What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis?
What: The Tigers shipped pitcher Dontrelle Willis to Class A Lakeland to fix his control problems. Detroit acquired Willis and infielder Miguel Cabrera at the winter meetings in exchange for several top prospects, including left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller and center fielder Cameron Maybin.
When: There’s no timetable on Willis’ return, a chilling thought for Tigers ownership since it awarded the left-hander with a three-year, $29 million contract before seeing him throw a regular-season pitch. Willis is a mechanical mess. He left the Tigers no choice but to demote him after walking 21 batters in 11 1/3 innings. The Tigers wanted to believe his command issues in spring training were related to a hyperextended knee. But even before he got hurt, he was firing pitches off backstops in Florida. Some former teammates have begun mentioning the unthinkable, that Willis has the yips.
Renck’s take: There’s nothing worse than seeing a pitcher get ruined by the throes of throws. Willis’ delivery, as one of his former catchers pointed out, is like that of a windup toy. He needs every part in sync to work. I covered Willis’ debut against the Rockies in 2003 — his stuff was filthy. He complemented a 93-mph fastball with a devastating slider. He’s a lot bigger now, and that body type might be sabotaging his big leg kick and leaving his arm trailing. Anybody who has covered Willis is rooting for a comeback. Baseball is better with him. But he faces a long road to recovery, both physically and mentally. Can’t help but think this wouldn’t have happened had he spent this season reunited with Marlins pitching coach Mark Wiley, whom he won 22 games under in 2005.
