Kevin Pillar

At 35 years old, Kevin Pillar has this physical status:

Kevin Andrew Pillar (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.

He appeared for the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Pillar was an All-American center fielder in college.

He set a new NCAA Division II record of 54 games in a row in 2010, and topped his school's all-time record with a career batting average of.367.

Pillar was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 32nd round (979th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. In 2011, he batted.347, winning the Appalachian League batting title and leading the team in batting average in his first minor league season, and was named an Appalachian League All-Star.

Pillar batted.323 in 2012, while stealing 51 bases (second-most in the organization) and was named the Midwest League MVP, a mid-season and a All-Star, a Topps Class A All-Star, and a MiLB.com Organization All-Star.

For the second year in a row, he led the team in hits, and Baseball America named him the "Best Hitter for Average" among the Blue Jays' prospects.

In August 2013, he made his major league debut for the Blue Jays.

He led the International League in doubles in 2014 while batting.323, and was named an Illinois All-Star.

He hit.324. He also played in a minor league from 2016-2016. Pillar was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field in 2015, and in 2016, he received the Fielding Bible Award for the center field position.

Early life

Pillar was born in West Hills, California, to Mike and Wendy Pillar. He grew up to be a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Pillar is Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah; his mother is Jewish, but his father is Christian. His 92 stolen bases placed him 5th on the career all-time list of Jewish major leaguers, ahead of Gabe Kapler in the 2021 season. He is nicknamed K.P., which is a form of kangaro.

Pillar moved from the infield to the outfield in his junior year with Chaminade College Prep. He batted just under.400 for his high school career, with a record of.463 in his senior year. He has worked on offense, defense, and special teams with the football team, as well as point guard on the basketball team, and earned first-team all-league awards in each sport.

Personal life

In October 2014, Pillar married Amanda Gulyas, his college sweetheart. In October 2017, his wife gave birth to Kobie, his daughter. She was named after NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, one of Pillar's idols, rose up.

Source

College career

Pillar attended Dominguez Hills, California, at California State University. There, he majored and earned a degree in mathematics and company, as well as playing center field for the Toros baseball team, for which he was an All-American. He hit.379, his fifth-highest average in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and fifth in the league with 20 doubles and fifth with 17 steals, and was named to the All-CCAA 2nd team as a freshman in 2008. He batted.329 and was selected as a 2nd-team All-CCAA pick in 2009, while taking 18 bases in 19 attempts.

As a freshman, he set a new NCAA Division II record at the university in 2010, a 54-game winning streak, five games more than the previous record. During Pillar's run, he came to the plate eight times and got one. He was also named a National Gold Glove Award winner by ESPN, 1st-team Daktronics/ABCA, and Rawlings/ABCA All-American, winning three All-CCAA awards in three years, earning him three All-CCAA accolades in three years. He batted.369 with a 1.000 field percentage in his senior year.

Pillar completed his college career as the school's all-time batting champion with a.367 average.

Minor league career

In the 32nd round (979th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, Pillar was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 32nd round (979th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. His signing bonus of $1,000 was so little after taxes that he had to ask his mother for more money so he'd have enough money to buy an iPhone. "Clearly, and I say respectfully, we got him wrong," Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said when he was promoted to the majors two years ago. Just because, if he has a chance to make the big leagues, you don't have to wait for the [32nd] round to select him."

Pillar was a member of the Blue Jays in 2011, batted.347 over 60 games, winning the Appalachian League batting championship and leading the team in batting average. He was also 4th in hits (82), and 6th in slugging percentage (.53%). He was named an Appalachian League All Star. He has the team's all-time record for batting average, on-base percentage (3.77), and slugging percentage. He was then called up to play for the Vancouver Canucks in their playoff season, and he batted.391 to help the team win the Northwest League championship.

Pillar began his 2012 minor league career with the Minnesota Lugnuts, where he earned a.390 on base percentage (4th in the league) and stole 35 bases (5th in the league) in 86 games. He was later promoted to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays, where he batted.323 and stole 16 bases (while being blocked three times) in 42 games. His total of 51 steals in 2012 was the second-most in the Blue Jays organization and the 10th-most in the minor leagues. He was regarded as an excellent defensive player and played in all three outfield positions. He was named the Midwest League Most Valuable Player after also winning mid-season and post-season All Star awards and being named the best hitting prospect in the Midwest League by Baseball America. He was also named a Topps Class A All Star and a MiLB.com All Star. He played with the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League for a team-leading.371.

Pillar was drafted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats before the 2013 minor league season began. He played 71 games for the team and made 12 outfield assists. He was rated as one of the Eastern League's most consistent hitters and defenders, with "strong intuition, a strong throwing arm," and showed speed on the base paths. Richie Hebner, his hitting coach, said, "He is the best player in the league." "He does everything well." Before being promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he batted.313 (3rd in the league) with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs, and was leading the Eastern League with 95 hits. Pillar had more doubles (8) than singles (7) in his first 11 games. He had more extra-base hits (27) during his time in Buffalo than any other player in AAA over that time span. He had 39 doubles and 155 hits in 123 games between New Hampshire and Buffalo, the second and third highest totals in the minor leagues at the time. For sure, Buffalo boss Marty Brown was impressed with how he has swung the bat." However, he does tend to be in the right place at the right time defensively. He's a great base runner."

Pillar was named the 16th-best prospect in the Blue Jays organization by MLB.com in July 2013. Pillar was not previously ranked in the top 20 on MLB.com's rankings. He was ranked as the team's 12th best prospect by Baseball America. For the second year in a row, his 155 hits in the minors led the team. "Best Hitter for Average" was rated by Baseball America in December 2013 as the best hitter for average in the Blue Jays' prospects.

He batted.323 (3rd in the league) in 100 games, his second best in the Bisons' modern history to Jhonny Perez' 44 in 2004), ranked second in extra-base hits (52), and fifth in stolen bases (27). Pillar had both a 21-game hitting streak (the longest in the league) and an 18-game hitting streak, making him the first player in Buffalo's modern history to have two hitting streaks of 18 games or more. He was named International Player of the Week twice (on May 5 and August 6, 2013), an International League post-season All-Star and the 2014 Buffalo Bisons MVP.

Pillar batted.479 in 413 games during his minor league career from 1996 to a.846 average.

Major league career

On August 14, 2013, Pillar was called to the Blue Jays for the first time in his career, while center fielder Colby Rasmus was on the 15-day injured list and utility player Emilio Bonifacio was traded to the Kansas City Royals. He was the first member of Toronto's 2011 draft to make it to the majors, and in April 2015, he was the lowest pick of his major league draft class to make it to the majors. Pillar was a "legitimization center choice" at the time of his call-up, according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

Pillar made his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox on October 19th. He was issued his uniform number 22. In the Blue Jays' 4–3 extra innings win, he was 0-for-4 with one strikeout and made a diving catch in the outfield. In a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on August 20, Pillar scored his first career hit and RBI in his first career appearance. Pillar fired off a three-run shot off Houston Astros starter Brad Peacock on August 24, his first home run.

Pillar was optioned to the Buffalo Bisons on March 22, 2014, after starting the season with the Blue Jays. On May 13, Jonathan Diaz was called up to Triple-A after being optioned to Triple-A. Pillar had appeared in a league-high 26 straight games with Buffalo and posted a triple slash of.305/.461 in 34 games, leading the league in doubles and a record-breaking streak in Triple-A.

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Minnesota Twins 5–4 on June 9, Pillar hit a walk-off single, scoring Erik Kratz to give the Blue Jays a 5–4 victory. After manager John Gibbons suspended him for pinch hitter Anthony Gose, he was sent back to Buffalo on June 24 for throwing his bat. Nolan Reimold was recalled on August 26 when he was recalled for service.

The Blue Jays acquired Michael Saunders from the Seattle Mariners in the 2015 offseason, and Pillar was set to play in their fourth outfielder role going into spring training. However, Pillar stepped in as the starting left fielder after Saunders tore his meniscus before spring training.

Pillar had several highlight reel catches over the season, including scaling the left field wall to rob Tim Beckham of a home run on April 15. The play of the year was voted by fans of the Blue Jays, and Pillar called it a "life-changing moment" that took him from anonymity to fame in Toronto and elsewhere in the league. Pillar's first right-handed batter to hit two home runs in one game off of Washington Nationals' ace Max Scherzer in his first two-home runs game on June 2. With 5 stolen bases (tied for seventh in the AL) and 18 RBIs, he was named Player of the Month for June by the Toronto Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), he batted.365 (4th in the AL) and 18 RBIs (tied for 10th in the AL). Pillar was named the American League Player of the Week for September 21–27 on September 28. During the week, he batted.524 with 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases.

Pillar reached his first full Major League season in 2015 and set several career records. He finished the regular season batting.278 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases (5th in the AL) as his 86.21 stolen base percentage was 4th-best in the league. Pillar appeared in all five games of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, batting.333 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs. Pillar and the Blue Jays then lost the American League Championship Series in six games to the Kansas City Royals, who went on to win the World Series.

Pillar was announced on October 29, along with Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Trout, as a finalist for the Gold Glove award in center field, with Kiermaier and Mike Trout getting the award eventually going to Kiermaier. Pillar was named the 2015 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field on November 11th.

Pillar started the season as the Blue Jays' lead-off hitter, but he struggled, hitting.188 with no walks through April 16, and manager John Gibbons dropped him in the order. Pillar was put on the disabled list in early August after suffering a left thumb injury while stealing a base; he later underwent offseason surgery to restore a torn thumb ligament. Pillar had appeared in 109 of 112 games, and his 2.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was second only to Josh Donaldson on the team. Pillar was named as the Blue Jays' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award on September 6, 2009.

Pillar appeared in 146 games for the Blue Jays in 2016, a.266 with seven home runs, 53 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. With 21 Defensive Runs Saved and a UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) of 21.4, he ranked No. 1 among major league center fielders with 21 Defensive Runs Saved and a UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) of 21.4. According to Fangraphs, he led all MLB center fielders in defensive value, but shortstops Brandon Crawford and Francisco Lindor only surpassed him in defensive value. Pillar struggled with the bat in the postseason, going 3-for-32 at the plate with one home run and two RBIs.

Pillar, together with Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kevin Kiermaier, was named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award in center field. He received the Fielding Bible Award for his center field position on October 28.

Pillar was announced as the cover star for the Canadian version of R.B.I on February 8, 2017. Baseball 17. Pillar worked to develop his plate discipline during the offseason, with the intention of becoming the Blue Jays' lead-off hitter. He spent time with Devon Travis as the lead-off player; however, Travis failed in the role, and Pillar became the everyday lead-off hitter in late April. Pillar had a 3-for-4 victory against the Seattle Mariners on May 13 and became the American League leader in hits with 47. Pillar earned Toronto a 3–2 victory on the first walk-off home run of his career, on his first walk-off home run.

In the Blue Jays' 8–4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on May 17, Braves pitcher Jason Motte struck out Pillar with a quick pitch. Motte was called a homophobic slur by Pillar, Motte and Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki confronted him, and both dugouts rushed onto the field. Pillar apologized to Motte after the game. Pillar's suspension was also suspended for two games on the next day, as the Blue Jays held a press conference.

Pillar batted.256/.404 with career-bests in doubles (37) and home runs (16), a career-highs in doubles (37) and home runs (16), winning 72 runs and taking 15 bases. His.997 fielding percentage as a center fielder was the highest in the league, and his eight assists as a center fielder were second-most in the AL. He was named as a finalist in the center field Gold Glove award on October 28.

Pillar signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Blue Jays on January 12, 2018, avoiding salary arbitration altogether. Pillar was the first Blue Jay to steal three bases in a single inning when he stole second, third, and home plate in the eighth in Toronto's 5–3 victory over the New York Yankees on March 31, becoming the first Blue Jay to steal three bases in one inning. It was also the team's first straight steal of home since Aaron Hill did so in 2007. On MLB Network's "Top 100 Plays of 2018," he made a wall-leaping home-run rob catch on July 1 that was rated as the # 2 defensive play of the year. On a dive catch, he was put on the disabled list after spraining his right sternoclavicular joint (where his collarbone attaches to his chest wall).

Pillar led the team in batting average (2.42), doubles (40; a career high), and stolen bases (14), a league record of 83.2 percent), finishing ninth in the American League in stolen base percentage (83.2 percent). He also hit 15 home runs and 59 RBIs. Pillar became the longest-tenured active Blue Jay with team trade pitcher Aaron Loup during the season.

Pillar agreed to a one-year, $5.8 million deal with the Blue Jays in January 2019, avoiding arbitration. Before being traded, he appeared in five games for the team in 2019. He completed his Toronto career with a seven-year stolen base percentage of 78 percent, his eighth-best all-time record for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays traded Pillar to the San Francisco Giants for Alen Hanson, Derek Law, and Juan De Paula on April 2, 2019. Pillar faced the San Diego Padres on April 8 for his first grand slam in his career. Pillar received an MLB Play of the Week award on May 4 for scaling the center field wall, ensuring Nick Senzel's will-be home run. Pillar took on the role of everyday center fielder as Steven Duggar's injury troubles led him to a few stints on the injured list. Pillar had a career-high 5 hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 17.

He batted.264/.442 (2nd in the NL), 21 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 6 sacrifice flies (8th) while stealing 14 bases; his 161 games were 6th in the majors, while his 7th at bats per strikeout were 7th. He was third in the league in both his range factor/game as an outfielder (2.30) and his fielding percentage as a center fielder (.986) on defense. He was a leader (or tied for the lead) in runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases for the Giants (or tied for first) for runs, doubles, triples, RBIs, and stolen bases.

Pillar was named in the Willie Mac Award in September, the team's Most Influential Player award, which was given to the team's most inspirational player, as voted on by players, coaches, trainers, and fans. Pillar was voted Best Valuable Player in the 2019 National League in November. On December 2, 2019, San Francisco decided not to give Pillar a new deal, making him a free agent.

Pillar signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Boston Red Sox on February 14, 2020. Pillar batted.274 in 117 at bats over 30 games, seven doubles, two triples (3rd in the AL at the time of the trade), four home runs, and 13 RBIs for the Red Sox during the delayed start to the 2020 season. As he played 24 games in right field, six games in center field, and two games in left field, he played error-less baseball and had two assists from right field (3rd).

In exchange for pitcher Jacob Wallace, Boston traded Pillar to the Colorado Rockies at the trade deadline for the 2020 season.

Pillar batted.308/.351 in 91 at bats, with 14 runs, 14 runs, and 13 RBIs in 91 at bats, despite being almost exclusively center field.

Pillar batted.288/.342/.462 in 206 at bats in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, leading to 6 home runs, 34 runs, and 26 RBIs in 206 at bats.

Pillar announced on February 21, 2021, that he had a one-year deal with the New York Mets with player and club options until 2022. In 2021, the deal promised Pillar $3.6 million. With no buyout, the player option is worth $2.9 million, while the club option is worth $6.4 million with a $1.4 million buyout.

In a game at Truist Park with the bases loaded, Atlanta Braves pitcher Jacob Webb struck Pillar in the chest by a 94 mph (151 km/h) fastball, causing a run. Pillar immediately had severe bleeding and was suspended from the game. "Thanks to anyone who has reached out," Pillar posted on his Twitter account after the event: "Thanks to everyone who has reached out!"

Scary moment but I’m doing fine!

"#RBI #gamewinner" is the gamewinner. Pillar sustained "multiple nasal fractures" and was put on the 10-day injured list, according to the author. He was activated from the injured list on May 31, and he hit a single in his first plate appearance since the injury. After returning, Pillar said he would wear a protective mask in the field and on the bases for several weeks. He went from a clear mask to a black mask made with face-scanning hardware, which improved his vision.

With 15 home runs (4th on the Mets) and 47 RBIs in 325 at bats in 2021, he batted.231/.415 (1921). He batted.300/.352/.588 with runners in scoring position. On defense, he played error-less baseball, 52 games in left field, 22 games in right field, and pitched in a single game (retiring the one batter).

Pillar signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 22, 2022. He started the season with the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers, batting.315/.622 in 127 at bats. On May 28, Pillar was called up to the majors. In 12 at bats for the Dodgers, he had one hit (a double) in one hit.

Pillar fractured his left shoulder while walking into third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 1, 2022, and was later classified on the injured list. On June 7, he underwent successful surgery. He recovered post-surgery and appeared in six minor league rehab games at the end of September, batting 7-for-22 with a home run and six RBIs. He batted.315(8th in the Pacific Coast League)/.604(6th) in 149 at bats, totaling 42 runs, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 20 walks, and 22 strikeouts, playing mainly center field in 2022.

Source