Dillard’s cameo special
He continues to toil in minors
Tim Dillard didn’t even have a Twitter account the last time he suited up for the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park back in 2012.
Since then he’s become a must-follow for baseball fans on the social media platform (@dimtillard), displaying his tremendous sense of humor and wit by regularly posting videos of himself and his teammates acting, lipsyncing and just plain old having fun behind the scenes.
Dillard cranked out another Friday with the help of Ivan De Jesus Jr. before he once again slipped into a major-league uniform to take part in the Brewers’ two-game exhibition set against the Chicago White Sox.
“I was actually thinking on the flight on the way here how many rubbers I’ve toed on mounds since I’ve been here,” said Dillard, one of four minorleaguers who accompanied the team back from Arizona to provide some late-inning depth for the two games.
“Ten in Mexico, probably 12 in Venezuela, six or seven in independent ball. Then all of Double-A, about 14 mounds, and you’ve got 16 mounds in Triple-A. It all adds up.
“Everybody has a path, and mine is as weird as anybody else’s. But I’m happy to be back. I think it’s really cool.”
Dillard last appeared in the major leagues on July 7, 2012, pitching a third of an inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Over parts of four seasons — 2008-’09 and 2011-’12 — the right-hander went 1-4 with a 4.70 earned run average in 73 appearances for the Brewers.
Twice drafted as an amateur by Milwaukee, Dillard has toiled in the minor leagues for the Brewers since that final appearance in Houston aside from a couple short stints in independent ball. Last year he went 7-1 with a 5.13 ERA in 23 appearances at Class AAA Colorado Springs, starting three games, saving another and registering 53 strikeouts in 47 1⁄3 innings.
It was a solid season in a tough place and league to pitch, but Dillard found himself without a job until the Brewers brought him back into the fold in December. Such is life for a 33-year-old sidearmer, who recalled an off-season discussion with former Milwaukee teammate Gabe Kapler, who’s now the director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I used to dress next to him. He’s walking around with his shirt off and I’ve got eight towels to dry off,” said Dillard, breaking out some of that trademark humor.
“He said I was by far one of the best pitchers in the (Pacific Coast League) numbers-wise and he said comparatively over all your career these were your best two years — especially swing-and-miss rate, strikeouts and all that. And I was like, ‘So, you interested in giving me a job?’ He was like, ‘No, man, we don’t have anybody who’s 30 years old in Triple-A.’
“It makes sense, and I get it for age. But I feel like I’ve stayed healthy. My last pitch in the big leagues in 2012, my fastball was 85. My last fastball in Colorado Springs last year was 92. Not that I sit at 92, but I’ll sit at 88. That’s not something to scoff at. I feel like I’ve grown.
“Even though I didn’t have big-league experience I had some other valuable experiences.”
Manager Craig Counsell, who was Dillard’s teammate in the 2008, ‘09 and ‘11 seasons, is happy to see Dillard back for the weekend.
“Tim Dillard’s story is just cool to begin with,” Counsell said. “The fact that he’s been in this organization for this long, it’s kind of a marriage, really. It’s just so rare in the baseball world.
“It’s like a 50-year anniversary, you know what I mean? It just doesn’t happen.”
The chances Dillard will remain with the organization once he hangs up his spikes would appear to be good; he spent a week in Milwaukee in September yukking it up as only he can as part of the team’s social media crew.
But he remains a baseball player first. And he’s still hanging onto the dream of once again wearing a Brewers uniform, while this time pitching in games that count.
“I’m a little more weathered and more bearded,” he said, referring to the journey that’s brought him back to Miller Park. “I’ve got a good support group. My family’s awesome and we’ve got friends all around baseball. It’s been a collective effort by a lot of great people to get to this moment.
“So you asked about walking in the door? Yeah, it’s a big deal. It’s a big deal for me.”
Medical moves: The Brewers officially announced right-hander Matt Garza (right-groin strain) and catcher Andrew Susac (trapezius tightness) were placed on the 10-day disabled list.
While Garza’s placement on the DL came as something of a surprise when the news broke Thursday, Susac’s was not. He hasn’t played since March 13, essentially settling what had been a three-way battle for two catching spots coming into the spring. Manny Piña and Jett Bandy will be the Brewers’ duo behind the plate on opening day.
Susac, acquired from the San Francisco Giants last August in the Will Smith trade, struggled to a .192 average in 12 games in Cactus League play.