D-Train's Last Chance as a Tiger
It very well could be for Dontrelle Willis!
To think you could say that about a guy who is only four years removed from finishing second place in voting for the 2005 National League Cy Young Award is hard to fathom. Plus the same pitcher who was named National League Rookie of the Year back in 2003.On top of all that Willis is only 27 years old.
Willis will make his season debut Wednesday night for the Detroit Tigers against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Willis has missed the first month and half of the season due to anxiety disorder which most believe to be called a social anxiety disorder which also plagued Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Greinke (who just so happens to be pitching with a 6-1 record with 0.51 ERA after seven starts this season). Tiger fans can only hope Willis can rebound as well as Greinke has.
How long has Willis had a problem?
Who knows, maybe it just started or it has been going on for quite sometime. I have spoken with a friend of mine who has this same anxiety disorder. He feels it has been with Willis for a few years now, he said typically it hits people just after they turn 20 years old due to a heightened stress.
That stress may have been living up to expectations which were placed on him as soon as he got to the big leagues. Growing up in Oakland, California, Willis made it to the big leagues at the ripe old age of 21 with the Florida Marlins. He instantly had success in his first major league season going 14-6 while posting a 3.31 ERA in 27 starts and pitching two complete game shutouts. Then came the playoffs in October, the leg kick and the windup became a popular scene on ESPN’s Sportscenter all the way to the World Series where the Marlins were crowned 2003 World Series Champions. He was also crowned the National League Rookie of the Year.
In 2004, Willis didn’t have as much success going 10-11 with a 4.02 ERA in 32 starts. Willis had what most experts in the sports world like to say “A sophomore slump.” Hitters in the National League knew Willis better and attacked his weaknesses. Willis had to make adjustments and he did just that during the next season.
In 2005, the D-Train was created. He had a magnificent year throwing seven complete games with five shutouts for the Marlins. He threw over 236 innings that year and posted a 22-10 record with a 2.63 ERA while striking out 170 batters. It was his year; those numbers were all career highs and earned him quite a bit of praise among voters for the National League Cy Young in 2005. Willis finished second to the St. Louis Cardinals Chris Carpenter. Many experts thought D-Train would have many more opportunities to take home the Cy Young crown in years to come.
It just didn’t happen.
The next year in 2006, Willis pitched very well for the Marlins even though the wins and losses didn’t show that. He was 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA while throwing 223 plus innings. He tallied 160 strikeouts and collected four complete games with one shutout. There were some alarming stats though that year. He walked a career worst 83 batters and surrendered 21 home runs.
During the off-season in 2006, questions started to mount. Could Willis ever put together a Cy Young award season again? Willis had to answer these questions and it had to get him thinking. Can I ever do it again?
Well something happened between the 2006 and 2007 season with Willis’ mindset because he wasn’t the same pitcher on the rubber. He wasn’t as confident, he wasn’t pitching like he had done this before. He was timid, easily rattled, and started to question himself. The pressure was mounting and maybe this where the anxiety disorder developed. He started altering his windup and changing his mechanics.
During the 2007 season Willis threw over 200 innings for a third consecutive season. He was 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA that season. Willis gave up 29 home runs in 07. He also walked a career high 87 batters.
His name became to swirl amongst the league in trade rumors from the west coast to the east coast.
Then on December 7, 2007 Willis was traded along with teammate Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers for a flurry of players including highly touted prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
In a Detroit Tiger uniform, many fans had high hopes for Willis in his first season. Things did not work out or him in 2008. Willis went 0-2 with a 9.38 ERA while starting 7 games only compiling 24 innings pitched. He walked 35 batters and he made his last start of the 08 season on May 23 because of his control problems. He spent the rest of the season down in Lakeland, Florida working on his pitching. As for Cabrera he batted .292 along with leading the Tigers in both home runs (37) and runs batted in (127)
With Willis’ struggles many fans categorized this trade as a bust--maybe not so fast Tiger fans.
Maybin and Miller have had their own problems flourishing at the major league level in Florida. Miller is currently on the 15-day disabled list coming off of a less than stellar 08 season. Miller was 6-10 with a 5.87 ERA last year. As for Maybin he just recently got demoted to Triple-A New Orleans. Maybin had been batting .202 with one home run and three runs batted in. He has really struggled at the big league level with this alarming stat telling it all. Maybin has struck out 31 times in only 84 at bats this season in a Marlins uniform
So by looking at those numbers I would say the Tigers came out of this trade as the winners if you had to make a decision right now in 2009.
Willis could really help the Tigers cause in this trade by performing at the level he did as a Florida Marlin between the 2003-2006 seasons.
By the numbers
2003- Florida- 14-6 record 3.31 ERA
2004- Florida- 10-11 record 4.02 ERA
2005- Florida- 22-10 record 2.63 ERA
2006- Florida- 12-12 record 3.87 ERA
2007- Florida- 10-15 record 5.17 ERA
2008- Detroit- 0-2 record 9.38 ERA
Career Totals 68-56 record 3.91 ERA. 15 complete games and 8 shutouts.
This is the type of person who you wish nothing but the best of luck to. In a matter of days we will see how far Willis has come and if he can return back to his 05 ways. Tiger fans stay tuned.
To think you could say that about a guy who is only four years removed from finishing second place in voting for the 2005 National League Cy Young Award is hard to fathom. Plus the same pitcher who was named National League Rookie of the Year back in 2003.On top of all that Willis is only 27 years old.
Willis will make his season debut Wednesday night for the Detroit Tigers against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Willis has missed the first month and half of the season due to anxiety disorder which most believe to be called a social anxiety disorder which also plagued Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Greinke (who just so happens to be pitching with a 6-1 record with 0.51 ERA after seven starts this season). Tiger fans can only hope Willis can rebound as well as Greinke has.
How long has Willis had a problem?
Who knows, maybe it just started or it has been going on for quite sometime. I have spoken with a friend of mine who has this same anxiety disorder. He feels it has been with Willis for a few years now, he said typically it hits people just after they turn 20 years old due to a heightened stress.
That stress may have been living up to expectations which were placed on him as soon as he got to the big leagues. Growing up in Oakland, California, Willis made it to the big leagues at the ripe old age of 21 with the Florida Marlins. He instantly had success in his first major league season going 14-6 while posting a 3.31 ERA in 27 starts and pitching two complete game shutouts. Then came the playoffs in October, the leg kick and the windup became a popular scene on ESPN’s Sportscenter all the way to the World Series where the Marlins were crowned 2003 World Series Champions. He was also crowned the National League Rookie of the Year.
In 2004, Willis didn’t have as much success going 10-11 with a 4.02 ERA in 32 starts. Willis had what most experts in the sports world like to say “A sophomore slump.” Hitters in the National League knew Willis better and attacked his weaknesses. Willis had to make adjustments and he did just that during the next season.
In 2005, the D-Train was created. He had a magnificent year throwing seven complete games with five shutouts for the Marlins. He threw over 236 innings that year and posted a 22-10 record with a 2.63 ERA while striking out 170 batters. It was his year; those numbers were all career highs and earned him quite a bit of praise among voters for the National League Cy Young in 2005. Willis finished second to the St. Louis Cardinals Chris Carpenter. Many experts thought D-Train would have many more opportunities to take home the Cy Young crown in years to come.
It just didn’t happen.
The next year in 2006, Willis pitched very well for the Marlins even though the wins and losses didn’t show that. He was 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA while throwing 223 plus innings. He tallied 160 strikeouts and collected four complete games with one shutout. There were some alarming stats though that year. He walked a career worst 83 batters and surrendered 21 home runs.
During the off-season in 2006, questions started to mount. Could Willis ever put together a Cy Young award season again? Willis had to answer these questions and it had to get him thinking. Can I ever do it again?
Well something happened between the 2006 and 2007 season with Willis’ mindset because he wasn’t the same pitcher on the rubber. He wasn’t as confident, he wasn’t pitching like he had done this before. He was timid, easily rattled, and started to question himself. The pressure was mounting and maybe this where the anxiety disorder developed. He started altering his windup and changing his mechanics.
During the 2007 season Willis threw over 200 innings for a third consecutive season. He was 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA that season. Willis gave up 29 home runs in 07. He also walked a career high 87 batters.
His name became to swirl amongst the league in trade rumors from the west coast to the east coast.
Then on December 7, 2007 Willis was traded along with teammate Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers for a flurry of players including highly touted prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
In a Detroit Tiger uniform, many fans had high hopes for Willis in his first season. Things did not work out or him in 2008. Willis went 0-2 with a 9.38 ERA while starting 7 games only compiling 24 innings pitched. He walked 35 batters and he made his last start of the 08 season on May 23 because of his control problems. He spent the rest of the season down in Lakeland, Florida working on his pitching. As for Cabrera he batted .292 along with leading the Tigers in both home runs (37) and runs batted in (127)
With Willis’ struggles many fans categorized this trade as a bust--maybe not so fast Tiger fans.
Maybin and Miller have had their own problems flourishing at the major league level in Florida. Miller is currently on the 15-day disabled list coming off of a less than stellar 08 season. Miller was 6-10 with a 5.87 ERA last year. As for Maybin he just recently got demoted to Triple-A New Orleans. Maybin had been batting .202 with one home run and three runs batted in. He has really struggled at the big league level with this alarming stat telling it all. Maybin has struck out 31 times in only 84 at bats this season in a Marlins uniform
So by looking at those numbers I would say the Tigers came out of this trade as the winners if you had to make a decision right now in 2009.
Willis could really help the Tigers cause in this trade by performing at the level he did as a Florida Marlin between the 2003-2006 seasons.
By the numbers
2003- Florida- 14-6 record 3.31 ERA
2004- Florida- 10-11 record 4.02 ERA
2005- Florida- 22-10 record 2.63 ERA
2006- Florida- 12-12 record 3.87 ERA
2007- Florida- 10-15 record 5.17 ERA
2008- Detroit- 0-2 record 9.38 ERA
Career Totals 68-56 record 3.91 ERA. 15 complete games and 8 shutouts.
This is the type of person who you wish nothing but the best of luck to. In a matter of days we will see how far Willis has come and if he can return back to his 05 ways. Tiger fans stay tuned.
posted by Justin Hoff @ 5:13 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
nicely written. I couldn't agree more. It really is sad how his career has went down the tubes. Hopefully he can figure things out this year!
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