Kevin pillar Hanged on his Superman cloak. When he appeared on foul territory, he announced that he would retire. He was with the Rangers earlier this year but was released about a month ago.
The 36-year-old pillar is able to design an incredible zero-and-hero career. The Blue Jays selected him in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft. But despite his humble beginnings, he will not only enter the major leagues, but also last for more than a decade.
His best asset is his defense, as he quickly gained reputation for creating highlight captures, often diving horizontally in a way that earns his Superman nickname. He gained some limited major league time in 2013 and 2014, and then fully consolidated himself as a major league in 2015.
That year, he played 159 Jays and produced a .278/.314/.399 batting line. His 94 WRC+ says he’s 6% lower intraday average, but that’s enough to pair with his other attributes. He stole 25 bases and achieved high results for glove work, leading to the Fanggraphs’ 3.7 win to him. This has played a major role in getting Jays to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Although the club was eventually knocked down by ALCS Royals, Jays won José BautistaLegendary Bat Flip Game along the way.
Ultimately, this will prove to be the culmination of the pillar. He will never steal more than 15 bases and no more than 90 WRC+ throughout the season. However, he still proves to be a useful player, whose speed and defense make up for some deficits in offense. From 2016 to 2018, he competed in 442 Jay games, slashed .258/.296/.401 with 86 WRC+ and generated 4.5 FWAR.
By the time the 2019 season was rolling, the pillar was 30 years old and Jays was rebuilding. He was hit on the Giants early that year, and the Giants began his career tour period. Over the next few years, he will bounce back to the Red Sox, Rockies, Metropolis, Dodges, Braves, White Soxes, Angels and Rangers. Although he’s already in his 30s, he’s doing roughly the same as before, despite the natural slipping of the gloves. In the 2019-25 season, he played 544 games and reached .246/.284/.415 with 85 WRC+ and produced 2.4 FWAR.
Recently, he served in the Rangers but hit only .209/.209/.256 in 20 games, and was then assigned as a mission and released. He had been flirting with retirement before, but now he seems to have decided it’s time to hang up a nail.
Any 32nd round draft pick is very rare. In fact, a few years ago, the draft was shortened to 20 rounds, so it may not happen again. The pillars not only succeeded, but he entered 1,234 games in 13 seasons. He scored 1,053 hits, including 114 home runs. He was named 16.1 for the Fanggraphs’ 10.8 War. According to baseball reference, he made about 25mm in his career. Our trade rumors in Major League Baseball congratulations to Pillar on his impressive career and wish him all the best in the future.
