Dirk was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 8th round of the 2003 amateur player draft. He signed as a senior in college at Kent State University, put his communication degree on hold, and set off to the fabled Northwest League to become a Eugene Emerald.
After 6 years of toiling in the minors, playing for the Eugene Emeralds, Fort Wayne Wizards, Lake Elsinore Storm, Mobile BayBears, San Antonio Missions, and Portland Beavers, Dirk emerged in the big leagues with San Diego to start against the San Fransico Giants on August, 23, 2008. His performance in that start was unremarkable, but the story between the two aforementioned dates is not.
Dirk started recording his minor league adventures in 2007 in the belief that if he didn't make it to the big leagues, at least he could write down some of the life experiences he had while trying to get there. Maybe form them into a book? The result was the capturing of stories and experiences spanning the deserts of the Cal League, the snowy peaks of the Pacific Coast League, and beyond the baseball field itself to the warn and traveled roads of real, raw life. In short, the result was a self discovery no string of stats could explain. However, if it's simple career stats you're interested in, you can find them
here.
At the end of the 2008 campaign, Dirk was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays where he spent parts of the 2009 season in the Bigs. All the of the 2010 season was spent on the disabled list, rehabbing shoulder surgery. Healthy once again, Dirk came back for the 2011 season as a Tampa Bay Ray, and played for their Triple A affiliate, the world famous Durham Bulls. Dirk is presently a free agent and hopes to make it back to the big leagues soon.
