Kevin Pillar is five seasons and a whopping eight Major League Baseball teams removed from his time with the Blue Jays, but the veteran outfielder seems to still have a strong understanding of the Toronto fan base.
And judging by his comments on Sportsnet’s World Series coverage, Pillar also has some opinions on the controversial exit of another popular Toronto outfielder.
On a post-game studio panel following Monday night’s third game of the series, Pillar had specific thoughts on his former teammate, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who has been a huge reason L.A. has opened up a 3-0 lead over the Yankees in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.
“It’s a shame when you have a guy like that in a place like this and (Blue Jays management) decide not to bring him back,” Pillar said following the Dodgers’ 4-2 win in the Bronx. “As a former teammate of his, I’m happy to see him have success.
“He’s in a great place if he wants to win.”
That much is clear as Hernandez has been a key contributor of a Dodgers team that won the National League West and is now a game away from sweeping the Yanks for the championship.
Pillar is presumably well aware of the current situation with the Jays, the team that drafted him and where he played parts of seven big league seasons before being dealt to the San Francisco Giants early in the 2019 season. Pillar and Hernandez were teammates with the Jays from the time the latter was dealt to Toronto from Houston at the 2017 trade deadline until Pillar was sent to the Giants for a trio of players that never had an impact with the Jays.
Hernandez has been a big part of the Dodgers success, mostly with his bat. But on Monday, it was a stellar defensive play in the fourth inning that drew rave reviews. With his team leading 3-0, Hernandez fielded a ground ball in left field and then delivered a bullet at the plate to throw out the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton at the plate.
“I think he’s a tremendous player,” Pillar said of Hernandez. “Teoscar’s not just an unbelievable hitter (for) power, average, he’s a a sneaky runner. He’s one of those players who possesses five tools. He has an unbelievable arm. He has the ability to go get it out there.”
Since leaving the Jays, Pillar has been a big-league journeyman playing for the Giants, Red Sox, Rockies, Mets, Dodgers (for a brief four games) Braves, White Sox and most recently the Angels. Pillar, who is a free agent once again, is in Toronto to work Games 3-5 of the World Series for Sportsnet, though that stint could be abbreviated if Hernandez and the Dodgers complete the sweep on Tuesday night.