Dontrelle Willis: The Next Rick Ankiel?

Amidst the new rumors that the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers are contemplating a swap of "bad" contracts in Julio Lugo and Dontrelle Willis, I was reminded of just how far Willis has fallen since his breakout 2003 season. From 2003 to 2006, Willis was one of the premier pitchers in the National League. Since then, his decline has been rapid. Demoted all the way down to single A ball this season, Willis posted an atrocious nine plus ERA during his brief stint with the Tigers this season. Always possessing a herky-jerky motion, Willis has over-adjusted his mechanics to the point where he can no longer control his body. It is highly questionable that Willis will ever return to form, because when you adjust your motion that much, there usually is no going back. Much like Rick Ankiel in 2001, Dontrelle has lost the strike zone. Maybe not as drastically as Ankiel , but the same overall result as far as his success as a pitcher is concerned. So, of course, the natural progression will follow ... (link)