I remember standing in the lobby of the Opryland Hotel during the 2007 Winter Meetings and being stunned by the news the Tigers had just acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis form the Florida Marlins. Some of my colleagues and I were amazed Detroit’s GM, Dave Dombrowski could add both of these highly talented players to his already strong roster. The consensus within the group was the addition of Cabrera would help them become an elite offensive team, while adding Willis would at the very least add some depth to the rotation.
Although Willis had been a premium starter, he was coming off a poor 2007 season with the Marlins – he struggled a little bit with his unique delivery and rumors of decreased velocity began to surface. Most within the game felt a fresh start, particularly a move to flyball friendly Comerica, would help him regain some of his past form – at the very least we all felt the Tigers were getting a very good back-of-the-rotation starter. Detroit must have also felt they were getting a solid pitcher as they immediately signed him to a new contract worth $29 Million over three years.
It all made sense – until 2008 Spring Training rolled around. There were stories of Willis working on changing his delivery in an effort to increase his control, but some of our staff who had seen him pitch commented on his inability to throw strikes. He was a mess, not just missing the zone, he was throwing three feet wide of the plate and sometimes uncorking fastballs to the backstop. Now people in baseball were starting to mention the “thing”.
People in baseball are very superstitious and because of this, no one ever wants to talk about the possibility a player may have a mental block preventing him from throwing a baseball properly. I think it’s called “the thing” because no one wants to give the condition a name – if you give it a name you acknowledge its existence and you might get afflicted. The “thing” is also known as the “yips” or “Steve Blass Disease” and has shortened many baseball careers. It’s not always a pitcher, often it’s a catcher who cannot throw the ball back to the pitcher.
In Willis’s case, the idea of a former All-Star, Rookie of the Year and World Series champion having the “thing” was incredibly scary and saddening. His inability to throw strikes followed him into the 2008 regular season and the Tigers shut him down with a knee injury after two starts. He made two separate attempts to reclaim his form, but still had difficulty throwing strikes – many people now were worried about his career.
Whether Willis was frightened or not, he kept fighting and finally last night something clicked for the affable lefthander. In his 2nd start of 2009, Willis allowed just one hit through 6 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers. Just as important for his psyche – he walked only two batters. The battle may not be over for Willis but at least for one night he handled the “thing”.