Tim Dillard

Timothy Charles Dillard (born July 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers. He is a pregame and postgame analyst for Brewers television broadcasts on BrewersTV / MLB Local Media, LLC.

Dillard made his MLB debut with Milwaukee in 2008. He pitched in 74 games as a reliever over the course of four seasons with the Brewers. In his 18-year professional career, Dillard spent most of his playing time with the Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team. While with Triple-A Nashville, he appeared in 242 games across nine seasons and set the Sounds' career records for wins, games pitched, innings pitched, and strikeouts.

In 2005, Dillard was named to the Florida State League postseason All-Star Team and chosen as the Milwaukee Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He was selected for the 2006 Southern League All-Star Game the next season. His alma mater, Itawamba Community College, inducted him in their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Amateur career Dillard played catcher, and occasionally pitcher, at Saltillo High School in Saltillo, Mississippi. After his senior year, he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 15th round (448th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. Having recently undergone left shoulder surgery, his hitting was not as proficient as the Brewers expected, In his 2003 sophomore season, Dillard pitched and won a school-record 11 games for the Itawamba Indians including a win in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II College World Series. He was chosen as the NJCAA Player of the Year.

In the 2002 draft, Dillard was selected again by the Brewers, this time in the 34th round as the 1,009th overall pick. He signed with Milwaukee on May 27, 2003, after the conclusion of Itawamba's postseason run. Rather than play at catcher as previously drafted, the Brewers chose to utilize him as a pitcher. In 2004, Dillard was primarily a reliever for the Single–A Beloit Snappers. He went 2–5 in 43 appearances with a 3.94 ERA and was second on the team in saves (10).

Dillard played for the High–A Brevard County Manatees in 2005, making 28 starts, and accumulating a 12–10 record with a 2.48 ERA. He also came in second in wins (12) and fifth in strikeouts (128). He was also selected by the Brewers as their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

In 2006, while playing for the Double-A Huntsville Stars, Dillard made 25 starts and 4 relief appearances. He was also selected to participate in the midseason Southern League All-Star Game,

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). He returned to Nashville in late June, but was recalled to Milwaukee that September. Over 13 games with Milwaukee, he pitched innings of relief and accumulated a 4.40 ERA with 5 strikeouts. 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. He pitched for the Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League during the 2014–15 offseason. 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 in a fill-in role when other pitchers were injured. and he was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, which had since become part of the Rangers organization. This arrangement allowed Dillard, who resides in Nashville, the opportunity to pitch close to his family.

The Rangers informed him he would not see regular play but would be used only when absolutely necessary. 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). but he was later re-signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He was assigned to Nashville for 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the minor league season.

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. The Milkmen, with Dillard in the starting rotation, won the American Association championship. After the conclusion of their season on September 18, he was returned to the Rangers. Dillard later elected free agency but subsequently returned to the Rangers on a minor league contract for 2021. The Nashville Sounds honored Dillard by retiring his uniform number, 17, in a ceremony at First Horizon Park on July 29, 2022.

Broadcasting career After retiring from playing in 2021, Dillard was hired to serve as the primary pregame and postgame analyst on Brewers Live telecasts as well as provide color commentary for select games on BrewersTV / MLB Local Media, LLC. He previously appeared on Brewers pregame broadcasts in their 2018 postseason run.