Tim Dillard

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #30 prospect in 2009
  A former starter working his second season in relief in 2008, Dillard showed a better grasp of pitching in short spurts and earned his first taste of big league action. He's the second member of his family to reach the majors, following in the footsteps of his father Steve. Dillard isn't overpowering but has good command of a heavy 89-93 mph sinker. He mixes in sliders and changeups to give hitters something else to consider, but the sinker remains his bread-and-butter pitch. Dillard is a classic pitch-to-contact pitcher who relies on dependable infield defense. He lives in the strike zone, so he gives up his share of hits. Dillard is a smart, dedicated pitcher who's learning the nuances of setting up hitters. He profiles as a resilient middle reliever who can handle multiple innings in an outing. After making a decent impression with the Brewers last season, he'll get his chance to earn a spot in the bullpen in the spring.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #15 prospect in 2007
  Dillard's father Steve was a second-rounder in 1972 and enjoyed parts of eight seasons as an infield reserve for three teams between 1975-82. Tim split his time between catching and pitching as an amateur, and the Brewers twice drafted him as a pitcher, in the 15th round in 2001 out of high school and again as a draft-and-follow in 2002. Dillard was the organization's pitcher of the year in 2005 after leading all full-season pitchers in innings, victories and ERA. Elevated to Double-A last year, he pitched163 innings, again tops in the system. With a big, strong frame, he's a bull on the mound yet pitches with command, staying ahead in the count and issuing few walks. Dillard's fastball sits at 88-92 mph for the most part with good sinking action, resulting in a better than 1.5 groundball-flyball ratio. Because he's around the plate a lot and doesn't possess a blazing fastball, he can be hittable. But Dillard doesn't give in. He is still working on making his slider a consistent pitch and needs to continue developing his changeup. Dillard already has the savvy to succeed. He projects to the back half of the rotation, but that's OK with the Brewers because of his knack for eating innings.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #16 prospect in 2006
  The Brewers drafted Dillard in the 15th round in 2001 out of high school, then picked him again out of Itawamba (Miss.) CC, which he helped reach the Junior College World Series. He played catcher and pitched back then, but Milwaukee coveted his power right arm on the mound. Dillard had committed to Mississippi, where his father Steve was an all- American before his own big league career as an infielder, but signed as a draft-and-follow in 2003. The Brewers named Dillard their 2005 minor league pitcher of the year after he led the system's full-season starters in innings, wins and ERA. He has a strong, durable frame and good coordination, and he excels at repeating his low-effort delivery. His slinging arm action helps give him one of the organization's better fastballs. It has heavy sink and boring action, sits at 87-91 mph and touches 94. He averaged an efficient 14 pitches an inning by working on his sinker, and has the best control in the system. Dillard's secondary pitches aren't at his fastball's level, in part because of his relative inexperience as a pitcher. His slider is hard and sweeps a bit but lacks tilt or depth. He tends to drop his arm on his changeup, giving the pitch away. If his secondary stuff can improve to just average, Dillard could be an innings-eating workhorse as a No. 4 starter. He's ready for Double-A.