Once upon a time, the Marlins had the “D-Train.”
Dontrelle Willis was a 6-foot-3, 230 lb. left-handed pitcher from Oakland, CA. Born on this date in 1982, he eventually went on to pitch for the Marlins, the Detroit Tigers, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cincinnati Reds. In nine major league seasons, he totaled 15.4 WAR. 17.2 of that was with the Marlins.
Willis was an eighth round selection of the Chicago Cubs in 2000, out of Encinal HC in Alameda, CA. He spent two years in the Cubbies minor league system, never above the low-A level and ending with a trade to the Marlins just prior to the 2002 regular season.