BIO
Age: 30.
Born: Jan. 12, 1982 in Oakland
Height: 6-4.
Weight: 225.
Bats: Left.
Throws: Left.
Role: Situational lefthander out of the bullpen.
Acquired: Signed a 1-year, $850,000 contract on Dec. 15.
BIG SHOT
The great unknown is Willis' command. He can be wild, which makes him a risk as a reliever entering games with runners on base.
FAST FACTS
* Willis is a childhood friend of Jimmy Rollins. The two played at Encinal High School in Alameda, Calif. - though not as teammates. Rollins (Class of 1996) and Willis (Class of 2000) have their numbers retired.
*Encinal is also the school that produced baseball Hall of Famer Willie Stargell and former NBA player Isaiah Rider. The baseball field is named after Stargell.
* Won the 2003 NL rookie of the year for the Marlins and is the first ROY of another team to play for the Phillies since Benito Santiago (San Diego, 1987).
* Struggled in the 2003 postseason until the World Series when he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in the six-game win over the Yankees.
* The Phils' home opener is April 9 against the Marlins.
* Went 22-10 in 2005 and finished second to Chris Carpenter in the Cy Young voting. Roy Oswalt was fourth.
* Is one of three 20-game winners on the Phillies' staff. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are the others.
* On a visit back to Florida while with the Reds last year, he quipped "This is the house that [Jeff] Conine built. They change the name of the stadium every year but that's what I call it."
* His mother, Joyce, was honored by Little League Baseball as the 2006 Parent of the Year. Shane Victorino's mom and dad won it in 2011; Mike Schmidt's parents in 1981.
* Spent 2 1/2 seasons in Detroit, which was a disaster for everyone except his accountant. Willis went 2-8 with a 6.86 ERA after signing a $29 million contract.
* His time in Detroit ended when he was put on the DL with "anxiety disorder" and subsequently traded to Arizona in 2010.
* Appeared in only six games in the big leagues for Arizona in 2010 after the deal and 13 for Cincinnati last season.
* Of his 205 career appearances, 202 have been starts.
* Numbers that make him appealing to the Phillies: Lefties have hit only .200 against Willis in his career and hit .127 against him last season.
GOING BATTY
Willis is an excellent hitter for a pitcher. He has a .244 career batting average and has hit nine homers. Here's a look at his bombs:
Notes: The 2006 homers against Perez and Hernandez occurred in the same game ... When he homered off Lohse in 2007, he was using a bat he had gotten from Jimmy Rollins.
STATS
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ABOUT THIS SERIES
Each day this week, the Daily News will take a look at a newcomer to the Phillies heading into spring training.
Monday: Laynce Nix
Yesterday: Jim Thome
Today: Dontrelle Willis
Tomorrow: Ty Wigginton
Friday: Jonathan Papelbon and others to watch