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Toronto Blue Jays: The 2010s All-Decade team

By Tyson Shushkewich

TORONTO, ON - JULY 22: A banner showing the retired number 32, belonging to former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay, is updated with the National Baseball Hall of Fame logo, after Halladay was inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 21st, 2019, seen during a MLB game against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre on July 22, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 22: A banner showing the retired number 32, belonging to former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay, is updated with the National Baseball Hall of Fame logo, after Halladay was inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 21st, 2019, seen during a MLB game against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre on July 22, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

All-Decade Blue Jays Outfield

Kevin Pillar, Center Field

  • 2013-2019 (7 seasons)
  • 55 Home Runs; 231 RBI’s
  • 86 OPS+; 14.3 bWAR
  • 695 games

While superheroes are mostly reserved for one’s imagination and comic books, Kevin ‘Superman’ Pillar was as close as they come in the world of professional baseball.

Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 32nd round of the 2011 amateur draft, Pillar would quickly work his way up the Blue Jays farm system due to his presence at the plate and excellent defense.

His first two seasons in the MLB were spent both shuttling between Toronto and AAA Buffalo, and would finally make the Toronto Blue Jays for a full season in 2015. He would spend time in the other outfield positions in 2013 and 2014 until becoming the Blue Jays de-facto center fielder in 2015.

His career slash line with the Toronto Blue Jays sits at .260/.297/.396, with his low walk rate contributing to the OBP being almost 40 points from his batting average. The most walks he would have in a single season was in 2017, where he would walk on base 33 times in 154 games.

Kevin Pillar was known for his strong defensive ability, with his quick reflexes and stellar co-ordination that produced highlight real catches year after year. He would also be nominated for the A.L. Gold Glove Award on numerous occasions during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, but would never bring home the award.

In 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays would trade Kevin Pillar to the San Francisco Giants just a few days into the season, sending one of the longest-tenured players on the team to the West Coast. He would have a productive season with the Giants, enough to earn him a single MVP vote in the National League.

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