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Phillies Sign Dontrelle Willis

Bob Whalon Written by Bob Whalon, Tuesday December 13 2011
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The Philadelphia Phillies have signed pitcher Dontrelle Willis to a one-year, $1 million contract pending a physical.

The 30-year-old Willis was the 2003 Rookie of the Year with Florida and finished second in the Cy Young Award voting in 2005.  Since then the lefty has bounced around to several organizations and was even out of baseball for a time.  

Willis has not won more than one game for any team since he went 10-15 with the Marlins in 2007.  He pitched for the Cincinnati Reds last year and went 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 13 starts.

In spite of his sub-par stats, Willis' teammates thought he deserved better.  "Should have had more wins," Reds reliever Bill Bray said.  "Pitched very well for us.  Hit even better."

He had no wins but a 3.41 ERA in his first six starts with the Reds and allowed more than three runs only once in his first ten starts before posting an 8.27 ERA in September.

Willis, 29, spent the first half of last season at Class AAA Louisville after pitching for four teams and three organizations.  The Detroit Tigers even blamed his loss of command on a social anxiety disorder when he pitched for them.

Willis is 72-69 with a 4.17 ERA in nine seasons.  He has started 202 of his 205 MLB games, but he doesn't figure to be able to crack the Phillies loaded rotation.  With Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Rookie of the Year third place finisher Vance Worley and Joe Balnton already entranced in the starting rotation, Willis will be used as a lefty specialist out of the Philadelphia bullpen.

Willis has been very effective against left-handed hitters throughout his career.  He has held lefties to a .200 batting average in his career and held them to a .127 average and a .200 slugging percentage in 55 at-bats last season.

"I just want to say I owe the whole Reds organization a great deal," Willis wrote on Twitter.  "Great staff top to bottom and I wish those guys all the best.  But I'm fired up to be with the fighting Phillies and looking forward to this season."

 


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