The Dodgers are well known for taking veterans who are looking for a 2nd wind and turning them into the best versions of themselves for the period they are at in their career, and sometimes the best versions they have ever been. Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Anderson, and basically the entire bullpen are great examples of that in action, and those are just a few amongst many more. Kevin Pillar is a Major League veteran who signed as a free agent last winter and is looking to make a home in LA, his hometown, and with the Dodgers, his hometown team.

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Beating the Odds

Pillar is 33 years old and coming off of a fractured shoulder injury that derailed an otherwise promising homecoming in 2022. Just as he was about to settle in and make his mark, it was taken from him, but he is back and available, and is super motivated to make an impact. Beating the odds is something that has become routine in his career, and when he puts his mind to something it gets done, so don’t be surprised when he comes back better than ever.

Prep Career

Pillar graduated from Chaminade Prep having a grand total of 0 Division 1 scholarship offers after his High School career despite being a very talented player and one who is fiercely competitive and full of intangibles. When his former High School coach took the Pitching coach job at Cal State Dominguez, he was offered the chance to further his playing career at the LA based DII school, and with it being close to home and having familiar faces inside the program, the talented outfielder decided to be a Toro.

Pillar was able to concentrate on baseball only for the first time in his career and had immediate success in the CSUDH program. He was named to the All-CCAA 2nd team as both a Freshman and as a Sophomore, then set a D-II record by hitting in 54 straight games. He was also named a Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove Award Winner as a Junior, was an Honorable mention All-American, was 1st Team All-West Region, and was 1st team All-Conference in all 3 years in College.

He had a remarkable career and proved how good he was, but, despite all of that success, still was not drafted after his Jr. year, and returned to Cal State Dominguez for his 4th year in 2011. As a Senior, Pillar hit .368 and recorded an OPS of 1.256, and when he finally got drafted in the 32nd round in 2011, after his Senior year, it was a total relief. But, still, although he did get drafted, it was in the 32nd Round, which is very late, so, once again, Pillar set out to beat the odds and prove all the teams wrong that passed on him 31, some 32 times.

Getting drafted is very exciting, but in all honesty, I thought it was a year late. I was coming off of a pretty historic Junior season with a 54-game hit streak, and I made all-conference and All-American and all that stuff, and I felt like I was worthy of being drafted and it became very apparent to me that it was going to be tougher playing DII baseball. So, going into my Senior year I still had expectations that I would get to play at the next level, so when I was drafted it was more of a relief than it was exciting. I knew it was the door opening and it was an opportunity and that’s the way I saw it. I knew if the door opened I would be able to make the best of it and I went out there with a chip on my shoulder and wanted to prove all the teams wrong for passing on me until the 32nd round.

Professional Career

After being drafted, Pillar set his sights on Rookie ball in West Virginia to start his professional career in 2011, and by June of 2013 had made it all the way to AAA Buffalo, and by August of that same year made his MLB debut with Toronto. The fleet-footed LA native spent 8 good years in the Bluejays system before being traded to the Giants in April of 2019 where he spent the rest of that year.

In the off-season between 2019 and 2020 Pillar signed with Boston as a free agent, but, despite having a great year, was traded to the Rockies in August and finished 2020 hitting .308. In the following off-season, in 2021, he signed with the Mets where, unfortunately, if unfortunately is a strong enough word, his 2021 season got derailed with a facial injury after taking a fastball to the face and going through surgical repair. But, again, in typical Pillar fashion, he was motivated to beat the odds and make a return to baseball, and, after the 2021 season, he got the chance to do that with his hometown team, the Dodgers

After realizing that an MLB job wasn’t in his cards to start 2022, Pillar signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers and got off to a great start with AAA OKC hitting .292 in April with an OPS of .994, then hitting .339 in May with an OPS of 1.085. He got promoted in May, but, after just 3 games, fractured his shoulder and was diagnosed with a season-ending injury. At least, until it wasn’t! Pillar, once again, beat the odds and made it back on the field for the last handful of games with AAA OKC, and is available for the playoffs if needed with LA.

I felt like I was on track to be the best version of myself before the injury and I was doing everything I felt like I needed to be doing in AAA and I was excited to get an opportunity with my hometown team. In all honesty, it took me a couple of days to settle into playing in the big leagues, but putting the Dodgers uniform on was exciting for me, and I felt like I was about to settle in and get comfortable and be someone that could contribute. Unfortunately, the injury happened, and going from a season-ending injury to getting a chance to come back to Oklahoma City and play a handful of games to finish the year and put myself in the conversation of being available if something happens during the playoff run was something that motivated me through rehab. I always felt like I had the chance to beat the initial timetable and get back on the field, and I’m pretty excited I got to play some games at the end of the year.

Pillar is back and ready to go if needed, and has shown throughout his career that he is very good, so the Dodgers are in good hands if they need his service at any time for the rest of the year. Also, having talked to him, I can tell you that, even beyond this year, he is very motivated to make an impact in this organization, and if his past history is an indicator, nothing will stand in his way.

In closing, I would like to say thank you to Kevin for joining Dodgers Daily. He is a true pro and one that all young men and women of all walks of life and professions should strive to emulate because his career has encompassed much more than just talent and results on the field. His process of how he has prepared, how he has rehabbed, and how he works is elite, and one that fits right in with the Dodgers culture.