Dontrelle Willis signed a minor-league deal with the Giants again. If you have expectations, adjust them downward. Keep adjusting. Keeeeeep adjusting. Down, past Yusmeiro Petit. Past Andrew Carignan. Past Kurt Ain ... no, you went too far.
Still, the reason you're reading this is because of the name value, not because Willis turned it around in the Atlantic League:
Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | G | IP | HR | BB | SO | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 31 | Long Island | ATLL | Ind | 2.57 | 14 | 87.2 | 4 | 43 | 52 |
2013 | 31 | Salt Lake | PCL | AAA | 6.43 | 5 | 21.0 | 3 | 14 | 12 |
You don't need me to tell you that strikeout/walk ratio doesn't augur well, even if the ERA is shiny. The odds of Willis making it out of Fresno, if he even gets there, are probably below five percent. Obviously, though, I'm rooting for the guy. He's one of the more likeable players of the past decade, for sure, so if he could magically improve, well, I'd be for that.
Mention of Ryan Vogelsong's career path.
Also, did you know the Giants signed Casey Weathers? He's a reliever who was drafted by the Rockies eighth overall in 2007, two picks before Madison Bumgarner. That has nothing to do with anything, but I do so enjoy pointing it out.
I'm not exactly Petey Breaknews around here, but I don't remember missing a piece of interesting news for so long. I learned about the Willis signing last night from the ticker at the bottom of an MLB Network special about the 1974 season. Apologies. But now you can use this thread to talk about football!