Member of the 2023 Braves announces he expects to retire after this season
Things seem to be winding down for former Brave Kevin Pillar this season. So much so that Pillar recently told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he plans to retire following the 2024 season. Pillar spent last season with the Braves, his only season with Atlanta out of his 12 year career.
Pillar formed a solid platoon with Eddie Rosario in left field last season, but the Braves front office ultimately decided to move on in the form of Jarred Kelenic/Adam Duvall this year. Pillar was let go by the White Sox this spring, but found a home with his former third base coach out in Anahiem.
Pillar announces his impending retirement
Kevin Pillar entered today with a .276/.343/.487 slash line. He’s been one of the few bright spots for the 37-51 Los Angeles Angels. His impressive season makes the retirement announcement all the more surprising.
If this truly is the final year for Pillar, he’s going out on an excellent one. Pillar recently hit the 10 year MLB service mark as well. Only about seven percent of players who get to the big leagues end up hitting the 10 year of service time mark.
Pillar dove more into the decision in his interview with Nightengale. Pillar said he’s 98% sure he’s going to be done after this season. The reason, Pillar claims he wants to leave the game of baseball while he’s still playing well.
Pillar reflects on a number of players who retired because the perception became they couldn’t land a job anymore. He gave former teammate Jose Bautista as an example. If Pillar’s desire is to exit while he’s still performing he’s certainly on his way to doing just that.
The career numbers don’t blow you away, but you quickly see why Pillar has stuck around as long as he has. Pillar has hit 113 homers and stolen 103 bases while carrying a .258/.296/.412 slash line. His 11.6 fWAR is heavily carried by some amazing defense during his early years out in Toronto.