Kevin Pillar’s star rises
By Scott Barancik, editor
The sports world is taking note of Kevin Pillar, the Blue Jays CF who has impressed not only with his glove (he is considered a strong Gold Glove candidate) but his bat.
Sports-radio god Jim Rome interviewed Pillar earlier this week about his record setting 54-game hitting streak in college, being selected deep in the amateur draft (32nd round), and how he spent his $1,000 draft bonus.
The Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted him Toronto’s Player of the Month for June. Pillar hit .365 (tied for 2nd-best in the A.L.) with four HRs and four doubles, swiped five bases, had an 11-game hit streak, and made a number of stellar plays in the field.
An article in the Toronto-based National Post last week said Pillar was “making his detractors eat their words, one stat at a time.” It credits Pillar for simplifying and shortening his swing as well as tightening up his pitch selection.
The 26-year-old California native appeared earlier this week on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk.
Pillar ranks 9th among all A.L. position players in Uultimate Zone Rating (UZR), a measure of defensive prowess favored by many Sabermetricians.
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