page_title: Kevin Pillar
section_title: Minor league career
hierarchical_section_title: Kevin Pillar / Minor league career
caption_attribution_description: English: Ballplayer Kevin Pillar
context_page_description: Kevin Andrew Pillar is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants. Pillar was an All-American center fielder in college. He set the NCAA Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak in 2010, and established his school's all-time record with a career batting average of .367. Pillar was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 32nd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.
  In 2011, he batted .347, winning the Appalachian League batting title and leading the organization in batting average in his first minor league season, and was named an Appalachian League All-Star. In 2012 Pillar batted .323, while stealing 51 bases, and was named the Midwest League MVP, a mid-season and a post-season All-Star, the best hitting prospect in the league by Baseball America, and a Topps Class A All-Star and MiLB.com Organization All-Star. In 2013, he led the organization in hits for the second consecutive year, and Baseball America designated him the "Best Hitter for Average" among the Blue Jays' prospects. He made his major league debut for the Blue Jays in August 2013.
context_section_description: Pillar was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 32nd round (979th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.  His signing bonus of $1,000 was so little, after taxes, that he needed to ask his mom for some additional money so that he could have enough to buy an iPhone.  When he was promoted to the majors two years later, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said: "Clearly ... and I say that respectfully, we got him wrong. Just because, if he has a chance to get to the big leagues, you don't wait for the [32nd] round to select him."
  Pillar played for the Bluefield Blue Jays in 2011, and batted .347 over 60 games, winning the Appalachian League batting title and leading the organization in batting average. He was also 4th in the league in hits (82), and 6th in slugging percentage (.534). He was named an Appalachian League All Star. He holds the team's all-time records for batting average, on-base percentage (.377), and slugging percentage.  He was then called up to play for the Vancouver Canadians in its playoff run, and batted .391 to help the team win the Northwest League title.
  Pillar began the 2012 minor league season with the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League, where he recorded a .322 batting average (3rd in the league) with a .390 on base percentage (4th in the league), and stole 35 bases (5th in the league; while being caught 6 times) in 86 games.  He was then promoted to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays, where he batted .323 and stole 16 bases (while being caught 3 times) in 42 games.  His total of 51 steals in 2012 was the second-most in the Blue Jays organization, and 10th-most in the minor leagues.  Considered an excellent defensive player, he played all three outfield positions.  He was named the 2012 Midwest League Most Valuable Player, after also garnering mid-season and post-season All Star honors, and being named the best hitting prospect in the Midwest League by Baseball America.  He was also named a Topps Class A All Star and an MiLB.com Organization All Star.  He then played for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, batting a team-leading .371.
  Pillar was promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats before the start of the 2013 minor league season. He played 71 games for the team, and made 12 outfield assists. He was considered one of the most consistent hitters and defenders in the Eastern League, "with great instincts, a powerful and accurate throwing arm," and showed speed on the base paths. Richie Hebner, his hitting coach, said: "He is the best player in the league. He does everything well."  He batted .313 (3rd in the league) with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs, and was leading the Eastern League with 95 hits, before he was  promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.  Through his first 11 games, Pillar batted .391 and had more doubles (8) than singles (7).  During his time in Buffalo he had more extra-base hits (27) than any other player in AAA over that timespan.  In 123 games between New Hampshire and Buffalo, he had 39 doubles and 155 hits which, at the time of his August 2013 promotion, were the second- and third-highest totals, respectively, in the minor leagues.  Buffalo manager Marty Brown said: "I am impressed with how he has swung the bat, for sure. But he also always seems to be in the right place at the right time defensively. He's a very heads-up baserunner."
  Pillar was ranked the 16th-best prospect in the Blue Jays organization by MLB.com in July 2013. Pillar had not previously ranked in the top 20 on MLB.com's rankings.  Baseball America ranked him as the team's 12th-best prospect.  In 2013, his 155 hits in the minors led the organization for the second consecutive year. In December 2013, Baseball America designated him the "Best Hitter for Average" among the Blue Jays' prospects.
  In 2014 with the Bisons he batted .323 (3rd in the league) in 100 games (missing 35 games during his two call-ups to the majors), leading the International League in doubles (39; second-most in the Bisons' modern era to Jhonny Peralta's 44 in 2004), 3rd in extra-base hit
caption: Pillar with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2012.
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