College career

Dillard was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 15th round (448th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign with them, and instead attended Itawamba Community College. In 2002, Dillard was selected by the Brewers again in the draft, this time in the 34th round as the 1,009th overall pick. Dillard signed with the team on May 27, 2003.

Professional career

Dillard began his professional career in 2003, playing at the Rookie Level with the Arizona League Brewers and the Helena Brewers. He played in 14 games, made 4 starts, and went 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA. In 2004, Dillard was primarily a reliever for the Class A Beloit Snappers. He went 2-5 with a 3.94 ERA and was second on the team in saves, with 10.

He played for the Class A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees in 2005. He made 28 starts, and went 12-10 with a 2.48 ERA. His performance that year included being named to the Florida State League postseason All-Star team. He also led the league in games started (28), innings pitched (185⅓), ERA (2.48), complete games (5), and shutouts (2). Dillard also came in second in wins with 12 and fifth in strikeouts (128). Following the season, he was named the Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

In 2006, while playing for the Double-A Huntsville Stars, Dillard made 25 starts and 4 relief appearances. In those 29 games, he went 10-7 with a 3.26 ERA. He led the Stars in wins (10), starts (25), innings pitched (163), and came in second in strikeouts (108). He also tied for first in complete games and shutouts with one each. Dillard was a Southern League mid-season All-Star that season.

Dillard reached the Triple-A level in 2007, playing for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He went 8-4 with a 4.74 ERA in 34 games (16 starts). 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. On May 23, Dillard was called up to the majors for the first time in his career. He made his major league debut that night, pitching one inning and recording a strikeout.

On February 3, 2010, Dillard was designated for assignment by the Brewers to make room on the roster for Marco Estrada. He cleared waivers and was assigned to Nashville on February 5. He played the entire season with Nashville while he completely overhauled his pitching delivery from traditional over-the-top to sidearm. He received an invitation to spring training with the Brewers in 2011. Dillard began the season at Nashville, but was recalled by the Brewers on May 13, 2011.

On May 20, 2012, Dillard was thrown out of a game against the Minnesota Twins after he threw a pitch behind Jamey Carroll.

0n July 11, 2012 Dillard was optioned back to the Brewers minor league Triple-A Nashville Sounds team.

Signed a contract with Lancaster Barnstormer of the atlantic league of independent baseball again for 2014 season. He later signed a minor league contact with the Brewers and was assigned to Double-A Huntsville. Dillard was promoted to Triple-A Nashville on August 23.

Triple-A Nashville relocated to Colorado Springs in 2015. Dillard has gained a following on Twitter for his humorous adventures as a minor league relief pitcher, practical jokes, musical parodies, and clubhouse clowning. He was invited to spring training for 2016.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]