Dontrelle Willis was a young phenom with the Florida Marlins in 2002. Now, he is turning into a journeyman in the MLB.
Willlis was like Stephen Strasburg when he made his debut. He had a marvelous rookie year and was the ace of the Marlins’ pitching staff.
In 2005, Dontrelle had 22 wins, but didn’t win the National League Cy Young. He should have won though.
Then in 2007, Willis wanted to be traded from Florida. After that season he got his wish and was traded to the Detroit Tigers.
Willis wasn’t like he was in Florida with the Tigers. During his tenure with Detroit he was demoted to the minors at one point. Some people in Detroit wanted Dontrelle to be traded after his first year.
The Tigers kept Dontrelle, but it turned out to be the wrong choice.
Throughout 2008, Willis was horrible for the Tigers. In a game against Cleveland, he walked nine batters.
Then in 2009, he took a blood test and was tested positive for anxiety disorder. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list to get treatment for that. Upon returning from the DL, he started nine games, and he was horrible again.
Once again, Willis was put on the disabled list with the same issue of anxiety. 2009 turned out to be one of the worst years of his career.
Dontrelle Willis made his first start for Detroit this year and he look improved. He went six innings, allowed two runs, and had a no decision. After that start though, Dontrelle went back to his old self.
On May 30th, Willis was sent down to the minors. Two days later Dontrelle had to pack his bags.
Turns out, Willis was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 1st.
In his Diamondbacks debut, he pitched six scoreless innings. It looked like Dontrelle was rejuvenated and back to his great self when he was with Florida.
I think Dontrelle Willis will be let go by the Diamondbacks after this season. Look for him to be back to his inconsistent self and be a journeyman in the MLB for the rest of his career.
I hope Dontrelle improves, but he hasn’t done it yet.
Dontrelle Willis had all of the hype to be one of the best pitchers of the decade, but he couldn’t live up to the expectations.
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