Dontrelle to the bullpen
posted in 2008 season |Dontrelle Willis is heading to the bullpen, surprising pretty much everyone. I thought he should reclaim his rightful position in the starting rotation when he finished up his rehab work. Obviously Armando Galarraga was the most effective starter when he arrived on the team, so most people, myself included, hoped to see him remain in the rotation while he was hot. But as Bilfer pointed out, anyone who watches Galarraga pitch or looks at the stats suspects he’s bound to come down to earth. So for now, the plan seems to be allow Galarraga’s hot hand, while Willis continues to get work in the bullpen. This is made possible because Clay Rapada went on the disabled list.
I’ve seen some mention that Willis’ wildness could hurt in the bullpen. True. It could hurt as a starter, too. What I think makes this a nice move is that he can strike people out, and he can grounders. So I think he can help pitch out of jams. I don’t think he’ll pitch long enough in a game for his wildness to catch up to him. I remember Baseball Prospectus had an article a few years back saying essentially that kind of pitcher makes a good candidate for moving from starting to relieving. And I assume the longterm goal is still for Willis to be a starter. (Although, you know, the Tigers might need a closer as soon as next year, so, hey, you never know.)
So, you know, I’m all for seeing how this turns out.
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