Former Blue Jays fan favorite calls it a career after 13 big league seasons

One of the most exciting players to watch in the 2010s was Kevin Pillar as he was a running highlight reel. Pillar seemed to always make some insane play in the field on a daily basis, but somehow never won a Gold Glove out there. He has not been in Toronto since 2019 and after a bouncing around a handful of organizations, Pillar calls it quits and has announced his retirement.

Nicknamed Superman for his incredible acrobatic catches, Pillar was always well known for his glove. His bat was always below average, yet in the prime of his career he managed to belt 21 home runs in a year. Nonetheless, his career fWAR of 10.8 came from primarily his elite glove in centerfield.

Blue Jays' fan favorite Kevin Pillar announces retirement after long career.

After departing from Toronto, Pillar appeared in games for the Giants, Red Sox, Rockies, Mets, Dodgers, Braves, White Sox, Angels, and Rangers. He really bounced around after leaving the Blue Jays, ultimately being the slow decline of his career and he contemplated retirement before the 2025 season began.

Pillar was able to finish his playing career with some impressive feats, surpassing 1,000 hits and 100 homers, finishing with 1,053 and 114. Additionally, he drove in 469 RBI, stole 111 bases, and finished with a .255 batting average. In the outfield, he finished with 54 defensive runs saved and 11 outs above average.

One of the coolest things about Pillar's career was the fact that he was selected in the 32nd round of the MLB draft and not only developed into one of the best defenders in franchise history but stuck around past the 10-years of service time. There are only 20 rounds in the draft now, so being one of the last ones to make it to the big leagues from that round is a really awesome story to remember where he came from.

It would have been fun if Pillar would have came back to finish things out in Toronto as Pillar was a part of the Blue Jays playoff runs in 2015 and 2016. However, he has decided to hang up the spikes leaving behind a memorable career that included showcasing some of the best plays the Blue Jays have ever seen.

Pilllar will always be remembered as superman in Toronto. His highlight reel in the outfield could be watched on replay at any point. Thank you KP for all of the memories brought to this organization.