Dillon Ray Overton (born August 17, 1991) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

and in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

Rakuten Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly known as La New Bears (2004–2010) and Lamigo Monkeys (2011–2019), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administered by the Japanese technol ...

Amateur career

Overton was drafted by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

in the 26th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team picking first. ;Key ...

out of Weatherford High School in

Weatherford, Oklahoma Weatherford is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 12,076 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a gain of about 11.5% over the 10,833 figure from the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. ...

. He did not sign with the Red Sox and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

for the

Sooners Sooners is the name given to settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands illegally in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889. The Unassigned Lands were a part of Indian Territory that, after a lobbyi ...

from 2011 to 2013.

Professional career

Oakland Athletics

Overton was then drafted by the

in the second round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

. After signing, Overton underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, a development which significantly lowered his signing bonus. He returned in 2014 and made his professional debut with the

Arizona League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Mesa, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Athletics organization since 1988. They play thei ...

. He was later promoted to the

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont, United States, who were founded in 1994 as the Vermont Expos. They were members of Minor League Baseball, in the New York–Penn League (NYPL), ...

, where he finished the season. Unfortunately, the surgery did affect his fastball velocity, which dropped from mid-90s to high-80s. Overton split the 2015 season with the High–A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

and the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

. Overton began the 2016 season with an 8–4 record and 3.01

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, before being promoted to the Athletics to make his major league debut on June 25, becoming the 11th Athletic to make a start during 2016. Overton made 5 starts with Oakland in 2016, going 1–3 with an 11.47 ERA, giving up 12 home runs in innings pitched. Following the signing of infielder

Adam Rosales Adam Marcos Rosales (born May 20, 1983) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Clevel ...

, Overton was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on January 25, 2017.

Seattle Mariners

On January 26, 2017, Overton was traded to the

in exchange for minor-leaguer Jason Goldstein, adding to Seattle's starting pitching depth. Overton pitched to a 6.31 ERA for Seattle and was designated for assignment.

San Diego Padres

On June 19, 2017, Overton was claimed off waivers by the

. He made one start for the Padres before he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

on August 31. In 2018, Overton played for the rookie–level

Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres or ACL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona. The Padres compete in the Arizona Complex League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Peor ...

, Double–A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, and El Paso. In 25 games (14 starts) for the three affiliates, he compiled an 8–2 record and 2.90 ERA with 72 strikeouts over innings pitched. Overton made 25 appearances (22 starts) for El Paso in 2019, registering a 10–5 record and 5.46 ERA with 103 strikeouts across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2019.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On March 11, 2020, Overton signed a minor league contract with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Overton was released by the Diamondbacks organization on May 22.

Rakuten Monkeys

On December 21, 2020, the

of the

signed Overton for the 2021 season. On March 16, 2021, Overton made his CPBL debut. In 17 games (9 starts) for the Monkeys, he compiled an 8–2 record and 3.75 ERA with 55 strikeouts over innings pitched. Overton was released by Rakuten on September 25.

Colorado Rockies

On February 18, 2022, Overton signed a minor league contract with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. In 12 games (11 starts) for the Triple–A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, he struggled to a 2–7 record and 8.60 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 45.0 innings of work. On July 8, Overton retired from professional baseball.

Personal life

Overton and his wife, Morgan, have one son named Oliver Ray who was born in April 2017.

References

External links

Oklahoma Sooners bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Dillon 1991 births Living people People from Clinton, Oklahoma Baseball players from Oklahoma Major League Baseball pitchers Oakland Athletics players Seattle Mariners players San Diego Padres players Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Arizona League Athletics players Arizona League Padres players Vermont Lake Monsters players Stockton Ports players Midland RockHounds players San Antonio Missions players Nashville Sounds players Tacoma Rainiers players El Paso Chihuahuas players American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Rakuten Monkeys players