Kevin Pillar Bio
Kevin Andrew Pillar, born January 4, 1989, in West Hills, California, is an American former professional baseball outfielder who spent more than a decade in Major League Baseball (MLB). Across a career that ran from 2013 to 2025, he played for ten organizations, including the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Texas Rangers. Known for his elite defensive play in center field, reliable bat, and well-conditioned throwing arm, he built a reputation as one of the league’s most consistent center fielders. He retired on July 2, 2025, closing the book on a journeyman career that produced 100 career home runs, 1,000 hits, and 100 stolen bases.
Drafted in the 32nd round of the 2011 MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays after a record-setting college career, Pillar far exceeded his draft status. He earned the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and a Fielding Bible Award in 2016, and he received votes for the Most Valuable Player award in 2019. Off the field, he is widely recognized for his Jewish heritage and his charitable work, including the establishment of the Pillar-Lambert Scholarship in Accounting at Tel Aviv University in 2016.
Early Life and Background
Kevin Andrew Pillar was born on January 4, 1989, in the Los Angeles district of West Hills, California, to Mike and Wendy Pillar. He grew up in a household with strong athletic roots and was a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan during his childhood. Pillar is Jewish; his mother is Jewish and his father is Christian, and he celebrated a Bar Mitzvah during his upbringing.
He attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in the Los Angeles area, where he was a standout three-sport athlete. In his junior year of high school, he moved from the infield to the outfield for the baseball team, the position he would play professionally for the next decade-plus. He batted close to .400 for his high school career, with a high of .463 as a senior, while also contributing on offense, defense, and special teams for the football squad and serving as a point guard on the basketball team. He earned first-team all-league honors in all three sports.
Path to Major League Baseball
After high school, Kevin Andrew Pillar attended California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California, where he majored in and graduated with a degree in mathematics and business. He played center field for the Toros baseball program and quickly developed into one of the top hitters in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), earning three All-CCAA selections across his first three seasons.
As a junior in 2010, Pillar set an NCAA Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak, breaking the previous record by five games and keeping the streak alive eight times with a hit in his final at-bat. He also batted .379 that season and won a Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) National Gold Glove Award. He finished his college career as the school’s all-time batting leader with a .367 average, establishing himself as one of the most decorated players in program history.
Following his senior season, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Pillar in the 32nd round, 979th overall, of the 2011 MLB draft. With a signing bonus of just $1,000, he famously had to ask his mother for additional money so he could buy an iPhone. Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos later acknowledged the organization’s error in letting him slip that far, praising Pillar’s development into a major league center fielder.
Kevin Pillar Career
Early Career (2011–2014)
Kevin Andrew Pillar began his professional career with the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League in 2011, batting .347 over 60 games and winning the Appalachian League batting title. He set Bluefield’s all-time records for batting average, on-base percentage (.377), and slugging percentage, then helped the Vancouver Canadians win the Northwest League title by batting .391 in their postseason run. In 2012, he split the season between the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts and Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays, stealing 51 bases overall and earning Midwest League Most Valuable Player honors along with mid-season, post-season, Topps Class A All-Star, and MiLB.com Organization All-Star selections.
Promoted to Double-A New Hampshire in 2013, Pillar led the Eastern League with 95 hits before a call-up to Triple-A Buffalo, where he continued to hit and was recognized as one of the most consistent hitters and defenders in the system. He was ranked as the Blue Jays’ 16th-best prospect by MLB.com in mid-2013 and made his major league debut on August 14, 2013, against the Boston Red Sox, going 0-for-4 but recording a diving catch in a 4–3 extra-innings win. In 2014, he led the International League in doubles with 39 and posted two separate hitting streaks of 21 and 18 games, becoming the first player in Buffalo’s modern era to record two hitting streaks of 18 or more games in a single season.
Toronto Blue Jays Breakthrough (2015–2018)
Pillar seized the Blue Jays’ starting center field job in 2015 after an injury to Michael Saunders and produced the first full major league season of his career. He batted .278 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases, and he led all MLB outfielders in putouts. A highlight-reel wall-scaling catch to rob Tim Beckham of a home run on April 15 was voted the Blue Jays’ play of the year, and on June 2 he became the first right-handed hitter to hit two home runs in a single game off Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer. He was named American League Player of the Week for September 21–27, 2015, and later won the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field.
In 2016, Pillar played 146 games and batted .266 with seven home runs, 53 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases, ranking first among MLB center fielders with 21 Defensive Runs Saved and a UZR of 21.4. He earned the Fielding Bible Award for center field. The 2017 season saw him set career highs with 37 doubles and 16 home runs while posting a .997 fielding percentage, the best among American League center fielders, and he recorded his first walk-off home run on May 14, 2017, against the Seattle Mariners. In 2018, he led Toronto in batting average (.252), doubles (40), and stolen bases (14), and on March 31, 2018, he became the first Blue Jay to steal three bases in one inning, swiping second, third, and home against the New York Yankees.
San Francisco Giants Era (2019)
Traded to the San Francisco Giants on April 2, 2019, Pillar hit his first career grand slam on April 8 against the San Diego Padres and quickly became the team’s everyday center fielder. On May 4, 2019, he earned an MLB Play of the Week award for a wall-scaling catch that robbed Nick Senzel of a home run, and on August 17 he collected a career-high five hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He finished the 2019 season batting .264/.293/.442 with 37 doubles, 21 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases, leading or tying for the team lead in runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases.
For his efforts, Pillar received the Willie Mac Award as the Giants’ most inspirational player in September 2019, and in November he earned a single vote for the National League Most Valuable Player award. The Giants opted not to tender him a contract after the season, making him a free agent.
Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies (2020)
On February 14, 2020, Kevin Andrew Pillar signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he batted .274 in 117 at-bats with four home runs and 13 RBIs while playing error-less defense across all three outfield spots. At the August 31 trade deadline, the Red Sox dealt him to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitcher Jacob Wallace. Pillar batted .308/.351/.451 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 91 at-bats for Colorado, playing almost exclusively center field.
New York Mets (2021)
Pillar signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the New York Mets on February 21, 2021. On May 17, 2021, he was struck in the face by a 94 miles-per-hour fastball from Atlanta Braves pitcher Jacob Webb at Truist Park, suffering multiple nasal fractures. After returning from the injured list on May 31, he wore a specially designed black protective mask created using face-scanning software. In 2021 with the Mets, Pillar batted .231/.277/.415 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs in 325 at-bats, while playing 57 games in center field, 52 in left field, and 22 in right field. He also pitched in one game and retired the only batter he faced.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2022)
Kevin Andrew Pillar signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 22, 2022, and was called up to the majors on May 28. In his lone hit for the Dodgers, he doubled in 12 at-bats. On June 1, 2022, he fractured his left shoulder sliding into third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates but stayed in the game to score on a groundout before being placed on the injured list. He underwent successful surgery on June 7 and finished the season on a minor league rehab assignment in September, batting 7-for-22 with a home run and six RBIs.
Atlanta Braves (2023)
Pillar signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves on January 18, 2023, and had his contract selected on March 30 after making the Opening Day roster. He hit his 100th career home run on May 5, 2023, against the Baltimore Orioles. In 2023 with Atlanta, he batted .228/.248/.416 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 197 at-bats, splitting time between left field (64 games), right field (13 games), and center field (3 games).
Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels (2024)
Pillar signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 2, 2024, was released on March 22, and re-signed two days later to a major league deal. He batted .160 with one home run in 17 games before being designated for assignment on April 26, then elected free agency after rejecting an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte. On April 30, 2024, he signed a major league contract with the Los Angeles Angels following an injury to Mike Trout. With the Angels, he recorded his 100th career stolen base on May 15 against the St. Louis Cardinals and his 1,000th career hit on May 19 in a pinch-hit at-bat against the Texas Rangers. He batted .236/.291/.378 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs in 259 at-bats for Los Angeles in 2024.
Texas Rangers Era (2025)
On February 23, 2025, Kevin Andrew Pillar signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, and on March 26 the Rangers selected his contract after he made the Opening Day roster. In 20 appearances for Texas, he batted .209/.209/.256 with one home run, three RBIs, and three stolen bases, primarily playing center field. He was designated for assignment on May 25 following the promotion of Alejandro Osuna and released on May 31. On July 2, 2025, Pillar announced his retirement from professional baseball, ending a 13-year MLB career.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kevin Andrew Pillar built his reputation as one of the premier defensive center fielders of his era, leading all major league outfielders in putouts in 2015 and earning the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field that same season. His combination of speed, range, instincts, and a strong, accurate throwing arm allowed him to make highlight-reel wall-scaling catches that became a hallmark of his game. Offensively, he was a high-contact hitter who could also produce power in spurts, and his base-running savvy helped him post a 75.82% stolen-base percentage across his seven seasons in Toronto, the eighth-best mark in franchise history.
Notable Events and Milestones
Kevin Andrew Pillar reached 100 career home runs on May 5, 2023, with the Atlanta Braves and recorded his 1,000th career hit on May 19, 2024, as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He also stole his 100th career base on May 15, 2024, against the St. Louis Cardinals, joining a small group of players to reach the 100-100-100 milestone in the modern era. Among Jewish major leaguers, through 2022 he ranked fifth all-time in career stolen bases, ninth in career doubles, and tenth in career hits.
Kevin Pillar Career Wins
Kevin Andrew Pillar did not earn major individual batting or home run titles in MLB, but he did capture the Appalachian League batting title in 2011 and the Midwest League Most Valuable Player award in 2012. He also received the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field in 2015, the Fielding Bible Award for center field in 2016, and the Willie Mac Award from the San Francisco Giants in 2019. Pillar was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Toronto Blue Jays Highlights
During his seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2013 to 2019, Pillar played 601 games and became the team’s longest-tenured active player in 2018 after the trade of Aaron Loup. He set a Toronto record by becoming the first Blue Jay to steal three bases in one inning on March 31, 2018, against the New York Yankees. His defensive excellence earned him two Gold Glove Award finalist nods, the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, and a Fielding Bible Award in 2016.
Other Wins and Performances
In the minor leagues, Pillar won the Appalachian League batting title in 2011, was named the Midwest League Most Valuable Player in 2012, and was twice named International League Player of the Week in 2014. In college, he was a three-time All-CCAA selection, a 2010 Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove Award winner, and was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kevin Pillar Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kevin Andrew Pillar was raised in West Hills, California, by his father, Mike Pillar, and his mother, Wendy Pillar. He grew up a Los Angeles Dodgers fan and credits his parents with supporting his multi-sport athletic development through high school and college. Through his mother’s side, Pillar is connected to Jewish heritage, and in 2016 he established the Pillar-Lambert Scholarship in Accounting at Tel Aviv University in Israel in honor of his late maternal grandfather, Ed Lambert.
Personal Life
Kevin Andrew Pillar married his college sweetheart, Amanda Gulyas, in October 2014. The couple’s first child, a daughter named Kobie, was born in October 2017 and was named after NBA star Kobe Bryant, one of Pillar’s idols growing up. Their second child, a son, was born in April 2020. The family has remained closely tied to Los Angeles throughout Pillar’s professional career.
2025 Season Performance
Kevin Andrew Pillar’s 2025 season began with a minor league contract signed with the Texas Rangers on February 23, 2025. He made the Opening Day roster after the Rangers selected his contract on March 26, giving him one final major league opportunity at age 36. In 20 appearances for Texas, he served primarily as a center-field reserve and batted .209/.209/.256 with one home run, three RBIs, and three stolen bases, providing veteran depth and outfield defense for the club.
His time in Texas ended on May 25, 2025, when Pillar was designated for assignment to make room for top prospect Alejandro Osuna on the active roster. He was released by the Rangers on May 31. On July 2, 2025, Kevin Andrew Pillar announced his retirement from professional baseball, closing out a 13-year MLB career that spanned ten organizations and produced 100 home runs, 1,000 hits, and 100 stolen bases.