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| Height: 6-4
Weight: 239
Throws: L
Bats: L Born: Jan 12, 1982, Oakland, CA Contract: Signed though 2012 |
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| Profile | Player News | Articles | Split Stats | Game Log | Player Comparison |
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Player Notes |
| November 18, 2008 Dontrelle Willis is working out at home to strengthen his lower body after a hyperextended knee in April was to blame for a disappointing 2008 campaign, according to the Hot Stove Blog on MLB.com. |
| September 27, 2008 Tigers lefty Dontrelle Willis wasn't terrible, going 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs while walking three and striking out five in Detroit's 4-3 win over Tampa. |
| September 23, 2008 Tigers lefty Dontrelle Willis says he will pitch winter ball if the team desires him to, according to MLB.com. |
| September 21, 2008 Dontrelle Willis was horrendous for the Tigers, taking the loss while going just 2.1 innings, giving up five hits and walking six in Detroit's 10-5 loss to the Indians. |
| September 15, 2008 In his first start since being called back up to the majors, Dontrelle Willis at least made it to the fifth inning. In his five innings Willis gave up three runs on only two hits. |
| September 9, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will start for the Tigers against the Rangers next Monday, the MLB.com reports. |
| September 9, 2008 Dontrelle Willis threw between 75 and 80 pitches Monday afternoon in a simulated game, according to MLive.com. The club remains uncertain when he will be able to return to the Tigers, but Willis said, "It was good work. I had good command and threw some good changeups. Last time, I did not throw good changeups." |
| September 6, 2008 Jim Leyland said he hoped that Dontrelle Willis would be able to start for the Tigers before the season is over according to the AP. He threw a simulated game on Tuesday in which he hit 94 mph on the radar gun. |
| September 3, 2008 Dontrelle Willis hurled a 72-pitch simulated game Tuesday, and is scheduled for another one Monday, according to the Detroit News. Manager Jim Leyland was pleased with his outing and said, "I was very happy with Dontrelle. I thought he was a little tentative at the beginning, but began to throw free and easy. He popped the ball very well and got better as he went on. He hit 94 on the gun, pitched around 91. His delivery was much more controlled. I also thought he looked pretty confident. Some of his pitches were exploding late, which is a good sign." |
| August 31, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will be back in the major leagues after spending much of the season in the minors, as he will be recalled from Triple-A on Monday, according to MLive.com. |
| August 26, 2008 Dontrelle Willis left Monday's start at Triple-A Toledo after one inning because of tightness in his left forearm, and the team is yet to update his status, according to the Detroit Free Press. He threw 15 pitches (12 strikes) and allowed one earned run and two hits. |
| August 23, 2008 Manager Jim Leyland commented as to whether or not he thinks Dontrelle Willis will return to the Tigers when rosters expand in September, according to the Detroit Free Press. Leyland said, "That's been discussed. Would it be nice if Dontrelle would be able to pitch for us in September? Yes. Is that going to happen? I can't answer that. That was discussed last night with Dave Dombrowski, the general manager, and we're not sure what might be best for Dontrelle at this point. We don't know." |
| August 22, 2008 The Detroit Tigers will need another starter now that they have sent Nate Robertson to the bullpen, but it won't be Dontrelle Willis, according to Tigers.com. When asked if Willis was a possibility, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, "I would say the answer to that, as we speak, is 100 percent no." |
| August 16, 2008 Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking two in his start in Triple-A Toledo, according to the Detroit Free-Press. |
| August 12, 2008 The Tigers have promoted Dontrelle Willis from Class A Lakeland to Triple-A Toledo, putting him in line to start for the Mud Hens on Friday at Richmond, according to MLB.com. |
| August 8, 2008 Dontrelle Willis is 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA after five games with the Class A Lakeland Tigers, but is believed to be making progress, according to MLive.com. Detroit pitching coach Chuck Hernandez said, "He is making progress. I talked for a half hour to Lakeland pitching coach Joe Coleman, who says he is throwing strikes and that his command is better. He's repeating his delivery much better." |
| August 1, 2008 Dontrelle Willis went five innings, allowing one earned run in his start for Single-A Lakeland on Thursday. He struck out three batters, but also walked three. |
| July 18, 2008 Dontrelle Willis fared well in his rehab start at Single-A Lakeland on Thursday, as he only allowed one run over three innings, according to the Detroit Free Press. Most importantly, his control was solid, as he did not issue a walk. |
| July 13, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will alter his famous delivery in an attempt to better his mechanics, according to the Detroit Free-Press. "When you're trying to change your mechanics, you have to take it one day at a time," Willis said. |
| July 8, 2008 Dontrelle Willis received good news on Tuesday as his MRI results revealed that he is merely suffering from tendinitis in his right knee, according to the AP. |
| July 8, 2008 Dontrelle Willis, who is going to have his right knee examined by team doctor Stephen Lemos this week, may not be able to pitch again this season following his latest setback, according to the AP. |
| July 7, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will fly to Detroit within the next day or two to have his right knee examined by team doctor Stephen Lemos, according to MLB.com. |
| June 29, 2008 Dontrelle Willis worked two innings for High-A Lakeland on Sunday. He allowed one hit and one run, walked three, and struck out none. It was Willis' first game action since June 9, MLive.com notes. |
| June 10, 2008 Dontrelle Willis has been optioned to Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday, according to the AP. Willis has proven to be one of the biggest disappointments among off-season signings in the league, as he has allowed 13 runs and 21 walks over 11.1 innings this season. |
| June 9, 2008 Dontrelle Willis was absolutely horrendous Monday night, allowing eight runs on three hits and five walks over 1 1/3 innings. Dontrelle's ERA on the year now sits at 10.32, and he's handed out 21 free passes in 11 1/3 innings. |
| June 3, 2008 In his first start since coming off the DL, Dontrelle Willis tossed four scoreless inning Tuesday night, allowing just two hits while striking out three. Unfortunately, Willis also continued to display the control problems that have plagued him, walking five. |
| May 31, 2008 Detroit manager Jim Leyland spoke with the press following last night's game and reports LHP Dontrelle Willis will get the start on Tuesday and will be followed in relief by Armando Galarraga, according to CBSSports.com. |
| May 21, 2008 The Tigers will activate Dontrelle Willis from the DL today, but he's not going to be inserted into the rotation. Instead, the team will use him out of the bullpen initially. "We just want to keep him working, get some more innings in, get him fine-tuned a little bit, and then we'll play it from there," manager Jim Leyland said on MLB.com. |
| May 19, 2008 Dontrelle Willis allowed one run on five hits for Toledo on Saturday night, but the Detroit News report that Leyland said he got was that the "results were pretty good, but the performance was O.K.," meaning his command is still suspect. "His control was not real good," said Leyland, referring to Willis' four walks and a ratio of 41 balls to 55 strikes. |
| May 18, 2008 Detroit LHP Dontrelle Willis has made marked improvement during his rehab stint in the minors, but the team is reportedly concerned about his struggles for control, according to CBSSports.com. |
| May 10, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will make a rehab start on Monday, according to the Detroit News. Manager Jim Leyland said Willis will make two rehab starts next week for Triple-A Toledo on Monday and May 17. Leyland also said, "He threw Friday, he did fine." |
| May 7, 2008 Dontrelle Willis is slowly working back from the most recent setback with his injured knee, according to MLB.com. "I think Dontrelle's doing [his rehab] the right way," manager Jim Leyland said. |
| May 5, 2008 Dontrelle Willis suffered a minor setback on Sunday. The team revealed that Willis tweaked his knee while fielding a groundball during Friday's rehab assignment. |
| May 4, 2008 The Tigers stated that Dontrelle Willis has tweaked his right knee while fielding a ball during Friday night's rehab start in Toledo, according to MLive.com. Willis went through conditioning drills this morning, but it was then determined that he won't be ready to start another game this week. Instead of pitching for Toledo on Wednesday, as originally scheduled, Willis will remain with the Tigers and try to throw a bullpen session on Thursday or Friday. The Tigers have recalled his rehab assignment, therefore stopping the clock. |
| May 3, 2008 The Detroit Tigers report LHP Dontrelle Willis has completed his first rehab start without pain, according to MLB.com. |
| April 30, 2008 The Detroit Tigers have announced LHP Dontrelle Willis will make his first rehab start on Friday, taking the mound for Triple-A Toledo, according to MLB.com. |
| April 29, 2008 Dontrelle Willis threw his scheduled bullpen session on Tuesday without any health issues and is on track to make his first rehab appearance on Friday, according to MLB.com. The lefty is expected make at least two minor league starts before returning to Detroit's rotation. |
| April 29, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will throw a bullpen session some time during the series in New York, according to MLB.com. That will be the final step before he can go out on a Minor League rehab assignment, as he recovers from his hyperextended knee. |
| April 26, 2008 Dontrelle Willis is scheduled to throw a simulated game today, according to the Detroit Free Press. He is on the DL with a hyperextended right knee. Willis could pitch on a minor league rehab assignment next week, and Manager Jim Leyland stated, "We need Dontrelle." |
| April 21, 2008 Dontrelle Willis felt good during his bullpen session on Monday. It was his first time on the mound since hyperextending his right knee on April 11. "It was basically a full side [session]," Willis tells MLB.com. "It went well. Everything is good right now." The southpaw adds that most of his strength and all of the soreness are gone. Willis will throw one more bullpen session before trying fielding drills. He may then make one or two rehab minor league rehab starts. |
| April 18, 2008 Dontrelle Willis has begun playing catch, his first step back from a hyperextended right knee. He says the strength is back in the joint and he has no soreness. "So far, so good," Willis tells MLB.com. "You don't want to start doing stuff where you might change something and put more strain on your arm." The Tigers will likely send Willis on a minor league rehab stint before pulling him off the DL. |
| April 15, 2008 Dontrelle Willis has pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a South Florida case that was downgraded from drunken driving, according to the AP. He was arrested in December of 2006 in Miami Beach. Police noticed Willis had double-parked his Bentley and had watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared disoriented. Prosecutors on Tuesday stated that Willis accepted a plea to lesser charges, meaning Willis can keep his drivers license. But he must pay $761 in fines and fees, do 50 hours of community service and be on probation for six months. |
| April 14, 2008 The Tigers will be cautious with Dontrelle Willis as he tries to come back from a hyperextended right knee, MLB.com reports. That means Willis may not be activated as soon as his 15 days are up. The southpaw says he is not dealing with any pain, only stiffness. |
| April 12, 2008 Dontrelle Willis was placed on the 15-day DL due to his hyperextended right knee, this according to the AP. There is no tear, so thats good, Willis said Saturday. Well see how I feel tomorrow. Ill take it day-by-day. I felt better today, just a little stiffness. |
| April 12, 2008 Dontrelle Willis underwent an MRI on his injured knee on Saturday, according to MLB.com. |
| April 11, 2008 Dontrelle Willis injury is being called a hyperextended right knee, this according to MLB.com. Willis injured the knee while slipping on the mound, and at this point it is unclear if he will miss his next start or be forced to the DL. |
| April 11, 2008 Dontrelle Willis suffered an injury to his right leg in the first inning of his start on Friday night and had to be removed from the game. Willis threw just 15 pitches before being removed from the game and he allowed one run, walked two batters, and threw a wild pitch in the abbreviated outing. More details to follow once we learn the severity of the injury. |
| April 7, 2008 What problems? The Tigers apparently have no issues with Dontrelle Willis, who struggled with his control this spring and walked seven batters on Saturday. "No issues whatsoever with him," manager Jim Leyland tells the Detroit News. "He's throwing the ball fine. Just not accurate. He's just got to back to where he throws strikes." Is Leyland watching the same guy we are? That would be like saying we were writing well despite spelling every third word wrong. |
| April 5, 2008 It was the worst of times, it was the best of times for Dontrelle Willis on Saturday. Willis didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning against the White Sox but he ended up allowing three runs in five innings despite only permitting one hit. How is that possible you ask? Well, Willis walked seven batters on the day. Besides having no idea where the ball was going at times, Willis also seemed to be favoring his shoulder, which might explain how he was able to throw 89 pitches without a single strikeout. Willis remains nothing more than an AL only play at the moment, and another outing or two like this will bring even that into doubt. |
| March 26, 2008 Dontrelle Willis was dealt his third loss of the spring against Pittsburgh on Wednesday as he surrendered seven runs on eight hits over a mere three innings of work, with four walks and three strikeouts. His spring ERA climbed to 8.43, and there is speculation that he is secretly hurt. He remains a fantasy risk. |
| March 23, 2008 Dontrelle Willis could be secretly hurt, according to blessyouboys.com. Two scouts who watched Willis' last outing believed he might have been battling some discomfort, as he was shaking his arm and turning his shoulder as if he were having some trouble getting loose. This is speculation but could be true as Willis is suffering through a tough spring with a 6.59 ERA over 13.2 innings of work, with 11 walks. |
| March 21, 2008 Dontrelle Willis, who will start the year as the Tigers number five starter, had another uneven performance on Friday as he allowed five runs and seven hits in just 3.1 innings. Hes not doing his mechanics the right way, manager Leyland said in a report on the AP. I dont mind his funky delivery, but not all the different types of funkiness Ive been seeing this spring. Willis might just have burnt out after all those innings as a youngster. The closer we get to the season the more certain we are becoming that Willis has a better chance of being Jeff Suppan this year than his former Cy Young self. Tread cautiously. |
| March 21, 2008 Dontrelle Willis will pitch the fifth game of the year for the Tigers, manager Jim Leyland told MLive.com. Willis holds a 4.35 ERA and 8/7 K/BB rate in 10 1/3 innings this spring. He's trying to bounce back from a sub-par 2007 season. |
| March 11, 2008 Dontrelle Willis blames his poor outing Tuesday in a split-squad game on testing out his pitches and just trying to get ready for the season, according to the AP. "I was just missing and trying to stay aggressive," Willis said. "My command has to be a lot better. Its going to be fine." Acquired by the Tigers in the Miguel Cabrera swap with the Marlins during the offseason, Willis allowed four walks and two hits, though he only gave up one run over 2 1/3 innings. |
| March 6, 2008 Former Braves killer Dontrelle Willis put in three solid innings of work on Thursday. Willis gave up two hits, walked one and struck out three in a scoreless outing. Willis has a 1.80 ERA this early spring. |