Dontrelle Willis retires from baseball

Dontrelle Willis, the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year who was pitching for Triple-A Norfolk in the Orioles organization this season in an attempt to get back to the majors, has retired, the Orioles announced Monday.

The 30-year-old Willis was outstanding as a rookie in 2003 when he went 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA for the Marlins, and in 2005, when he went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

But his career declined from there.

In 2011 with the Reds, Willis went 1-6 with a 5.00 earned run average. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies before the season, but was released and signed to a minor-league deal by the Orioles. Willis had an 0-3 record with an 8.53 ERA for Norfolk this year.