This year I be releasing my Top 25 Prospects in
conjunction with the people over at Between the Green Pillars, which means the list
is going to posted somewhat out of order to match up with what Ryan and Jay have for their Top 25. An up-to-date list of the Bernie's Crew
Top 25 can
be found at the bottom of each individual post. There will be a new
prospect posted each day both here at Bernie's Crew, and also over at
Between the Green Pillars. Each prospect overview will have thoughts
from both blogs as well. Be sure to check back daily!
Tim Dillard
Born: 7/19/1983
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215 lbs
Throws: R
Tim
Dillard enjoyed his first sip of major league action this past season,
posting a 4.40 ERA in 14.1 innings. He quickly got demoted back to
Nashville after completely losing the strike zone in a couple of his
last outings as a Brewer in June before making his way back onto the
roster in September. That four-run inning against Toronto on June 19th
likely left the big righty with a bad taste in his mouth and the desire
to stick with the big league club in 2009.
He will have every
opportunity to start 2009 in the bullpen for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Dillard features a hard sinker that normally works between 92-94 MPH,
but he can dial it up to 95 or 96 occasionally. Opposing hitters will
see a heavy dosage of sinkers from the right-hander, but he will
occasionally mix in a mid-80s slider. After struggling in 2007 as a
starting pitcher in Nashville, the Brewers organization fully converted
Tim to a reliever. It took a while for the big guy to make the
transition, but he flourished in the bullpen last season. A 1.99 ERA
in 63.1 innings with Nashville last season is a good indicator of
that. His strikeout rate jumped to 7.82 K/9 and his HR/9 rate stayed a
very respectable 0.71. Those are fantastic numbers for a reliever who
can likely handle multiple innings with ease.
Dillard's control
problems in the big leagues last season should be cause for concern,
however. 2008 marked a large jump in his walk rate, as the
right-hander walked almost four batters for every nine innings
pitched. This wildness is quite uncharacteristic for Tim. In 2006 and
2007, his walk rates were 1.99 and 2.50, respectively. The unsightly
3.98 BB/9 rate for Nashville last season should rebound nicely in 2009,
as he is likely to regress to his career norm. If he does not begin
the next season with the Milwaukee Brewers, I suspect he will be one of
the first call-ups from Nashville. He projects to be a very useful arm
as a middle reliever for Milwaukee's big league club as early as 2009.
Tim has the stuff to succeed, and his uncharacteristic control problems
should improve next season. He would be ranked much higher in these
rankings, but his value is stunted quite a bit because of his likely
role as a middle-reliever.
PROJECTED ARRIVAL: 2009
OVERALL: C+
Jim's Ranking: 21
Bernie's Crew Top 25 Prospects
#25 -- Evan Anundsen
#24 -- Lee Haydel
#23 -- Luis Pena
#22 -- Wily Peralta
#21 -- Tim Dillard