That has to be a tough pill to swallow for Willis, it wasn't that long ago that he was a young phenom on his way to a great career. I remember seeing him pitch against the Astros and he was almost unhittable. I wonder what's happened, mentally worn out? Hitters finally figuring him out? I am a little surprised though that they sent him all the way down to Class A ball. I would have thought they'd send him to AAA ball. I wonder why Class A? Terry
If <t>its high A then that makes sense. The hitters will be talented enough in high A that they will hammer puss, but should still struggle against legit major league off-speed stuff.<br/> <br/> It would appear that this is a confidence issue. Thats what I see going on here.</t>
I heard something on XM MLB channel last night that indicated you are correct. Can't recall who said it.
He can't find the plate and is trying to aim the ball instead of just throwing it. He needs to relax, and gain confidence in his ability. Meanwhile, he's probably the only player in single A ball with a 29 mil. contract. Last year the Tigers had more pitchers on their roster than they could carry. They gave Mike Marroth away for nothing. (not that he was worth much.) Now that they've traded Jurjens and Miller and Willis hasn't panned out and Bonderman has a blood clot, their staff is really suspect. They took their pitching for granted and a baseball team, never, never, never should do that. 27-37 been shutout 9 times, 10 games back. 135 mil payroll.
For a hockey guy you sure have a solid perspective on this slow-moving, boring game we call baseball.