Pillar hit .347 with 17 doubles, three triples, seven homeruns and 37 RBI this season with the Bluefield Blue Jays

If you have followed the Jays Prospects this season, there is no doubt you have heard quite a bit about outfielder, Kevin Pillar. You may have heard he led the Bluefield Blue Jays’ (and the league) with a batting average of .347; You may have known he hit 17 doubles, three triples, seven homeruns and drove in 37 RBI; Heck, you may have even known he was a 2011 Appalachian All Star. But with that said, did you know he admires Pete Rose and Cal Ripken? That he had a 54-game hit streak? Or that he considers himself to be a loyal friend? Fortunately, all of this was found all (and more) when Pillar sat down with JaysProspects to share some light on how he has become an integral prospect in the Blue Jays’ organization.

Fans are always anxious to find out which players have been idolized by players now trying to make it to the majors. Thus, much like everyone else, JaysProspects asked Pillar to name his favourite past or present MLB player. Unlike everyone else, however, Pillar has a unique response: “Growing up my two favorite players were Pete Rose and Cal Ripken Jr. I admire both of them for how they played the game. Pete Rose played the game with a mindset that every game could be his last on the field and it didn’t matter if it was the championship game or an All-Star game he was going to be playing as hard as possible. Cal Ripken Jr, on the other hand, I admired for how he was able to play every single day through bumps, bruises and injuries. He was the definition of an iron man and I have tried to model myself after him.”

There is no doubt that the young 22-year old has become a player in which players will soon model themselves after. Pillar admits that this can all be attributed to some important people in his life: “First, and probably most importantly, I’d like to thank my parents who have always supported me and my dream of playing baseball. They have not only given me emotional support through my entire career but have also given me physical support by attending 95% of my games throughout my playing career including college.” He further adds, “Another person that I give a lot of credit to is my college coach Murphy Su’a. Coach Su’a has been a huge influence on my career. He was a huge help teaching me not only baseball but also how to be a man. He taught at Dominguez Hills to take responsibility for our actions, be accountable for our actions and how to discipline ourselves.”

Pillar also admits, however, that it has not been an easy path and has taken a lot of determination and effort. He concludes, “With the guidance and help from my parents and coaches as well as others, I have been able to be put in this situation of playing professional baseball. I have been able to keep myself on a straight narrow path eliminating distractions and keeping my eye on the price of playing professional baseball.”

While Pillar has lots of found memories with the Bluefield Blue Jays, he will never forget his first walkoff homerun playing Pony Baseball

While on his journey, Pillar has experienced many highs and lows. When asked to share one of his most exciting moments, Pillar shared a game during his first year of kid pitch playing Pony Baseball at West Hills Pony Baseball league. He reminisces: “It was a game in which I hit my only walk-off home run still to this day. I came up in the bottom of the 6th inning and was able to hit a pitch over the fence for not only the game winning run, but also my first and only homerun of that season. It is special anytime you hit a homerun but even more so being a walk off.”  Showing just how caring he is, he also added, “It was also a cherry on top to have my grandparents in the stands to witness it.”

What his grandparents, as well as every JaysProspects fan, have definitely witnessed this season is how successful Pillar was with the Bluefield Blue Jays. In his first year with the organization, the young prospect from California posted a .347 batting average with 17 doubles, three triples, seven homeruns and 37 RBI. “I knew that I was capable of producing this type of season but it definitely did not start out that way. I was very lucky to have met such terrific coaches, Dennis Holmberg and Kenny Graham.” Pillar stated of his season, “Together we fixed some flaws not only in my mechanics but my approach at the plate. After that we created a routine that I would stick to religiously every single day. A combination of those two things right there were the gateway to me produce the numbers that I did this year. The last part was just putting all of the hard work, man hours and muscle memory to work when the games started and just going out there competing and having fun.”

Pillar is all smiles after posting an impressive 54-game hitting streak with Dominguez Hills

And if you thought that was his recent success was going to be the most impressive stats about him… think again. The young outfielder also posted a 54-game hitting streak with Dominguez Hills. Recognizing the pressure that must have surmounted with every at-bat, Pillar was asked to share some highlights regarding the experience. He stated, “During my hitting streak, the thought of getting a hit to keep the streak alive didn’t become apparent until I was approaching breaking the school record at 23 games. Once I surpassed that the next time it became apparent was when I was approaching the conference record of 35 games. After breaking that, it was definitely on my mind to some degree knowing that breaking a national record would not only be an awesome accomplishment but would also be extremely important in bringing national attention to myself as well as Dominguez Hills baseball. I am so happy and proud to have broken the record.”

What is almost shocking, however, is how modest Pillar is of his accomplishments. He doesn’t boast that he broke the national record with a 54-game hitting streak nor does he scream to all that can hear that he lead the APP league with a .347 batting average. He states that that is how he has always been and always will be: “While I am now able to commit myself to baseball, I was raised and taught by my parents and coaches that nothing should ever change once you once you become a professional athlete. I have made that promise to myself to always remain the same guy regardless of how little or how much success I have while being a professional athlete.”

While Pillar admits that his best skills at the plate is his ability to hit pitches to all fields including hitting balls out of the strike zone and that he has very good bat control or barrel manipulation, he announced that his best skill off of the field is being a good friend. “I consider myself to be loyal and kind of people and especially my friends and people close to me.”

In concluding, Pillar was asked to contribute some information, he believed, many at JaysProspects wouldn’t be aware of… and he was right. He stated, “Something that not too many people know about me is if I was not blessed enough to have gotten a chance to play professional baseball I would of studied for the LSATs and gone to law school. I have a passion for law and really wanted to attended law school if baseball did not work out.”

While everyone at JaysProspects wishes the young prospect the best of luck in his studies, we are hoping to see him in a Blue Jays’ uniform rather than a pin-striped suit! That said, we wish Kevin Pillar the best of luck in all of his endeavors and thank him kindly for his time!