Former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar is likely to retire following the conclusion of his 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angels.
Pillar, 35, is in the midst of his 12th MLB campaign and has put up some of his best numbers at the plate in recent years since signing with the Angels in late April.
On Saturday, Pillar took to X to celebrate his 10th year of service time in MLB, having suited up for nine different organizations since being selected by the Blue Jays back in 2011.
In a recent interview with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Pillar expressed content with calling it quits following the end of his current season with the Angels.
“I watched some of my good friends and teammates, who were much better players than me, maybe go a year too long,” Pillar told Nightengale.
“I think it would be kind of cool to go out playing really well, and people being curious to why you don’t want to play anymore, and not that the game kicked you out.”
Pillar referenced the experience of former teammate and Blue Jay Jose Bautista as an example of overstaying your welcome in the big leagues.
Pillar noted how the great achievements of the three-time Silver Slugger winner got lost in the shuffle late in Bautista's career as he began circulating around the league from one team to the next after a decade-long tenure with Toronto.
“There are some people whose lasting impression of him is bouncing around from team to team,’’ Pillar said, “and not the same fearful hitter that he once was.”
“Wouldn’t it be a cool thing for him to have gone out, maybe on top of your game, and people thinking, 'Man, he could still play,’” he added.
Pillar, remembered more for his acrobatic catches around the outfield rather than his bat, may very well have the chance to do just that and go out on a high, possibly alongside a contending team, depending on how July 30th’s Trade Deadline pans out involving the Angels’ hottest bat.
Since departing the Blue Jays in 2019, Pillar has been a part-time outfielder for an array of teams within the major leagues. He is in the midst of his hottest stretch at the plate since batting .308 with the Colorado Rockies in 2020.
Pillar is slashing .299/.355 /.867 through 41 games with the Angels this season. He suited up for seven seasons in Toronto and is often remembered for his over-the-wall catches at the Rogers Centre.
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