We'll round up tonight's minor moves here:
- Jeff Clement has retired, The Des Moines Register reports. Originally drafted third overall in 2005 by the Mariners, Clement never caught on in the majors, and ends his career with a .218/.277/.371 Major League line. His last big league appearance came in 2012 with the Pirates. Now a father of four, the 30-year-old tells The Register that he plans to return to school.
- The Orioles have signed Steven Hensley, who was released by the Rockies in March, Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports. The 27-year-old has never appeared in the majors. He worked almost entirely out of the bullpen for upper-level affiliates of the Rockies and Mariners last season, compiling a 4.24 ERA.
- The Dodgers have signed lefty Erick Threets, who was pitching for the independent Long Island Ducks, according to Eddy. Last we heard, Threets was looking for a job in Asia.
- The Marlins have inked infielder Rich Poythress, who was released by the Mariners in March, per Eddy. Poythress, who has yet to reach the majors, was sent to Double-A.
- The A's have signed second baseman Colin Walsh, who was let go by the Cardinals last month, Eddy reports. The 24-year-old reached Double-A for the Cardinals last season.
- Dontrelle Willis was added to the active roster of the Fresno Grizzlies, the Giants' Triple-A club, according to a tweet from the team. D-Train struggled in 21 innings with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in 2013, posting a 6.43 ERA.
- The Nationals have selected the contract of starter Blake Treinen, the International League transactions page shows. Treinen was pitching at Triple-A, and has never appeared in the majors. The right-hander came over in last winter's three-team trade with the Mariners and A's. He's been used almost exclusively as a starter in recent years in the minors, where he owns a 3.73 ERA. Baseball America ranked him as the Nats' 23rd-best prospect this year, but wrote that most evaluators expect him to end up in middle relief.
- The Nats have inked right-hander Paolo Espino, formerly of the Cubs organization, according to Eddy. The right-hander, who works as a swingman, has yet to reach the majors but has significant Triple-A experience.
Two years ago that three team deal happened, not this year.
Now that Mark Prior is officially retired, is Willis the most depressing perpetual comeback attempter?
Not hardly to me. he is one guy I will always pull for to make a comeback.
His issues were never physical. A Jimmy Piersal type that faces his own personal demons every day. A real shame and I feel really bad for Willis. Willis is the polar opposite of some.. Say Zambrano who fabricates his own.
Another way to say it is depressing would be to say, “A real shame and I really feel bad for Willis.”
So, we agree.
Yes. I was incorrect as well. He did and he did have some sort of physical issues, or mechanical ones. His delivery. Repetition of, where he could never maintain even 2 deliveries the same in a row, even when he was going good early on.
Was this because of his issues? We may never know.
Im really surprised nobody has ever tried to move Willis from a pitcher to an offensive player. Im not sure if he could ever play anywhere in the field on the major league level, but with a career AVG of .244, and OPS of .665, there is no reason to think he couldn’t improve on his offense if he was working on it. It’s obvious he’s done as a pitcher. As a Met fan, I remember being nervous with him at the plate when he was playing for the Marlins.
Dontrelle Willis is in the Giants organization? Guess the D-Train became the D-Trolley
Maybe D-Train should try closing? If he throws hard, that is.