. Because I think it's important for any player that goes to winter ball, it's important that you go with the right approach."

That's an approach the Tigers are taking with several players that they've asked to consider winter ball. With Willis, it's particularly important, since he's a veteran.

The Tigers acquired Willis along with Miguel Cabrera in their trade with the Marlins at last December's Winter Meetings and soon signed Willis to a three-year, $29 million contract. His inaugural season as a Tiger has largely been defined by his pitch command, starting with seven walks over five-plus innings of one-hit ball in his Detroit debut on April 5. He missed close to two months with a hyperextended right knee, then was optioned to Class A Lakeland after giving up eight runs on just three hits over 1 1/3 innings to the Indians with five walks on June 9.

Willis made a series of starts at Lakeland and Triple-A Toledo over the next 2 1/2 months before rejoining the Tigers in September. He returned to a Major League mound on Sept. 15 with five innings of three-run ball in a no-decision at Texas, but took a loss at Cleveland on Sunday with six runs on five hits and six walks over 2 1/3 innings.

The Tigers have already asked others to spend at least some time in winter ball. That includes catcher Dusty Ryan, who has played regularly at catcher for the Tigers down the stretch.

"I think in his situation, the more he plays, and the more he plays against better competition, the more beneficial it is to him, both offensively and defensively," Leyland said Monday.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

He'd better do SOMETHING baseball related!

laprimamirala wrote:

He'd better do SOMETHING baseball related!

I say retire...

I'm seriously thinking they should let him go.

09/23/2008 8:15 PM ET
Willis open to pitching in winter ball
Tigers left-hander is willing to work on command
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Dontrelle Willis indicated on Tuesday that he's open to manager Jim Leyland's idea of pitching in winter ball.

"I'm all for it," Willis said.

Leyland said on Monday that he was going to raise the idea in passing with Willis, and mentioned it to Willis later on Tuesday evening. They didn't get into details such as where he would play and what kind of workload he would have, but that didn't seem to be a major obstacle.

"We'll make it work," Willis said. "We'll get it done."

Willis has never pitched in Winter Leagues. He made it to the Major Leagues at age 20 and has been there ever since. Because he has pitched such a heavy workload year after year, his offseasons have usually been more about resting his arm for the spring than logging extra innings in the winter.

That isn't the case this year, after having spent three months in the Minor Leagues working on his delivery. He has pitched just 75 innings of game action this season between Detroit, Triple-A Toledo and Class A Lakeland, though his high walk totals have meant a lot of pitches to get through many of those innings. He has one more start for the Tigers scheduled for Saturday.

"I haven't logged a lot of big league innings," Willis said. "But I've thrown the whole year. You've just got to play it smart."

That lack of efficiency stemming from his pitch command is another reason why the club would like him to give winter ball a shot. With six walks over 2 1/3 innings Sunday at Cleveland, the 26-year-old left-hander has now walked 32 batters over 18 2/3 innings for the Tigers this year. Just 207 of his 425 pitches have gone for strikes.

As Leyland believes, the more game situations he can find to work on that command, the better he'll be compared to simply throwing in side sessions and playing catch all winter.

"I think it [would be] very beneficial," Leyland said Tuesday. "He's working his way back. You certainly see some positive signs and you see some signs that he's not totally over the hump yet, so you want to try to work that through if you can."

Winter ball could help him get that work. Since starting pitchers in the various leagues often don't go as deep into games as they do during the Major League season, the innings workload could be managed.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

From a guy's signature on baseball-fever.com.....


Stat of the year:

Dontrelle Willis, Det: 18.2 IP, 32 BB
Cliff Lee, Cle: 216.1 IP, 31 BB

Oh hot dayum.

I think we were bamboozled by Florida in the Cabrera deal....

If you want Miggy... then you have to take D-Train! Well, if D-Railed does not get straightened out... send him back and file a truth in selling lawsuit! They knew he sucked now, but sold us a bill of goods!

catbox_9 wrote:

From a guy's signature on baseball-fever.com.....


Stat of the year:

Dontrelle Willis, Det: 18.2 IP, 32 BB
Cliff Lee, Cle: 216.1 IP, 31 BB

Oh wow.
That is just bad.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

I think we were bamboozled by Florida in the Cabrera deal....

If you want Miggy... then you have to take D-Train! Well, if D-Railed does not get straightened out... send him back and file a truth in selling lawsuit! They knew he sucked now, but sold us a bill of goods!

We sure weren't bamboozled (great word) when DD signed him to that huge extension though....YIKES!!

stuck big time

One Year contracts based on performance from the previous season.

Make it so MLB!!

At least the Tigers got Miggy


He is worth it