28
2011
Notorious Met Killers: The D-Train
An article by Craig Lerner
DONTRELLE WILLIS
Remember this guy? Facing the the D-Train in a three-game series against the Florida Marlins was always one of the least favorite things to do for the Mets back during the 2003 – 2006 seasons. Dontrelle Willis went 11-3 against the Mets with a 2.51 ERA in 19 starts.
Willis won the Rookie of the Year in 2003 and was nearly unstoppable in 2005 when he went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. That season he also led the league with seven complete games and in shutouts with five.
Then it all began to unravel.
Today I saw his name flash across the transaction wire.
Left-hander Dontrelle Willis was reassigned to the Reds’ minor league camp.
Willis, who agreed to a minor league deal in November, was trying to win a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen but walked 11 in 9 2/3 innings this spring. He had no decisions with a 9.31 ERA.
The 29-year-old Willis has struggled since that magical season in 2005, appearing in just 30 major league games over the last three seasons.
How the mighty have fallen.
“Notorious Met Killers” will be a new weekly feature on Mets Merized Online as I look back at some of the players that loved making life miserable for the Mets over the years. Feel free to leave some Notorious Mets Killers that you would like to see in future editions, in the comments section.
About the Author: Craig Lerner
I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
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I remember he hit a grand slam off of Jose Lima (rip).
I was at that game. Ugh.
It’s pretty sad whatever happened to him. But, he is a good athlete and I am not sure why they don’t try him in another position like Rick Ankiel….
Chipper Larry Jones. First name that came to mind.
Willie Harris, who has decided to take us down from the inside with his mediocre play… Heh. He’s average but he seems to make amazing defensive plays against the Mets.
Larry Wayne Jones Junior
The way down has been steep for Dontrelle. He bulked up a lot after setting the league on fire earlier in his career. A few seasons ago, the word was out that Dontrelle’s strange twisting pitching motion no longer could generate enough torque for his pitches to be effective. His belly got in the way and the inevitable aging wasn’t going to allow him to remain as flexible. On a personal note, his body twist reminded me of John McEnroe when he served in tennis — tremendous twisting and spinning that resulted in a lot of torque and great effectiveness.
Omar and the Mets passed on him but the Tigers gave him a huge contract when he first went there from the Marlins. He looks slimmed down now, but the train has left the station.
Too bad, because Dontrelle is a guy who does a lot for the communities in which he’s lived.
He had the same problem Doc did (well, not that problem). He relied too much on that frame of his for his pitching. When he hit 25 and that teenage metabolism dropped, he put on too much weight and lost his flexibility.
He also had those anxiety issues similar to what Grienke deals with, but I wonder if that is a result of his performance drop or a cause of.
I remember all the talk about how we should trade for him even if it meant selling the farm.
Good thing we didn’t do that isn’t it?
the met killer i hated the most was john rocker. god i hated that p.o.s., racist, steroid junkie.
He had a short shelf life thank goodness. The guys I couldn’t stand were Burrell and Chipper. If Burrell played 81 games a year against us I swear he would go to the HOF. Chipper just wore me out. Eventually I just couldn’t hate him anymore.