Dontrelle Willis

[RME JICO]

What is up with him this year? In his 10 first starts he is 1-5 with a 5.12 ERA, and has allowed half his ER total from 2005 in 1/4 of the innings. Opponents are batting .289 against him and his WHIP is 1.47.

 

Those numbers are far off from last year and his walks are way up and his K's are way down.

 

Is he injured, was it the WBC, is he trying to get traded out of the situation in FL, or was last year just a "career year"?

[Kalapse]

He's really not that good, he's a pretty bad second half pitcher and now that's carrying over to the first half of the season. A crazy ass wind up can only get you so far.

[DBAHO]

He's really not that good, he's a pretty bad second half pitcher and now that's carrying over to the first half of the season. A crazy ass wind up can only get you so far.

Apparently he's not getting his leg kick up as high as what it was IIRC, and that was causing him some problems.

 

But his last few outings have been encouraging.

 

Also there was this about him in the Palm Beach Post;

 

Scouts for the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals attended Sunday's game at Tropicana Field when Willis allowed three runs in a complete-game loss to the Devil Rays. The Arizona Republic reported Monday that the Diamondbacks have had discussions with the Marlins about acquiring Willis to form a solid 1-2 punch with Brandon Webb.

 

The Phillies would be interesting, they may have to give up some good talent like Gio Gonzalez etc. The D-Backs would have to give up say a Chris Young as part of the deal, but if they could get Willis without trading any of their current major league talent, I'd say they'd probably win the NL West, even though it's been a pretty competitive division so far.

[whitesoxfan101]

He's really not that good, he's a pretty bad second half pitcher and now that's carrying over to the first half of the season. A crazy ass wind up can only get you so far.

 

:rolly

 

Please....your aware he went 22-10 with a 2.63 and 1.13 last year, as well as 7 CG's and 5 shutouts, for a .500 team last year aren't you? He's off to a terrible start, but that comment is completely stupid.

[ZoomSlowik]

:rolly

 

Please....your aware he went 22-10 with a 2.63 and 1.13 last year, as well as 7 CG's and 5 shutouts, for a .500 team last year aren't you? He's off to a terrible start, but that comment is completely stupid.

 

One year (or I guess one and a half in his case) does not a career make. He's still more of a thrower than a pitcher, and there's a decent chance people might have finally figured out his delivery. It's conceivable that he's on the Hideo Nomo-Fernando Valenzueza-Mark Fydrich career path. All of those guys were pretty dominant early in their career but couldn't sustain it.

[Kalapse]

:rolly

 

Please....your aware he went 22-10 with a 2.63 and 1.13 last year, as well as 7 CG's and 5 shutouts, for a .500 team last year aren't you? He's off to a terrible start, but that comment is completely stupid.

13-6, 2.54 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 236 K

 

This is a better year than what Dontrelle Willis had last year. This pitcher is currently sucking ass in Charlotte for the White Sox assuming we havn't released his washed up ass yet, I havn't really payed a lot of attention to him after watching him suck in spring training.

 

Just because the great D-Train has 1 very good year does not mean he's a great pitcher like you and others make him out to be. Also, your stupid f***ing comments that you're throwing into every post like this one where you call someones opinion stupid are getting very tiresome.

[whitesoxfan101]

13-6, 2.54 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 236 K

 

This is a better year than what Dontrelle Willis had last year. This pitcher is currently sucking ass in Charlotte for the White Sox assuming we havn't released his washed up ass yet, I havn't really payed a lot of attention to him after watching him suck in spring training.

 

Just because the great D-Train has 1 very good year does not mean he's a great pitcher like you and others make him out to be. Also, your stupid f***ing comments that you're throwing into every post like this one where you call someones opinion stupid are getting very tiresome.

 

I'm not saying D-Train is great, but basically calling a guy who won 22 on an average team a gimmick pitcher is stupid. That's not a personal shot, as your normally a very good poster plus I don't do personal shots anyways, but that is simply silly to say a guy that had that kind of year (after being a huge reason a team that won the World Series made the playoffs in 2003).

[Kalapse]

I'm not saying D-Train is great, but basically calling a guy who won 22 on an average team a gimmick pitcher is stupid. That's not a personal shot, as your normally a very good poster plus I don't do personal shots anyways, but that is simply silly to say a guy that had that kind of year (after being a huge reason a team that won the World Series made the playoffs in 2003).

Mark Fidritch managed to go 19-9 on a .460 team in '76. He was the ultimate gimmick pitcher, I believe Dontrelle Willis fits this role. It's my opinion, I just really don't think he's all that good.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

:rolly

 

Please....your aware he went 22-10 with a 2.63 and 1.13 last year, as well as 7 CG's and 5 shutouts, for a .500 team last year aren't you? He's off to a terrible start, but that comment is completely stupid.

 

 

Esteban Loaiza had a really good year for the Sox and look at him now.

 

 

[DBAHO]

The thing is with Willis, he's really a very unique pitcher as we know.

 

He really has to have his delivery and makeup spot-on to have success on the mound. It's not like his stuff has really disappeared this season. But the challenge for him is to be more consistent with that delivery etc.

 

He's still young and got time on his side. I still think he'll be a very damn good pitcher when it's all said and done but that's JMHO.

[DBAHO]

I'm moving this in here, because I saw this rumor in Newsday today;

 

Dontrelle spots a silver lining

 

In yesterday's 7-4 loss to the Mets, Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis (1-6) allowed three runs, two earned, seven hits and three walks, striking out four. He has gone eight consecutive starts without a victory, the longest stretch of his four-year career.

 

"I've been able to keep the games close lately, opposed to earlier in the year, when I was giving up those runs," Willis said. "I feel if I continue to do that, I will be successful."

 

It's believed the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Diamondbacks, White Sox and Cardinals are keeping close tabs on Willis if the Marlins should wish to shed more payroll and gain prospects.

 

You think they would be interested in a package around B-Mac possibly? Of course then you would have to trade another starter like Garland at the end of the season, to fit Willis into the rotation.

 

Can't see it happening myself.

[BigSqwert]

You think they would be interested in a package around B-Mac possibly? Of course then you would have to trade another starter like Garland at the end of the season, to fit Willis into the rotation.

 

Can't see it happening myself.

I'll pass.

[Kalapse]

Hey, remember how I mentioned John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander before when refering to Zumaya. Plug in BMac where Zumaya's name is and you have the same situation. Dontrelle is not that good.

[Balta1701]

Now this possibility at least intrigues me, especially if Willis continues to struggle. Why? Because him struggling right now might depress his trade value at exactly the time his cost to the Marlins would be going up due to closing in on arbitration. It'd still cost a lot in terms of prospects (just not Brandon for crying out loud), but if the Marlins think that what they'll get for him will decline with time, then maybe they'd consider it.

 

Of course, right now, I see very little problem acquiring a pitcher who is struggling, just because we have a pretty darn good pitching coach for him to work with, which is another key part of the equation.

 

I'm still as skeptical on Willis and his tricky delivery as others here are, and don't know whether or not he can really be consistent. But if he's going to have success anywhere, we've got as good of a system as anyone else.

[SoxFan1]

When you play for the f***ing Marlins, it's hard to get wins. Unless you play the Cubs.

[Kalapse]

When you play for the f***ing Marlins, it's hard to get wins. Unless you play the Cubs.

You can still manage to pitch well, it's not even about his stats (especially wins), he's just pitched like s*** this year and has shown in the past that he's an incredibly inconsistent pitcher. *cough*fidritch*cough*

[SoxFan1]

You can still manage to pitch well, it's not even about his stats (especially wins), he's just pitched like s*** this year and has shown in the past that he's an incredibly inconsistent pitcher. *cough*fidritch*cough*

Do you know how much run support he gets? I'm too lazy to look it up.

[Kalapse]

Do you know how much run support he gets? I'm too lazy to look it up.

WHO.GIVES.A.s***?

 

Run support = wins, which no one brough up (especially me)

 

Even with no run support you can still manage to pitch well, you know like avoiding giving up 6 hits and 4 walks every damn game.

[SoxFan1]

WHO.GIVES.A.s***?

 

Run support = wins, which no one brough up (especially me)

 

Even with no run support you can still manage to pitch well, you know like avoiding giving up 6 hits and 4 walks every damn game.

Sure.

[Rowand44]

No thanks.

[Soxfest]

He will go to a east coast team before August.

[Felix]

Sure.

Roger Clemens last year? 13 wins while posting a 1.87 ERA. He was better than any other pitcher in the NL, yet only had 13 wins.

 

And I really hate Clemens, but its true.

[SSH2005]

I'm moving this in here, because I saw this rumor in Newsday today;

You think they would be interested in a package around B-Mac possibly? Of course then you would have to trade another starter like Garland at the end of the season, to fit Willis into the rotation.

 

Can't see it happening myself.

They can have Garland but I don't think they'd want his overpriced arse.

[Drew]

One year (or I guess one and a half in his case) does not a career make. He's still more of a thrower than a pitcher, and there's a decent chance people might have finally figured out his delivery. It's conceivable that he's on the Hideo Nomo-Fernando Valenzueza-Mark Fydrich career path. All of those guys were pretty dominant early in their career but couldn't sustain it.

 

Fernando Valenzuela does not belong in this comparison.

[ZoomSlowik]

Fernando Valenzuela does not belong in this comparison.

 

I think he does. Granted he is by far the best of that group, but he still didn't have the type of career you would have expected given how it started. He played 17 seasons (12 full ones), and only 5 were really that good (although it was 5 of his first 6 full years). He started to fall apart roughly around the age of 27, which is still pretty early in one's career.