Dontrelle Willis Career Tracker

Too late now! GO TIGERS! thanks for the post!

GO WILLIS!!

Yeah!

yeah what??

tigersaint wrote:

yeah what??

Don't egg him on , the duck is now a MudHen! He should love that pond!

uh okay.....GO TIGERS!!

Ha ha the duck is now a MudHen... that was cute.

For Now! Eventually I will get 7,000 posts!

GO TIGERS!!

From http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/detroit_tigers/index.html

UPDATE, 12-08-07 at 3:12pm: Brian Sabean spoke on the radio about making this decision within a few days; there's even a rumor the Giants could pursue the Tigers' Dontrelle Willis to replace Lincecum.

------------------------------------

That is, if we do not work out a deal with him. He sounded like he really wants to be with Detroit.

GO DONATRELLA!!

The Dontrelle Files

We know Dontrelle Willis has the big leg kick and the bigger smile,
but let’s take a graphical and statistical look at the Tigers newest
starter.
The pitch selection


Using Josh Kalk’s pitch f/x tool we can look at the mix of pitches that Willis throws and the success he has with each pitch in his repertoire.
Willis has 2 fastballs, one with more sink and vertical movement -
presumably a 2 seamer - that he throws most frequently. He also appears
to have a 4 seam fastball which he doesn’t throw as often. He has an 86
MPH change up and an 80 MPH slider that makes it tough for lefties.


The 2007 struggles


Willis is coming off his roughest season. A season in which he was
banged up but tried to pitch though it. The result was an ERA in excess
of 5. What changed for Willis? It came down to walks and home runs.
Willis walked a career high 3.81 per nine innings pushing his K/BB
rate down below 2.0 for the second consecutive season. However, it was
all walks that attributed to the ratio as Willis has maintained a
remarkably consistent strikeout rate throughout his career.

The other problem for Willis was a new career high in home runs.
Never before had he given up more than 21 long balls in a season and
last year he surrendered 29.
Willis had theh Marlins defense behind him which was generally
regarded as awful. But when Willis was pitching Florida converted 14
more plays than expected to outs. Four of those plays were ones that
Dontrelle made himself. But he didn’t suffer from bad luck necessarily and his fielding independent ERA was right in line with his actual ERA.
The homers


Both Dolphins Stadium and Comerica Park are pretty equal in terms of allowing home runs. Last year 14 of the 29 dingers that Willis allowed came at home, and surprisingly all 29 were hit by right handers.
With such a disparity you can imagine how many homers went to left,
and it stands to reason that even without Willis changing anything, he
may have better results next year with Comerica’s big left and
centerfields.
The graph below was cobbled together from Hit Tracker Online. The blue dots are the home runs that Willis allowed last year, with Comerica parks’s dimensions super imposed on top. (also courtesy of Hit tracker online)

Of course Willis won’t be pitching exclusively at Comerica, but
there are a fair number that would fall within the fences, and with
Jacque Jones and Curtis Granderson manning the outfield some may be
harmless outs.
Projections


Many of the projections for 2008 are in with Marcels, Chone, ZiPS, and Bill James now available.
The key elements are detailed in the table below:

Proj	IP	ERA	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Bill James	209	4.22	6.59	3.03	0.86
Chone	211	4.56	6.39	3.28	0.91
Marcel	185	4.4	6.61	3.26	0.97
ZiPS	224	4.34	6.51	3.09	0.92
Consenus	207.25	4.38	6.52	3.19	0.92

The projection systems are remarkably consistent in their
expectations for Willis having a bounce back season. The consistency in
his strike out rate isn’t surprising given how steady it has been
throughout his career, but the consistency in the other numbers is a
surprise.
In all, the projections make me feel better about Dontrelle’s
prospects than I did when looking at his ERA from last year. Granted,
he’ll still have to deal with changing to the stronger league, but he
still has a pretty good chance to be an above average 200 inning
pitcher and those are pretty valuable.

New Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis wants to sign long-term deal

December 12, 2007
By JON PAUL MOROSI
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Newly acquired Tigers left-hander Dontrelle Willis would like to sign a long-term deal with the team this off-season, his agent said Tuesday night.

“Detroit pays fair-market value for guys, and guys are happy playing there,” Matt Sosnick said Tuesday. “He’s really excited about going there.”

In one sense, this winter would be an optimal time to sign Willis long-term, because his value has dropped after his worst big-league season. Willis, 25, is scheduled to become a free agent after 2009.

“If we make a long-term deal now, Detroit’s risk is that he’s got to pitch well, and our risk is if he pitches really well – because after (2008) he’s only one year from free agency,” Sosnick said.

“If we did something this year, and the team showed confidence in him, then hopefully at the end of the contract they will feel like it was a bargain.”

Willis, who is among Detroit’s seven arbitration-eligible players, is likely to earn a $7.5-million base salary in 2008. He went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA for the Florida Marlins this past season but led the National League with 35 starts.

Willis has thrown more than 200 innings in the last three seasons. Justin Verlander was the only Tiger starter to top 200 innings in 2007.

Jeremy Bonderman signed a four-year, $38-million contract extension with Detroit last off-season. He was two years away from free agency then – as Willis is now.

The appeal in signing Willis to a long-term contract is the same as it was with Bonderman: He could sign a four-year deal that would expire before his 30th birthday, a rare effect of Willis’ youth and experience.

Thanks for the True Home Run Landing Spots post! Interesting!

12/20/2007 9:00 PM ET


'Santa Dontrelle' spreads some cheer

Tigers lefty Willis brings holidays to group of foster kids

By Justice B. Hill / MLB.com

REDFORD, Mich. -- "What's up?" Dontrelle Willis shouted as he broke into a smile. "What's good? Y'all seem quiet today."

His words sent the 66 boys in front of him into an uproar. They cheered wildly. They jettisoned any fit of nerves that might be expected in youngsters who are seeing a baseball star in their company.

But this wasn't any old star. This was Dontrelle Willis -- the 25-year-old "D-Train," the newest star on a Tigers team filled with stars. He insisted on being on hand at the Methodist Children's Home Society, a foster home on West Six Mile Road that these 66 boys from abused and neglected backgrounds called their home.

And Willis was there on Thursday afternoon with these boys for a reason. His hat gave that reason away.

The boys could not mistake the meaning of his hat, either. No, it wasn't a royal blue hat with an Olde English D stitched on its front. This one was red -- bright red with white fur trim. The hat had meaning that no boy could mistake.

"In all seriousness," Willis told the boys, "this is a time for giving -- for sharing."

So on this cold December day, they could rightly call him "Santa Dontrelle," for absent the long white beard and the potbelly, he came bearing bags of Christmas cheer.

"I got gifts for all of y'all," he told the boys.

Well, what remained of their quiet decorum minutes earlier gave way to the youthful energy and smiles of joy that boys display.

The smiles grew broader as one boy after another walked up to Willis, who was standing in front of the auditorium, and accepted a bag filled with Christmas goodies. For them, Christmas came five days early. They almost didn't know what to do.

"Open the gifts!" one of the adults in the room yelled.

The boys didn't need to hear another word. Pulling wrapping paper off everything, they rifled through their bags and found gifts that would brighten any boy's Christmas.

Santa Dontrelle had filled their bags with wristwatches, MP3 players, boom boxes, Tigers and Lions jerseys, CDs, CD players, motorized cars. Each bag seemed tailored to fit the boy.

"Thank you, man!" one of the boys said. He stuck his hand out and slapped five with Willis, who was walking among the boys.

The Tigers southpaw had made an impression, which is only a piece of what Willis hoped to accomplish. He wanted to show these boys, all from circumstances that don't usually lead to the merriest of Christmases, that somebody cared about them.

"They appreciated Willis being here," said John Schmidt, the executive director of the home. "The gifts, the talks, the autographs and the handshakes meant a lot to these boys."

"Ian here is one of our biggest Tiger fans," said Schmidt, pointing to a youngster who was deep into his Christmas presents. "I asked Ian, 'You're not gonna wash your hand for a while, right?'

"He said, 'You'd better believe.'"

Ian's sentiments weren't lost on Schmidt.

"I think for a lot of these kids, it's a very, very happy surprise," he said. "Not only the gifts, but seeing a baseball star and having a chance to interact with him -- to say hello.

That's neat for these kids.

"I'm 68 years old, and it's neat for me."

It was neat for Willis as well.

Going to meet these boys reminded Willis of his childhood in Oakland. He'd meet ballplayers like A's stars Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart and remembered what those meetings had come to mean to him.

"I don't think I'd ever have picked baseball if I didn't get a chance to meet Dave Stewart," Willis said. "So I figure if I can do something just to help one person, it's a victory in the community, and that trickles down."

What trickled down immediately was the joy he brought. The room brightened with smiles as the boys enjoyed Willis' gifts.

"The kids are having a ball," one of the adults in the room told Willis. "Thank you!"

He smiled.

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

Tigers and Dontrelle Willis agree on 3-year, $29-million extension

December 20, 2007

By JON PAUL MOROSI
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

EDITOR'S NOTE: STORY UPDATED AT 10:05 p.m.

Dontrelle Willis sat at the dais at Comerica Park, richer than he'd ever been, and thought he needed to apologize.

Willis was a little self-conscious about his wardrobe -- a Lacoste shirt, blue jeans and Air Jordans -- at a Thursday news conference to announce his three-year, $29-million contract with the Tigers.

"I'm sorry, Momma," he said, smiling, as laughter rippled throughout the Tiger Club. "I love you."

There was a fine explanation for the casual attire: Willis flew here from his home in South Florida to attend a charity event at the Children's Home Society on Thursday.

Willis had been involved with the charity -- which helps childhood abuse and neglect victims -- during his career with the Florida Marlins, and he made plans to attend the local home soon after Detroit acquired him two weeks ago.

He obtained a wish list for the children there. And he wanted to fill it. In person.

"My wife was really big in the Children's Home Society in the Miami area, so I went there and the kids touched my heart," Willis said. "So as soon as I heard about the trade to Detroit, that was the first thing I thought of."

Meanwhile, agent Matt Sosnick and Tigers vice president/legal counsel John Westhoff discussed the parameters of a deal that will pay him $7 million next year, $10 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2010. The contract, which includes performance bonuses tied to the Cy Young Award, will allow Detroit to retain Willis one year after he would have otherwise become a free agent.

The negotiations began late last week and culminated Wednesday -- too late, apparently, for Willis to pack his coat and tie. The team scheduled a physical exam around Willis' appearance and formally announced the deal in the early evening.

Willis said Thursday's announcement rivaled winning the World Series among his career achievements because of how much the Tigers' long-term commitment meant to him.

"I always wondered about how cool it was to see A-Rod up there with the tie," he said, in reference to the formal news conferences that typically accompany such announcements. "That's why I wanted to be dressed up. As cheesy as it is to other people, man, I think it's awesome."

Willis took a tour of the ballpark, including the home clubhouse. After he walked down the tunnel to the dugout, he saw his image -- and jersey No. 21 -- on the expansive leftfield scoreboard.

"Deion Sanders," Willis said. "I knew I couldn't get 35 (like in Florida) because of the No-Hitter Man (Justin Verlander). And I respect that. He's the horse. He's done great things.

"New team. New beginning."

Willis, who was born and raised in Oakland, Calif., said he'd never been around so much snow in his life. He remembered seeing a few light snowflakes in 2002, when he pitched at Kane County (Ill.) during his first year in the Marlins system.

But not like this.

"That," he said, gazing out onto the field, "is for real."

Now Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski has three young starters -- Willis, who'll be 26 next month; Jeremy Bonderman, 25; and Verlander, 24 -- who are under club control through at least 2010.

Dombrowski said Thursday that he would also like to secure third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who arrived with Willis in the Dec. 5 trade, to a long-term contract this off-season.

Willis, for his part, said he hopes that will happen. Then he added, with his unmistakable grin, "It'll be a lot more than what I got."

GO :dontrelle:

Quote :

Meanwhile, agent Matt Sosnick and Tigers vice
president/legal counsel John Westhoff discussed the parameters of a
deal that will pay him $7 million next year, $10 million in 2009 and
$12 million in 2010. The contract, which includes performance bonuses
tied to the Cy Young Award, will allow Detroit to retain Willis one year after he would have otherwise become a free agent.

Actually a quite reasonable deal for both sides!

Quote :

Willis took a tour of the ballpark, including
the home clubhouse. After he walked down the tunnel to the dugout, he
saw his image -- and jersey No. 21 -- on the expansive leftfield scoreboard.

"Deion Sanders," Willis said. "I knew I couldn't get 35 (like in Florida) because of the No-Hitter Man (Justin Verlander). And I respect that. He's the horse. He's done great things.

"New team. New beginning."

New uniform number is 21.

He also has great respect for "No-Hitter Man" Justin!

Dontrell - Tigers intro video

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?video=200712202335162

Hooray For Dontrelle!

He's gonna have Sean's number. Oh, that's gonna be hard.

I am excited, though, for the season to begin!

Go Tigers!

So far, Dontrelle is showing himself to be quite personable and very likeable.

It would be nice to hear something from Miggy!!

"I can only imagine when I put that D on how ELECTRIC it's gonna be".........

What's not to like about THIS guy??

From the Detroit Free press

Dontrelle Willis speaks on his new contract, clears up the 'man crush' thing, puts '07 behind him

December 25, 2007

New Tigers LHP Dontrelle Willis appeared on WDFN earlier this past week. Here were some of the highlights from the Q&A.

On the contract (3-year, $29 million deal):

Oh, my goodness. You don’t have any idea. It’s truly a blessing. I’m a high-energy guy already, so I think I gotta down-shift a little bit. But it’s a beautiful thing to see all this snow -- this beautiful stadium -- but I’m ready to get after it.

On being here instead of with the Marlins:

Naw, I love Florida. Florida was very good to me, so I don’t have any kind of ill-will. ... The Tigers were very good without me and Miguel (Cabrera), so for us to come over here is a great opportunity for us to go out there and win a world championship. I played with guys like Todd Jones and Pudge Rodriguez -- guys that are very well respected in the league -- so we’re very excited to go out here and just try to do our thing.

Playing in front of a larger audience?

(Laughing) (Fans) showed before just for the other team. But it's gonna be exciting. Detroit has a great sense of their history. I think the fans appreciate the guys that do come over and put on a “D” uniform, so I think that’s the one thing I’m very excited about. ... Being here for one day, I’ve already got a whole bunch of, "good lucks," and, "we’re rootin’ for you," already in one day, so it's very exciting to be a part of something that has such great history.

On the sell-outs that are sure to happen at Comerica:

That’s a beautiful thing, baby; that’s a beautiful thing. ... I just hope we go out here and play the style of baseball we can play. And with Leyland at the head I know he’s gonna get us in the right direction, so I’m not worried about anything but just goin' out there and working hard.

On the struggles in the second half of last season:

Who cares? I’ll be alright. I went out there and played hard and we battled as a team; we struggled as a team. I pitched through some injuries, but I’m good now so I’m ready to go out there and shake things up and have fun. If we’re winning 9-0, I don’t care if we have a 5.10 ERA or not. I’m not worried about it. I just wanna go out there and stay healthy and play hard.

Was health an issue? Should we be concerned?

Not at all. I felt like I threw the ball great as far as my last couple of weeks -- especially against playoff contending teams ... so I think that was kinda the stepping stone for the Tigers to try to come after me. So I was able to go out there and finish the season strong and go out there and throw strikes and help us try to play spoiler. I came off the ending very well, so I was very confident. And the off-season’s been great, so I’ve been workin’ hard so I’m excited.

Have you faced C.C. Sabathia (good friend)?

No, we haven’t. I’ve got a chance to pitch against Cleveland a bunch of times in interleague. No, we never faced up against each other, but if we do it’ll just be another game. You know he’s gonna go out there and do his best and I know he expects the same from me. We’ll joke about it after. He’s a guy I’ve always idolized. He’s a guy that took care of me back home and stuff like that so he’s a big reason why I’m having the success I’m having now so. ... He’s a great man.

On the three -year contract extension?

I mean, it was a great fit. I mean, right when I heard the trade, I felt like, "hey, that’s a great team to be a part of." This is already a contending type team. The only thing that stopped them from doing the same thing they did the year before was injuries. So I’m very excited about the team; the management and the front office were great and they’re the ones that presented the extension so I really appreciate Dombrowski for believing in me and taking a chance on me.

On being a Rasheed Wallace fan:

I said that one time. ... I went to the doctor’s office and someone said, “Aw, your favorite player is Rasheed.” Word travels fast around here, huh?

Your agent said it was a “man crush” for Rasheed?

Aw, man, it's not a man crush. I’ve just got a lot of respect for all of ‘em. Man, you’re puttin’ me out there like that and I’ve been out here for 12 hours. It’s a good thing. It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve got a lot of respect and love for those guys, and I’m a big basketball fan. Hopefully I get to come out there and check em out at the Palace.

Have you bumped into fans yet?

Yeah, it's crazy; it's crazy. I actually got a chance to go to the Children’s Home Society in Detroit and actually the reason why I was coming out here before we made a deal. ... I do a lot of things in the community as far as the Children’s Home Society in Miami and back home in California. I gave out some toys for all the kids today, so it just so happens that it fell out that we had to made the deal today so it was a beautiful thing today to see all the kids real happy and get something for Christmas and stuff like that.

On Miguel Cabrera being a future Hall of Famer:

Yeah, he is. This guy is definitely a hall of fame type player. He set records every year for us since “A” ball so I’ve got a chance to play with him a long time and see him do some great things. I told him in “A” ball, I said, “Man, I’m gonna a ride your coattail all the way to the top.” So I’m happy to be a side-dish with that guy being the main entrée. He’s a great, talented ball player. The guy can play the outfield as well as the infield. So whatever he wants to do, he’ll be ready to do.

Where do you get your energy from?

Aw, man, I have no idea. I’m just very appreciative of the opportunity. I know how hard this game is and I think I’ve been very blessed to play with some guys that play the game the right way like Juan Pierre, Mike Lowell, Jeff Conine, Todd Jones and like I said, Pudge Rodriguez to steer me the right way. Guys are very appreciative. Obviously you can see their work ethic and how they go about their business.

What's it like switching leagues? To a pitcher's park in Comerica?

I’m just excited to get the ball and go out there and play. I hear a lot of places that are pitcher’s parks and I’ve been able to turn them into hitter’s parks very quickly, so I don’t really get into all that stuff. I just wanna focus on throwing strikes and having fun and going out there and working hard.

Scared of the snow?

Not at all. I love it. I mean, I’ve seen black ice but I haven’t seen fresh snow like this, so I was excited to see it but again it is something different but I’ll be ready to adjust.

Quote :

Playing in front of a larger audience?

(Laughing)
(Fans) showed before just for the other team. But it's gonna be
exciting. Detroit has a great sense of their history. I think the fans
appreciate the guys that do come over and put on a “D” uniform, so I
think that’s the one thing I’m very excited about. ... Being here for
one day, I’ve already got a whole bunch of, "good lucks," and, "we’re
rootin’ for you," already in one day, so it's very exciting to be a
part of something that has such great history.

I like the humor shown by Willis!

Quote :

On the struggles in the second half of last season:

Who
cares? I’ll be alright. I went out there and played hard and we battled
as a team; we struggled as a team. I pitched through some injuries, but
I’m good now so I’m ready to go out there and shake things up and have
fun. If we’re winning 9-0, I don’t care if we have a 5.10 ERA or not.
I’m not worried about it. I just wanna go out there and stay healthy
and play hard.

Was health an issue? Should we be concerned?

Not
at all. I felt like I threw the ball great as far as my last couple of
weeks -- especially against playoff contending teams ... so I think
that was kinda the stepping stone for the Tigers to try to come after
me. So I was able to go out there and finish the season strong and go
out there and throw strikes and help us try to play spoiler. I came off
the ending very well, so I was very confident. And the off-season’s
been great, so I’ve been workin’ hard so I’m excited.

Injuries can cause high ERAs, but with the Marlins, he still pitched. I am glad he felt he was coming around at the end of last season! I heard this was the difference in the first part of the season compared to the end of last year for Bonderman.

Quote :

Scared of the snow?

Not
at all. I love it. I mean, I’ve seen black ice but I haven’t seen fresh
snow like this, so I was excited to see it but again it is something
different but I’ll be ready to adjust.

He made reference, earlier, that he wanted to move to Detroit if he received a long term contract, so maybe he will with this type of comment.

He can always live in Florida during the Winter months.....

But if you HATE snow (and the freezing that goes with it), Florida is great!!

Who needs "seasons"? I'll take Sunshine anyday!!

True, in your case, enjoy .

But Willis said:

Quote :

I love it. I mean, I’ve seen black ice but I haven’t seen fresh snow like this, so I was excited to see it but again it is something different but I’ll be ready to adjust.