MLB
On a team lousy with young talent, Kevin Pillar was a veteran on the 2019 Blue Jays squad. He was the longest tenured Blue Jay prior to his trade this afternoon, and one of the few vets in the clubhouse. Just hours before the Blue Jays were set to open their season last week against the Detroit Tigers, Kendrys Morales found himself on his way to Oakland. Today’s trade shows how dedicated the front office is to giving the young players a chance. The fact that he was traded for young players and not another veteran also shows Shapiro and Atkins are dedicated to this rebuild.
Veteran Presence
Blue Jays players spoke out earlier this year about the importance of veterans for the young players to look up to. They were displeased with the many trades the Blue Jays had been making, most notably of former starting catcher Russell Martin. The Blue Jays also released veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in December of last year. Other veterans to not return to Toronto this year include Aledmys Díaz, Yangervis Solarte, Marco Estrada and Tyler Clippard.
The only position that still has a solid veteran presence is pitcher. The club just doesn’t think enough of the young pitchers are quite ready to be in the majors full time. After seeing Sean Reid-Foley’s outing last night, they might not be wrong. The few veteran position players remaining include Randal Grichuk, Brandon Drury and Justin Smoak. Everyone in Toronto expects this to be Smoak’s last year with the club as Rowdy Tellez is ready and waiting in the wings to be the everyday first baseman.
What Pillar Brings
Kevin Pillar is not known for his bat. He is known for his speed, both on the basepaths and in the outfield. Last year he started the season off by stealing 3 bases, including home, in the third game of the season. It was unbelievable. His diving catches in centre field routinely make highlight reels around the league. He was nominated for a Gold Glove in 2017 but lost to Tampa’s Kevin Keirmaier. Jays fans slept easier at night knowing that Pillar was patrolling centre. If last night’s showing from Grichuk was indicative of what we can expect, fans are in for a long season. No one knows the outfield at Rogers Centre better than Pillar (except probably Jose Bautista). The Jays certainly lost an important part of their defense today, as well as an important veteran voice in their clubhouse.
A long-time fan favourite, Pillar has a few black marks on his record. In 2017 he was suspended for using a homophobic slur against an opposing pitcher. Recently he drew the wrath of some female fans by conducting an interview with the infamous Barstool Sports. Some fans have become a bit disenchanted with him recently because his offense is so poor. He will still be missed by both fans and teammates.
Pillar will return to Toronto with his new club when the Giants arrive to face the Blue Jays for two games on April 23 and 24.
Written by Susannah Schmidt
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Photo credit to Keith Allison via Flickr
