Tim Dillard

Dillard began his professional baseball career in 2003, pitching for the Rookie Arizona League Brewers and Helena Brewers. He played in 14 games, made 4 starts, and went 1–2 with a 3.29 ERA.[6] In 2004, Dillard was primarily a reliever for the Class A Beloit Snappers. He went 2–5 in 43 appearances with a 3.94 ERA and was second on the team in saves (10).[6][7]

He played for the Class A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees in 2005, making 28 starts, and accumulating a 12–10 record with a 2.48 ERA.[6] He led the Florida State League in games started (28), innings pitched (​185 ¹⁄₃), complete games (5), and shutouts (2).[8] He also came in second in wins (12) and fifth in strikeouts (128).[8] Dillard was named to the league's postseason All-Star team in recognition of his performance.[9] He was also selected by the Brewers as their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.[10]

In 2006, while playing for the Double-A Huntsville Stars, Dillard made 25 starts and 4 relief appearances.[6] In those 29 games, he went 10–7 with a 3.26 ERA.[6] He led the Stars in wins (10), starts (25), innings pitched (163), and came in second in strikeouts (108).[11] He was also selected to participate in the midseasona Southern League All-Star Game,[9] in which he pitched a scoreless inning of relief and allowed only one hit.[12]

Dillard pitching for the Nashville Sounds in 2008 using an over-the-top delivery

Dillard reached the Triple-A level in 2007, playing for the Nashville Sounds. He went 8–4 with a 4.74 ERA in 34 games (16 starts).[6] On November 19, his contract was purchased by the Brewers, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. He was later optioned back to Nashville on March 15, 2008, where he began the season. On May 23, Dillard was called up to the majors for the first time in his career.[5] He made his major league debut that night against the Washington Nationals,[5] pitching one scoreless inning and striking out Aaron Boone.[13] He returned to Nashville in late June, but was recalled to Milwaukee that September.[14] Over 13 games with Milwaukee, he pitched ​14 ¹⁄₃ innings of relief and accumulated a 4.40 ERA with 5 strikeouts.[5] In Nashville, he went 6–1 with a 1.99 ERA and 55 strikeouts out of the bullpen.[6] He was selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League with the Mesa Solar Sox after the season.[6]

Dillard played the majority of the 2009 season with the Nashville Sounds, though he did make two relief appearances with Milwaukee in late July.[15] In 24 appearances with the Sounds, he went 11–7 with a 4.51 ERA and 64 strikeouts versus 0–1 with a 12.46 ERA and 1 strikeout with the Brewers.[6] He was designated for assignment prior to the 2010 season to make room on the Brewers' roster for Marco Estrada. He cleared waivers and was assigned to Nashville where he played the entire season.[6] During the 2010 campaign, Dillard completely overhauled his pitching delivery from a traditional over-the-top delivery to a sidearm delivery. In Nashville, he made 8 starts and 33 relief appearances, pitching to a 5–7 record with a 4.12 ERA and 82 strikeouts.[6]

Dillard pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012 using a sidearm delivery

He received an invitation to spring training with the Brewers in 2011. Beginning the season at Nashville, Dillard was recalled by the Brewers on May 13. He was subsequently optioned to Nashville and recalled twice over the course of the season.[9] In Milwaukee, he made 24 relief appearances, going 1–1 with a 4.08 ERA and 27 strikeouts, while he made 17 relief appearances in Nashville, going 4–2 with a 3.58 ERA and 30 strikeouts.[9] He began the 2012 season with Milwaukee, but was outrighted to Nashville on July 11 after accumulating a 4.38 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 34 games out of the bullpen.[9] With a minor league ERA at nearly 10.00, he was reassigned to Double-A Huntsville in late August and elected free agency after the season.[9] Between Nashville and Huntsville, his 2012 minor league record was 1–1 with an 8.38 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 17 games.[6]

Dillard signed a contract with Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for 2013.[6] He pitched in six games before signing a minor league contract with the Brewers on May 4.[6][9] He was assigned to Triple-A Nashville, where he spent the rest of the season before again electing free agency after the close of the season.[9] Yet again, he signed with Lancaster for the 2014 season, appearing in two games, only to sign with the Brewers on May 1 and be assigned to Double-A Huntsville.[9] He was promoted to Nashville on August 23.[9] Over 8 seasons with the Nashville Sounds (2007–2014), Dillard set the team's career franchise records for wins (39), innings pitched (​556 ²⁄₃), and runs allowed (302).[16] He pitched for the Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League during the 2014–15 offseason.[6]

In 2014, Milwaukee had offered Dillard a coaching position, but he turned it down, asking instead for another playing contract.[17] He attended spring training with the Brewers in 2015 and was assigned to the Rookie Helena Brewers in a paper move. He bounced back and forth between Helena's roster and pitching for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox for the rest of the season,[9] serving in a fill-in role when other pitchers were injured.[17] He elected free agency after the season, but was resigned for 2016.[9] He spent the entire 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons with Colorado Springs, each time becoming a free agent and ultimately resigning for the next year.[9] After the 2018 campaign, however, the Brewers released him unconditionally.[17]

Former Nashville teammate Chris Woodward, who had been hired as the manager of the Texas Rangers in late 2018, encouraged Rangers general manager Jon Daniels to sign Dillard so as to utilize his veteran clubhouse presence in service as a mentor to younger players.[17] On December 17, 2018, Dillard signed a minor league contract with Texas for 2019,[18] and he was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds to begin the season.[19] This arrangement allowed Dillard, who resides in Nashville, the opportunity to pitch close to his family.[20]

The Rangers informed him he would not see regular play but would be used only when absolutely necessary.[17] By the end of April, however, he was added to the starting rotation, and ended the season having pitched ​153 ¹⁄₃ innings, more than other pitcher in Minor League Baseball.[17] In his second stretch with the Sounds, he set the franchise career records for games pitched (242) and strikeouts (437) while adding to his existing marks for wins (48) and innings pitched (710).[6][16] He became a free agent following the 2019 season,[21] but was re-signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on December 16, 2019.[22] He was assigned to Nashville for 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the minor league season.[9][23]

With a lack of affiliated Minor League Baseball in 2020, Dillard, still under contract with Texas, was loaned to the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association on August 15.[24] The Milkmen, with Dillard in the starting rotation,[25] won the American Association championship.[26] After the conclusion of their season on September 18, 2020, he was returned to the Rangers organization. Dillard later elected free agency but was subsequently resigned to a minor league contract for 2021.[9]