Sleeper of the Week

Considering the hype surrounding just about every promising pitching prospect these days, the lack of attention received by Dontrelle Willis‘ major league debut is a bit puzzling. After all, Willis was the Marlins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season, and his performance in the minors so far has been nothing short of fantastic.

In 54 career outings in the minors (at A-ball Kane County and Jupiter and AA Carolina), Willis boasts a 2.31 era and a 27-5 won-lost record. This year, in 36.1 AA starts, Willis has struck out 32 batters while walking only nine and allowing just 24 hits. His record over that span was 4-0, thanks to a minuscule 1.49 era, impressive numbers indeed by a pitcher who only turned 21 in January.

And how did Willis’ debut in the big leagues go? He did allow three runs to Colorado in six innings of work, but the fact that the young lefthander struck out seven Rockies while issuing only two free passes is a good sign. He also looked very poised on the mound, and didn’t back down when facing the Rockies’ big guns.

Before you go out and reserve a seat on the Dontrelle Willis bandwagon, however, a few words of caution are in order:

Willis had never pitched above the AA level before facing Colorado. His fastball only hits the low 90’s, meaning that if his control and the timing of his unusual pitching motion are off, he’ll struggle. It’s not even certain that he’ll be in the majors all season; Willis only received this opportunity when Josh Beckett was placed on the disabled list.

Oh, never mind. Perhaps we’ve been infected by Willis’ trademark optimism and enthusiasm, but we think he’ll hold his own in the big leagues. In deep leagues, he makes a nice pickup if you have the roster space; in shallower leagues, he’s worth watching closely for now. Don’t wait too long to make a move, though - one or two more solid starts and Dontrelle Willis will be receiving the attention he deserves.